I just changed my rear pads on my 1960 Electra and after discovering the drums were scored I took them to be machined. The machine shop told me one of the drums was shot (over the tolerances ? .... this is in France.... I'm not sure they know the tolerance but then they have more experience than I do). Conclusion: I'm looking at getting new drums and found these on Ebay which are cheaper than at more reputable online shops. http://www.ebay.com/itm/200709045519?_trksid=p5197.c0.m619 i am surprised to see the rear drums finned (others places dont offer fins). Could this be a generic picture ? Is this a trust worthy solution ? Anyone have experience with these ? Roland
Ah...you just changed the shoes...they don't have pads....disc brake cars have pads. Most drums have the tolerance stamped right on them, so it's possible they were checking against that. It's likely it was worn. I don't really know anything about 1960 Buick, I do know many Buick drums were finned for better cooling, and many were aluminum w/ steel liners that can be replaced. Most cheap drums like that are made in China, but they work fine...usually. That's all I know!
Here is my drum.... Feels really heavy so I assume they are not aluminum (they are rusted too !).... Here is the one they think is toast.... When is the drum wall too thin ?
That does look pretty scored up. The factory set the rules and the max diameter is stamped or cast right onto the drum usually. You "can" go larger in diameter, but at some point you get too large. Where that critical failure point is I don't know and sure hope to never find out. I guess if you only drive it a little, you "could" go larger, but then the shoes tend to not make contact all along them and mainly hit in the center only. All in all, for a safety item, I don't cheat and recommend you don't either. Buy the new drum, it makes sense, but costs a few dollars.
OK you've convinced me !!!! I'm getting new drums. There is a 40$ difference bewteen the usual retailers and the Ebay seller. Should I assume I am getting the same drum / quality (chinese) drum or should I go with the more expensive traditional retailer like CARS / Kanter ?
I think you can assume you will get the same quality China drum anywhere. The only place I know or have seen different grades of brake parts is NAPA an automotive parts chain here in the US. You can check them online, with the price of SH to France, you may be better off buying them there. I know Napa does have 2 grades of rotors for disc brakes of much later cars. One is the regular, like 1 year guarantee, the other has a 2 year guarantee and is black coated on the bare areas, so it won't rust. I don't know if they have different grades of drums. Do make sure you paint whatever you buy. The nickel content is low on those Chinesium made parts, 1 drive in the rain and they will look like your 50 year old drums!
I am having them shipped to my girlfriend who will be travelling through the states so SH will be US bound (cheaper yeah !!!). I just hope she does not kill me for having her lug back 40 lbs of steel :spank: I'll check the NAPA website but I think i'll go with Ebay if the product is the same as CARS & others....
I had to move my car so I put my new linings on the front back in and put the old drums back on the rear (i'm still waiting for the new ones to come). Problem: I had a hard time putting the drums back on because the pistons kept pushing the linings outwards ??? They would not come back in (when I pushed one side in the other popped out). I went for a 5 min drive and the drums were very hot (lining dragging). Background info: I have changed everything on this car. Redid booster, new master cylinder, new pistons in each wheel, put SILICONE fluid in system, bled system. For some weird reason when I dissassembled the brakes (had bled them the prior week) to get the linings relined, I noticed I could not push the piston in on one side without having the other side want to pop out. As i reassembled everything I had a very hard time putting the top springs in because the pistons would not push the fluid back into the master cylinder. Result: my brakes a very tight and lining are dragging in the drums. Why is that ? Why are pistons not pulling back in and clearing the drum/lining ? Could the silicone be doing something to the seals (in the MC) and preventing oil from coming back up to the master cylinder ? I hope this jibberish makes sense !! Help someone !!!!
Maybe the Master cyl is too full? You could take the cover off when you push the pistons in and they should stay. No air could get in, the fluid would be pushed into the master. You would push sloowly, you don't want brake fluid squirting on your paint! Then after, put the cap back on. Might have to siphon some fluid off if too much in the master. It might be because your drums were so worn, but you bled with them. You will need to rebleed with the new drums, the fluid won't compress enough to get smaller drums on. It's a thought........
Thanks. Its not the adjusters as I put them down to the minimal position ! I think its the master cylinder. I took the cap off the master cylinder and it is not full at all. I tried pushing the pistons in and it would not push fluid back to the MC !! Maybe when I redid my booster is there something off that prevents the seals in the MC to clear the small vent orifice ? Or is there too much pressure on the spring that prevents fluid from coming back up ? I cant tell but my brakes are adjusted to a minimum and they still drag. Also the pistons wnt come back in fully so the linings are held apart even when there is no pressure on the brake pedal. I hate to have to dismantle the MC (as I will have to rebleed). Any ideas ?
