55 Imperial

["George Laurie" <georgelaurie@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Ted, I have found that most parts or brake stores automaticly sell you Oversized Linings assuming that the Drums have been cut, I have struck this problem many times, even with the Hand Brake Linings on the back of the transmission.  I find that I have to get the Lining Thickness that is listed in the Service Manual and INSIST that they be made only to that Thickness!  I have also found that it is not good to use NOS linings if you find any, because the new materials really do work better, I also INSIST when ordering Linings that they use the Softest one available ( you can get soft and hard ) Hard Linings last a long time, but what we really need on our Classic Cars are Brakes that Work as Best as we can get them to, Right? so I always go for the soft Linings, they will stop you better, that's a fact! so what if you only get 50,000 miles instead of !00,000 if you can avoid running up the back of that 2003 whizbanger that just stoped on a dime in front of you. I would be concerned that the Linings you have sanded ( unless you Radious sanded them ? ) will have a lot of High and Low spots, so they might not work as well as they would if they had a fuller surface contact. I know it is a normal thing to have to readjust the brakes when the high spots wear down, but it is something to think about, regards George.

----- Original Message -----

From: Ted Blackington

To: mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sent: Saturday, March 29, 2003 12:28 PM

Subject: IML: 55 Imperial

After scanning replies to my problem getting the new shoes to fit inside the front drums on my 55 I could find no instance of anyone else having this problem. I can only assume my new shoes were too thick in the backing material, and only after sanding them down would they fit. The anchor cams were adjusted to every possible position in an attempt to get them to fit with no success. Which leads me to another question-what SHOULD be the thickness of the material on a new shoe?? The shop manual does not include this information. If I had possessed this I would have known from the start the shoes were not correctly lined, despite what the seller claimed. Is there a source for this, other than the re-liner's specs??

   cebuisle@xxxxxxx                                                                                                      TED