66 stang

I was told to repost this from my old thread


does anyone have any advice on putting my brakes back together-i have new lines and cylinders on the wheels-but i need to put the hardware and adjusters back on-whats the deal with the grease(how do you do that?), putting in more brake fluid(mines all gone) and drums?

just any general advice-i dont want to have to do my brake job again because of some stupid blunder..........

Scott H.

First choice would be to go to a competent shop. Next choice, have a friend who is a licensed brake mechanic work with you. Third choice, well... when it comes to something as important as brakes, there really isn't a third choice.

Good luck,

skiprCH

buy a shop manual if you plan on doing it yourself. they are about 40 bucks but worth it. all the online stores have em. one section is just on brakes. get your reading glasses on
walt

Soaring

Damn, that's a good looking Vert Walt.....now that you have a decent pic of it. Yeah, without us coming to your house and doing the work for you and showing you how to do it, just take it to a brake company like "Just Brakes" or something to that effect and have them do the job.

coda618

This is from my experience with 67 and 69 drums. Should be the same though for yours.

Optional, if you have not removed the backing plates, I would, for a complete restoration of front brakes. Strip them and paint them. There are two gaskets, a round one between the backing plate and the spindle, and a sort of square one betweene the bearing retainer flange and the backing plate(this is the peice that the four T bolts go through, then through the backing platesto spindle. You will not be able to get these gaskets, I wasn't. However, very easy to get a roll of gasket paper a trace and cut new gaskets. Again, this is optional, but I would do it. The flange helps keep any grease coming out of the rear bearing seal contained and away from the shoes. The gasket seals the flange. So it is a good thing to be replaced.

Rebuild (this is form memory so someone correct me if I am wrong on certain points)
1. Get a manual or good pictures of the assembly. Very helpful. I typically do one side at a time so I can check the other for reference.
2. Mount the backing plate to the spindle with 4 T bolts and nuts. T bolts go through the flange-backing plate-sindle. The nuts should be torqued to appropriate specs. My memory is not that good, so, that's why you need a manual.
3. Mount wheel cylinder to backing plate. They are left and right I believe. Either way, I believe the hose outlet should be towards the rear of the car. Insert W/C pistons into rubber cups (optional, I clear coated my W/C's, just as a little rust preventative.) The W/C bolts should also be torqued to spec.
4. get your shoes and hardware handy. Shoes will have a primary and secondary. I believe, may want to double check, the primary is the shoe with the shorter brake lining. That shoe is mouted towards the rear of the car, longer one towards front. You should get the brake spring tools, they help, but you can get by with a screw driver and pliers for the hardware.

5. Mount Shoes using cup washers, round springs and pins. First, apply a DAB of white lithium grease to the several flat mounting squares on the backing plate. This is what the shoe rests against. Take the pin and insert it though the backing plate form the rear into the hole on either side of the backing plate. This will line up with hole in center of shoe. Set a shoe against the backing plate in the appropriate positon. Make shure W/C piston is seated, then put a cup washer, spring, cup washer on pin. The last cup washer with have to be dpressed slightly and rotated about a quarter turn to lock on the pin. You can use a pliers, socket or brake tool for this. Repeat for other side.

6. Install Star wheel adjuster. There is an arrow on the adjuster itself. To my recollection this goes toward the front of the car. Confirm in manual. Then hook the adjuster stop bracket into the hole adjacent to the adjuster on the shoe. The cable then gets hooked into the loop on this bracket. Let hang for the moment.

7. Instal return springs. the adjuster cable guide (half moon thingy is retained by one of the return springs. again, if you see a picture you will see which side. Inser the short end of the backing spring through this guide and into shoe, run adj cable over guide ant onto post at top pf backing plate. Then stretch spring and hook on post. Not, the cable ring goes on the post first. The repeat with sping only on other side.

8. Then, shorter spring that is left goes from the adjuster cable brakcet loop to shoe.

9.If you have not replaced wheel bearings, do so. Install drum and adjust.

This is intended as a general guide, again, buy yourself a Ford manual, well worth the money, refer to illustrations and verify torque specs. Also includes procedures for initial adjustment and bleeding the system.

Hope this helped a little, good luck.

DGA

If possible when you do a brake job do one side at a time

That way you can always walk over to the other side of the car and look

Plan B---Take pictures and/or make diagrams and notes as you take things apart.