Drum brake install questions

[JR_Charger]

Question 1, my new pads have a long "D" shaped hole at the top of the front pad, where the original pad had a small circular hole. As you can see, the "D" hole will not hold the spring. How am I supposed to install the spring?

 

[pnora]

Question 1, my new pads have a long "D" shaped hole at the top of the front pad, where the original pad had a small circular hole. As you can see, the "D" hole will not hold the spring. How am I supposed to install the spring?

View attachment 1426379

Better do some looking. That spring does not go there. What year and what size brakes?

 

[carterafb]

What year make and model

 

[JR_Charger]

72 Charger 10" drums.

Here's the rear. You can see that the spring did go to that hole.

 

[JR_Charger]

It doesn't on the front though -

Hmm, well that's progress. At least I can put the fronts on.

Well now I wonder if the rear drums were set up wrong before I got the car. They're both 10" drums, so why would the spring mounting location be different, unless it has something to do with the emergency brake? That metal bar between the drums is a little in the way of the hole the spring goes into on the front drum.

 

[JR_Charger]

After looking through a couple of 440PHIXX's threads, it appears the front shoes in each brake are a newer design and the D whole is just wrong for 72. The workaround is to use two of the longer springs.

Thread 1 Thread 2

 

[R413]

That spring on the front is not right, look how far it is stretched out.

yes the D hole shoes are wrong for your car, they are for late 70’s vehicles.

 

[RemCharger]

The inner front bearing needs to go into the drum and then press the seal in to trap it.

 

[dadsbee]

The inner front bearing needs to go into the drum and then press the seal in to trap it.

Good catch.. why is that inner bearing still on the spindle? Collecting all that nice brake dust and rust...

 

[JR_Charger]

That spring on the front is not right, look how far it is stretched out.

yes the D hole shoes are wrong for your car, they are for late 70’s vehicles.

Let me make sure I understand you - you're referring to the return spring on the right of this picture, to the front of the car -

Looking at RockAuto.com, it appears that the Powerstop and Centric shoes have the D holes, and the others have circles. If the product pictures reflect the actual part in the box. I'll have to see which brand I have - it could be Centric.

FWIW, I didn't install anything seen in this picture. I may have driven it 20k like this. The brakes faded bad after one hard stop, but other than that they drove o.k.

The inner front bearing needs to go into the drum and then press the seal in to trap it.

This pic is from a couple years ago, and everything has been removed and cleaned up. I haven't tried putting the bearing back on yet, but I don't believe it can be pushed back further than that.

Good catch.. why is that inner bearing still on the spindle? Collecting all that nice brake dust and rust...

AFAIK that bearing has 106,000 miles on it and I was planning to replace it.

 

[JR_Charger]

While I'm at it, I'll show you the front drums that came with the car -

You want to know why those wheel hubs are still with the drums? Because I can't pop them out with a sledgehammer. I've only heard of Buick making finned drums, maybe that's what these are. I don't know if they are incredibly rusted onto the hubs, or if they didn't quite fit and the lugnuts were torqued on until the drums fit the hubs anyway.

I used an oak board to protect the hubs from the hammer. I don't think I did any damage to the hubs, but I wonder if they're worth trying to save or if I should find new/good used ones? I'd have to find someone with a hydraulic press to try pressing the hubs out, and that costs money too.

 

[R413]

Please stop with the sledgehammer. The hubs and drums are connected by the factory on purpose. The studs are swedged to do this, you don’t want to separate them.

yes those finned drums are factory for the car.

 

[dadsbee]

I haven't tried putting the bearing back on yet, but I don't believe it can be pushed back further than that.

He was trying to tell you that the bearing shouldn't be able to stay on the spindle... because there is (supposed to be) a seal that locks it in place in the hub.

 

[JR_Charger]

Please stop with the sledgehammer. The hubs and drums are connected by the factory on purpose. The studs are swedged to do this, you don’t want to separate them.

yes those finned drums are factory for the car.

Well then, let me check my assumptions - what size drum is that supposed to be? I don't see a front 10" drum on Rock Auto, but I see a couple 11" drums that don't have fins or wheel hubs. I haven't seen what I have anywhere, and I tried hard to find it; because that fin drummed is a thing of beauty. I ordered what I thought was a finned 11" drum, but what I got didn't have fins.

He was trying to tell you that the bearing shouldn't be able to stay on the spindle... because there is (supposed to be) a seal that locks it in place in the hub.

Ah, o.k. Yeah, the seal would have been missing.

 

[JR_Charger]

The shoes I've got are Bendix 333's, which appears to mean less copper for EPA reasons; and the part number looks like DCP173. I'm not getting any search results on that, or OCP173.

 

[R413]

You probably can’t buy an exact replacement drum just like that one.

 

[JR_Charger]

That would explain why I've never seen one, although if my 318 Charger had it, it must have been a common part.

So what am I supposed to do for front drums? I recall these being too worn to turn down, and on top of that I banged on one hard enough to chip the edge when I was trying to get it off. Wish I'd known the wheel hub was supposed to come off with it, but live and learn . . .

 

[Fran Blacker]

Don't know if you're interested? Went to Rock Auto found brake drums, very hard to find on site. 1972 DODGE CHARGER 5.2L 318cid V8 Drum | RockAuto Don't see 10" front drums. Does anybody know if a 10" rear drum will accept a front hub??

 

[JR_Charger]

Rock Auto does have an 11" front drum listed under the 72 Polara which is shown with fins - but again, I ordered a pair of 11" front drums that were shown with fins, which didn't have fins when they arrived.

The big idea behind putting my drums back on was as a temporary measure that would let me put money into other parts of the car, as I'm doing a restoration, not fixing one part. I just spent $60 on drum components the other day, and if I'm looking at converting the front to 11" drums I might as well buy Doctor Diff's Viper Caliper Mounting Brackets for Mopar DRUM Knuckles.

Maybe I'll put the 10" front drums back on just so I can roll the car around my garage again, and come back to brakes when I can do what I want.

 

[JR_Charger]

Seriously though, if anyone knows where to get that finned 10" drum . . . And how to swap it onto the wheel hub . . .