B31 69-70H.D. Drum Brakes 11" - Manual Adj. (B+C Body)

[SoCal440GTX]

I think our 69 Sport Satellite has this option. Can someone explain why the hell they would put manually adjusted brakes on a car? Every month or so my dad would come home from work and tell me to adjust them. I started at 12 years old. I'm a wizard with a brake spoon now. What was Mopars logic?

 

[moparnation74]

all 11" HD brakes came with manual adjusters......

I have no definitive answer other than assumptions....

 

[mopar 3 B]

Another question why was he so hard on brakes?

 

[Logan Hughes]

I think our 69 Sport Satellite has this option. Can someone explain why the hell they would put manually adjusted brakes on a car? Every month or so my dad would come home from work and tell me to adjust them. I started at 12 years old. I'm a wizard with a brake spoon now. What was Mopars logic?

Yes, it was crazy. My '69 GTX with 440HP and a 150 MPH speedo has manual drum brakes all around! I'm pretty good at adjusting the brakes as well. LOL!

 

[SoCal440GTX]

Another question why was he so hard on brakes?

Dad has a heavy right foot.

 

[SoCal440GTX]

all 11" HD brakes came with manual adjusters......

I have no definitive answer other than assumptions....

Well it seems maybe they learned how auto adjusters work by 1970...

B11 70-71 H.D. Drum Brakes 11" - Auto Adj. (B+C+E Body)

I wonder if 70 hardware would swap on to a 69.

 

[moparnation74]

Well it seems maybe they learned how auto adjusters work by 1970...

B11 70-71 H.D. Drum Brakes 11" - Auto Adj. (B+C+E Body)

I wonder if 70 hardware would swap on to a 69.

Yes

 

[451Mopar]

Well it seems maybe they learned how auto adjusters work by 1970...

B11 70-71 H.D. Drum Brakes 11" - Auto Adj. (B+C+E Body)

I wonder if 70 hardware would swap on to a 69.

Yes! I rebuilt my '69 R/T 11" drum brakes with the '70 self adjusting hardware and it works.

 

[PurpleBeeper]

Yes

Wow.... I learned something new. On my 70, I just drive the car in reverse, hit the brakes hard & repeat. After about 3-4 times the rear brakes are adjusted just fine. I didn't know the earlier models were COMPLETELY MANUAL....wow.

 

[moparnation74]

Wow.... I learned something new. On my 70, I just drive the car in reverse, hit the brakes hard & repeat. After about 3-4 times the rear brakes are adjusted just fine. I didn't know the earlier models were COMPLETELY MANUAL....wow.

Only the models coded for HD brakes.....not all 68-70 b bodies got the HD suspension upgrade.....

That aside all 4 wheels are manual.....if the adjusters are maintained well its a pretty easy adjustment with the right spoon...kinda forces you to inspect the brakes which is one idea floated around as to the "why"

 

[oldbee]

Only the models coded for HD brakes.....not all 68-70 b bodies got the HD suspension upgrade.....

That aside all 4 wheels are manual.....if the adjusters are maintained well its a pretty easy adjustment with the right spoon...kinda forces you to inspect the brakes which is one idea floated around as to the "why"

How many people knew that an easy apply in reverse may not move the adjuster(?) for a fact no women knew,remembered or cared. Later on that’s why adjusters were set up to adjust when forward braking. I think the real reason for manuals was so you knew they were regularly adjusted, especially on police cars & high performance vehicles.

 

[moparnation74]

How many people knew that an easy apply in reverse may not move the adjuster(?) for a fact no women knew,remembered or cared. Later on that’s why adjusters were set up to adjust when forward braking. I think the real reason for manuals was so you knew they were regularly adjusted, especially on police cars & high performance vehicles.

That is part of it....probably the main part......due to heavy, high speed braking....

 

[oldbee]

Heavy, high speed braking; lol. If ya got a 150mph speedo ya gotta try it out!!!

 

[PurpleBeeper]

Only the models coded for HD brakes.....not all 68-70 b bodies got the HD suspension upgrade.....

That aside all 4 wheels are manual.....if the adjusters are maintained well its a pretty easy adjustment with the right spoon...kinda forces you to inspect the brakes which is one idea floated around as to the "why"

I learned two things today. My car came power front disc with the larger size rear drums, so that may explain it. It might only be a click or two, but don't the brakes adjust about every time you pull out of a parking space in reverse at a shopping mall? My 3-4 times hard braking in reverse adjustment is when I've just put on new shoes/drums.

 

[moparnation74]

I learned two things today. My car came power front disc with the larger size rear drums, so that may explain it. It might only be a click or two, but don't the brakes adjust about every time you pull out of a parking space in reverse at a shopping mall? My 3-4 times hard braking in reverse adjustment is when I've just put on new shoes/drums.

Well....I have always adjusted them once the new shoes had time to seat....minimal adjustments....I don't see what the big deal is...pop a plug, turn the wheel and adjust the manual adjuster with a spoon, turn the wheel again.....I just don't bank on a whim going in reverse...

I guess stopping with a properly adjusted system is important to me and I prefer to check it the right way.....I have waaaayyyyy to much invested to not do a very simple check....so to each is own and you have to do what makes you sleep at night...

 

[mopar 3 B]

And to think I disgard those pesky auto adjusters and install manuals. Do think I have ever adjusted them but once a year.

 

[SoCal440GTX]

I get the impression that people who used to hand crack their engines to start them would call battery starters stupid and unnecessary.

 

[RJRENTON]

Gentlemen,
Just an observation re 11" rear drum brakes. My RS23V0A****** GTX has the super track A34 option, 4.10 Dana and power disc brakes and 4 speed trans. Almost all PSPDB cars came with 10" rear drums (10"x2" shoes). Mine car came with 11" drum brakes (11" x 2 1/2") with self adjusters. After much research, i was told that during vehicle assembly, the Lynch road assemblers used what was available at the time the car moved down the line. It has the 1" bore wheel cylinders and the correct 1"-1/16" bore master cylinder and the Bendix tandem diaphragm booster. The original build sheet does not show this....go figure. This was one of the assembly line "modifications" Mopar was famous or infamous for.
Bob Renton

 

[Dragon Slayer]

How do you know that the rear was original to the car? What does the billing data stamping say on the rear? The B51 option with disc should have the 1 1/8" bore MC with Bendix dual booster. I have a 383 disc brake road runner that the former owner upgraded with a Dana with 11" brakes. Frankly it would have been a liability to do that at the factory, since the proportioner and hold off valves were designed to work with 10". Too much bite on the rear with a lock up and the rear goes side ways.