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- May 14, 2011
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- On the Ridge, TN
Ladies and gentlemen,
I am going to be overhauling/replacing the stock 11" manual drum brake
system on my 1968 Plymouth GTX soon; the decision has been made to
stay with all drums, 11 x 2.5 rear and 11 x 3 front, just as the car was built
with.
"Fred" had linings and master cylinder replaced a handful of years ago, but
the pedal has been spongy regardless of number of times/method employed
to bleed them - and the linings available from the parts store might as well
be cardboard, as little bite as they provide.
I will be replacing drums, shoes, soft lines, hardware and master cylinder,
retaining only the hard lines on the car, since they're all new replacements
and currently leak-free. Wheel cylinders will also be replaced with new.
(The decision has been made to forego any disc brake "conversions").
Now for the questions. I'll be most interested in hearing from those who have
actually bought and installed the same stuff I'll be after:
1. The factory drums are the finned type in the rear (11" x 2.5") and non-finned
front (11" x 3") with a spring around them, correct?
Further, we can't use c-body 11x2.5 rear drums because of the extra "hooding"
on them, yes?
Are the currently available "Bendix" new finned rear drums worth a spit?
Where would one find the springs for the front drums new?
2. What year was asbestos eliminated from brake linings (and if known, what were
the part numbers for "the good stuff")? I recall even "back in the day" the
manufacturers tried going with sintered metallic linings in an effort to replicate the
stopping ability of the former asbestos linings...with dubious results.
Must I use the linings available from musclecarbrakes.com to get shoes that
have actual "bite" like the factory linings did?
3. If I find new, but very aged components (such as wheel cylinders, master
cylinder, etc.), do they deteriorate on the shelf to a point where they are no
longer trustworthy?
My priority will be to find components Made in the USA (or yes, Canada);
no Chinesium parts will be used, period.
4. Is the master cylinder for all drums the one with a 1" bore? Is there any
difference amongst those available with that bore (identifiable by various
different lids, example)?
Is the Bendix-branded reproduction currently available from many outlets
Chinese? Is it worth a spit? Anyone actually using one of them?
Given my situation, I want to do this once and do it properly. Given my finances,
I will do my usual due diligence to seek out the "deals" on these components,
of course - but there will be no cheap junk used if at all possible.
Thanks in Advance!
I am going to be overhauling/replacing the stock 11" manual drum brake
system on my 1968 Plymouth GTX soon; the decision has been made to
stay with all drums, 11 x 2.5 rear and 11 x 3 front, just as the car was built
with.
"Fred" had linings and master cylinder replaced a handful of years ago, but
the pedal has been spongy regardless of number of times/method employed
to bleed them - and the linings available from the parts store might as well
be cardboard, as little bite as they provide.
I will be replacing drums, shoes, soft lines, hardware and master cylinder,
retaining only the hard lines on the car, since they're all new replacements
and currently leak-free. Wheel cylinders will also be replaced with new.
(The decision has been made to forego any disc brake "conversions").
Now for the questions. I'll be most interested in hearing from those who have
actually bought and installed the same stuff I'll be after:
1. The factory drums are the finned type in the rear (11" x 2.5") and non-finned
front (11" x 3") with a spring around them, correct?
Further, we can't use c-body 11x2.5 rear drums because of the extra "hooding"
on them, yes?
Are the currently available "Bendix" new finned rear drums worth a spit?
Where would one find the springs for the front drums new?
2. What year was asbestos eliminated from brake linings (and if known, what were
the part numbers for "the good stuff")? I recall even "back in the day" the
manufacturers tried going with sintered metallic linings in an effort to replicate the
stopping ability of the former asbestos linings...with dubious results.
Must I use the linings available from musclecarbrakes.com to get shoes that
have actual "bite" like the factory linings did?
3. If I find new, but very aged components (such as wheel cylinders, master
cylinder, etc.), do they deteriorate on the shelf to a point where they are no
longer trustworthy?
My priority will be to find components Made in the USA (or yes, Canada);
no Chinesium parts will be used, period.
4. Is the master cylinder for all drums the one with a 1" bore? Is there any
difference amongst those available with that bore (identifiable by various
different lids, example)?
Is the Bendix-branded reproduction currently available from many outlets
Chinese? Is it worth a spit? Anyone actually using one of them?
Given my situation, I want to do this once and do it properly. Given my finances,
I will do my usual due diligence to seek out the "deals" on these components,
of course - but there will be no cheap junk used if at all possible.
Thanks in Advance!