Refreshing brakes - what should I look at?

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jcmeyer5

jcmeyer5

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So Dad's car (69 340 Swinger) has drums on all 4 corners. He doesnt plan on racing the car, but he does plan on driving it. As such, I dont think we need to swap to disk or anything trick, but rather make sure the current brakes are in working order. I pulled the drums for the front and checked them out. Everything inside looks good (almost new). I think I will probably just pop the whole assembly off, tape off openings, clean the backing plate, paint, and be done with it... unless you guys know of a weakness (other than being drum brakes) that I should specifically address? Either front or back.
 
I wouldn't even go that far. Pull the drums and look at the linings. Check the wheel cylinders for leaks. They may be ok. Clean it all with aerosol brake cleaner, put a dab of Lubriplate on the areas where the shoes contact the backing plates and repack the front wheel bearings. A thorough inspection is the most important part.
 
Good start. Mike the drums to see if they are still serviceable, turn and repack w/bearings with new seals. If w/cylinders are not leaking=OK, but if leaking replace with new ones (they are cheap). Buy quality linings. Check condition of hoses. Good luck.
 
The drums look great... like they were just turned. No rust, no grooves, no glaze. I was happily shocked to see that they were in great condition. Linings also look new. I will have to check the wheel cylinders.

Getting all new hard lines and soft lines.

So from the sounds of it, they are normal drum brakes just like all the rest.
 
Next time in there you can check the heel and toe of the linings for wear pattern.
Good tips in here under 1969 Drum Brakes
Master Technician Service Conference - Chrysler's Training for Mechanics

If the shoes are fairly fresh, make note of brand and any info for future ref. If you like them, get them again, if not you won't buy those again. The linings may have code on them. Primary and secondary shoes sometimes have different lining but that's less common to see these days.
Like these.
upload_2020-4-14_13-40-27.png

EE or FE is the friction code
Brake Lining Edge Codes

if you see a stamped number on the metal, thats the frame type. These are
upload_2020-4-14_13-42-15.png

Only used in 1968 as far as I know.

The rear ones on your car are probably 331.
 
Bleed them . Then decide if lines need to be replaced. For the rubber connections, I'd do a visual check as well. If the fluid runs clear after some bleeding I wouldn't mess with it. I'd be most conerned about the hoses and somewhat concerned about the wheel cylinders. Drive it and see.
 
Yeah... the lines were kinda decided for me when I broke the lines off at the connections. I soaked them in penetrant and used a flare wrench... the nuts came loose, but then snapped the line. Oh well. We are redoing the engine bay, so there is nothing in there right now, and the stainless will look good.

Need to do something with the master cylinder for sure... its crusty as hell and had a lot of crud in it. For the money, I'll probably just replace it. Manual brakes, so it is a 1" master cylinder. I might like to go to a 15/16" if I can find one for reasonable money.
 
jcmeyer5 said:
Yeah... the lines were kinda decided for me when I broke the lines off at the connections. I soaked them in penetrant and used a flare wrench... the nuts came loose, but then snapped the line. Oh well. We are redoing the engine bay, so there is nothing in there right now, and the stainless will look good.

Need to do something with the master cylinder for sure... its crusty as hell and had a lot of crud in it. For the money, I'll probably just replace it. Manual brakes, so it is a 1" master cylinder. I might like to go to a 15/16" if I can find one for reasonable money.
Click to expand...
Manual but Drum. Duo-servo drums are self assisting. I'd go with the factory.

In that situation ( lines twisted off), and with some time available, I'd remove the wheel cylinders and check insides are clean with no scratches or rust pits.
 
So the master cylinder I removed had a plate on the back that appeared to hold the dust boot on. Of course, the dust boot tore apart when I took out the master cylinder. I am looking to use a 15/16” master cylinder MC36338 which has the right 4 bolt pattern, but no provision for the dust boot plate... no tapped holes. Am I wrong in assuming the boot was originally bonded to that plate? Could it be that over the years it fused there due to fluid leaks, rust, and/or age?
 
jcmeyer5 said:
So Dad's car (69 340 Swinger) has drums on all 4 corners. He doesnt plan on racing the car, but he does plan on driving it. As such, I dont think we need to swap to disk or anything trick, but rather make sure the current brakes are in working order. I pulled the drums for the front and checked them out. Everything inside looks good (almost new). I think I will probably just pop the whole assembly off, tape off openings, clean the backing plate, paint, and be done with it... unless you guys know of a weakness (other than being drum brakes) that I should specifically address? Either front or back.
Click to expand...
Brake clean, drum back on, adjust shoes till the drum, when back on, spins about one turn and stops.
Use only brake drum paint if you do that, dont bother with the backing plate..they will be dirty in a matter of days.
 
jcmeyer5 said:
So the master cylinder I removed had a plate on the back that appeared to hold the dust boot on. Of course, the dust boot tore apart when I took out the master cylinder. I am looking to use a 15/16” master cylinder MC36338 which has the right 4 bolt pattern, but no provision for the dust boot plate... no tapped holes. Am I wrong in assuming the boot was originally bonded to that plate? Could it be that over the years it fused there due to fluid leaks, rust, and/or age?
Click to expand...
Fused. They slip over it. Separately. If I'm thinking of the same thing.
 
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