I'm redoing the brakes on my '42. The lining looks pretty good on the front shoes but the lining on the front wheel/rear shoes is supposed to be about three inches shorter than the liniing on the front wheel/front shoes. On mine, the shoes are all fullly lined. Do I need to correct this? The wheel cylinders each have two different bore diameters which I imagine is related to the original difference in the shoe lining length.
I also need to have all my wheel cylinders and the master cylinder sleeved. I've found a bunch of places that do it. Some use steel and some use brass. The shops that use brass seem a bit more expensive. Any opinions on whether one of the materials is better than the other?
Finally, can you buy new steel brake lines that have already been shaped or do you have to fabricate them yourself?
Thanks,
Jeff
Jeff, I am not familiar with the relining of cylinder, however, I just now finished with new brake lines. I did not find preformed lines, but did find a pliers shaped tool, with roller wheels on it that worked great for bending brake lines without kinking them. worked real well. I got this one at the local Hedahl Auto supply store.. If you want a picture of what it looks like I can post it.
Good luck with that.
SD Glenn
Jeff,
I had White Post Restorations do my wheel cylinders and master cylinder, very pleased with the outcome.
The brake lines have to be fashioned by you,
Good luck,
Bob
I'm not an expert on disc or drum brakes, although I have worked on both. However, my former '94 Taurus and my present '2010 Accord both had/have 4 wheel disc brakes.
Pat O'Connor
Thanks FourDoor. I'm still a little confused about the "why" though. Is the reduced lining on the leading shoe up front to keep the front brakes from locking up too soon? It seems like you would want more braking power up front because of the 60/40 thing. Also, if the goal is to reduce braking up front, why couldn't you just have all the shoes up front be shorter, but the same length?
White Post is definitely on my list. They use brass and have a lifetime warranty and put a nice finish on the exterior, but are a little more expensive than another shop that uses steel. Any opinions on the steel v. brass question?