Mounting rear brake drums?!?

[mtgibby]

Ok, what is the secret to getting the rear brake drums back on?

Everything is new. I had the drums turned, so there is no lip to catch on. The brake pad adjusters are turned to the inside, away from the shoes. 

i laid sandpaper inside the drums and sanded the shoes to match the curve of the drum.

Still, I can't get the $;?&€} things past the brake pads. 

Any ideas?

Thanks!

Mike

[Jolly-John]

Don't laugh, since this sounds almost too simple to be the source of your difficulty....but can we assume you have turned the star wheel brake shoe adjuster between the bottom of the two brake shoes totally "closed"? This would mean no threads (or very few threads) are showing on the brake adjuster shaft by the star wheel? Many times, I've had to back the adjuster all the way off (resulting in no expansion at the bottom of the shoes), and then still had to "rock" the brake drum or turn it in a circular direction to get the drum over new shoes. Once on, the drum usually turned fine in these situations. John

Edited February 18, 2019 by Jolly-John

[silverstude]

41 minutes ago, Jolly-John said:

.......star wheel brake shoe adjuster.....

   On a (Stude) Avanti?

Edited February 18, 2019 by silverstude

[mfg]

43 minutes ago, silverstude said:

   On a (Stude) Avanti?

Yes, there wouldn't be star wheels on Studebaker Avanti rear brakes (which are actually a derivative of the archaic pre'53 Stude brake assemblies)

It's unfortunately not unusual to end up with brake linings which are a bit too 'thick'....The linings may need to be dressed down a bit....Also, make sure the emergency brake cable is fully released and not even slightly binding...This can raise hell!

You may even need to take a little more off the drums...or...(last resort)....grind a bit off the bottom of the brake shoes which rests against the lower anchor. (behind anchor spring).....Good luck.....Ed

[Jolly-John]

Yes, Guys....my mistake. No star wheel adjuster on the Avanti rear brakes. I was thinking of the brake shoe configurations in the rear ends, used in some of the later Avanti II models. I apologize for misleading anyone.

Back to Mike's issue for a minute. In some of the 1950's MOPAR cars we used to work on, we would measure the diameter across the surface of the new brake shoes. Then, we'd measure the inner diameter of the brake drum. We use this info to do a pre-adjustment on the brake shoes, before slipping the drum on. It might be helpful for Mike to try this, to see just how much he's off, as far as getting the drums over the new shoes.

Also, ditto to Ed's comment about making sure the emergency brake cable is completely released. I should have remembered that. With the new fat shoes, the rear emergency brake cable adjusting yoke (#1110-16 behind the cable pivot on the frame) might have to be loosened up some. Perhaps a prior owner tighten it up to get the emergency brake to hold, as the rear brake shoes wore over the years. John

Edited February 19, 2019 by Jolly-John

[wwundt]

I had that problem too.  The bar labeled 1101-45 in the illustration above would not fully insert into the brake shoe. Solution, file the slot a little until it seats correctly.  Then the hub will go back on.