Front Drum Brake Issues

inertia said
In days of old,, we had a "brake shoe arcing machine", that'd grind on the shoe till it matched the arc of the drums, cuz it changes as the drum wears, or is machined.. That was asbestos dust being ground off, and became frowned upon cuz of health reasons,, so no more matching shoes to drums.. You just wear em in now.. by driving..

So depending on your drum size,, it's common to find the shoes either touch on the leading/trailing edge,, or ,, a few inches right in the middle..

hope it helps

P.S. The shoes will seat faster, if the drums have been machined..

Ah your showing your age now. I was going to mention the same thing. A part of the brake replacement that is not checked or done now days is to place the new shoes in the drums to check for fit without the shoe rocking in the drum. We use to re-arch shoes all the time to get a good fit to the drum. I know I have inhaled more asbestos dust in the early 70's than most have in there life. I'm sure at sometime in the future this will be a heath issue for me.