Narrowed 8 3/4 questions
safety is number one for sure. The issues Im dealing with are a narrowed diff that has probably C body axles that have been shortened and re splined....if I were to guess.
So with new drums and hardware and the shoes contacting the drum (all 2") why does it matter if the backing plate gets shaved?
Not trying to be jerky here friend, I am in learning mode.
Edit: the drum braking surface is 3" wide and the shoes are 2" wide. There is full contact.
See, that was good information to include, C-body brakes being some extra possibility’s. Are your drums 11”? Because if you’ve got 2” wide shoes and 3” wide drums you’ve got a brake hardware mismatch.
11” BBP brakes come in 11x2”, 11x2.5”, and 11x3”. They all use different backing plates, so the backing plate, shoes, and drums all have to match- you can’t use 11x2.5” backing plates with 11x2” shoes and drums etc.
Typically, the drum surface is roughly a 1/2” wider than the shoe it’s intended for. So, a 2” wide shoe would have a drum that’s braking surface is a bit under 2.5” wide. So if you’ve got 11” drums you could just have the wrong shoes or drums for your backing plates. If you’ve got 10” drums and 2” wide shoes, you’ve absolutely got the wrong shoes at least.
Why do you think the backing plate is ok to cut down? That lip serves a purpose. Just because you cover the surface of the shoe with the drum doesn’t mean it’s all going to work as designed.
Nevermind that needing to cut the backing plate means you absolutely have an issue with your axles or brakes. There’s no reason to shave the backing plates if you’ve got all the right parts properly installed.