My 63 drum brakes do not stop worth a crap. Brakes will not lock up any wheel. I have the 7/8 reproduction master cylinder and all wheels are bled correctly. I purchased a set of shoes from Oriley which were very cheap but the guy said they should work fine. Can anyone recommend a good brake shoe that has the right type of material to stop better.
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Re: What type shoes to put on a 63
Chester------
First of all, make sure that the drums are in good condition and, especially, have not been machined to an ID greater than that allowable (usually embossed on the drum).
The brake shoes you bought might very well work out OK. If it were me, I'd be using GM #19261988, front, and GM #19307579, rear. These are also available through Delco dealers.In Appreciation of John Hinckley -
Re: What type shoes to put on a 63
make sure you have the correct wide width shoes for the front drums. When I had my 63 you could stomp the brake pedal and all 4 wheels would lock if you pushed hard enough. I loved driving that car!Comment
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Re: What type shoes to put on a 63
To piggyback on Joe's advice regarding the inside drum diameter, even if the drum has been machined to just inside the limit, the new shoes should be arched to match the inside diameter of the drum. This is done fairly easily if you have a hydraulic press.
Arching the shoe to match the drum maximizes the contact surface area of the shoe lining to the drum. If not arched, the shoe lining will just need to wear down until you get full contact with the drum.
tcComment
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Re: What type shoes to put on a 63
Been there and done that a few years back. The package I put on mine was from an outfit in Texas called: "Praise Dyno Brake". The shoes are of their "Martrix Ceramic". I was replacing my original Sintered Metallic shoes. I too had to cut my drums slightly as I found that new generic replacement drums won't fit right. It took about 400 miles to run them in, but now I have brakes as good as my originals for stopping power when hot, as well as cold (much better than the metallics).
Stu FoxComment
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Re: What type shoes to put on a 63
I just went to NAPA for my '63 and bought EVERYthing new except drums....rubber lines, spring kit, wheel cylinders, shoes, etc.. About $239 and it all works fine. I doubt there are many who can rearch shoes on here properly with DIY tools....another lost art...
I added original power brakes but stopping with the '63 has still taken some getting used to. Apparently the original designers were happy with the brake pedal closer to the floor during a full stop than I am. The service manual says power brakes are good as long as the pedal is 1" above the floorboard - that's scary to me...
My '61 with '73 Camaro front disc brakes has a rock hard pedal and will stop like a modern car.
Its a big change when jumping from one car to the other... The original poster might find, as I have, that '63-'64 stopping in these cars with original parts is just not confidence-inspiring but, "it is what it is"...Comment
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Re: What type shoes to put on a 63
My 62 stops better than this car. I just figure with the bigger width shoes on the front the car would stop like the 62.Comment
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Re: What type shoes to put on a 63
Wider shoes do not translate to greater braking torque. They will provide greater braking endurance with heavy usage, however.
Braking torque is determined by all of the following:
1. friction coefficient of shoe lining (higher is better)
2. diameter of drum/shoe combination (larger is better)
3. ratio of wheel cylinder piston area to master cylinder piston area (larger wheel cylinders and smaller master cylinder is better)
JimLast edited by Jim L.; February 13, 2015, 06:33 PM.Comment
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Re: What type shoes to put on a 63
Isnt there a machine that can re arc the brake shoe so it fits better in the brake drum?Comment
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Re: What type shoes to put on a 63
Re-arcing is probably a lost art. It used to be that every brake shop was able to do it when drum brakes were the thing, but now most all newer cars have disc brakes. I had to shop around just to find a shop that could change my brake fluid, and bleed them properly.
Stu FoxComment
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Re: What type shoes to put on a 63
Sounds like the old days with cold metallic brakes, but when hot you better have your seat belts tight, and watch out for the newer Vettes sliding by you that can't stop (really!). It happened to me in a road tour. Also, 63 seat backs like to fly forward and anything loose behind the seats you may find in your foot wells.
Stu FoxComment
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Re: What type shoes to put on a 63
Chester, some good advice from Joe, Jimmy, and others. I worked for a brake and clutch lining manufacture earlier in my career and one of my cars, a '57, has drums. First, my '57 does not compare in braking to my '77 or '78. Second, check your complete system from rubber lines, wheel and master cylinders, etc. When working in the brake industry, we supplied OEMs, AC Delco, Raybestos, etc., and we always inspected and tested the total system before field testing lining to assure we were getting accurate results. Having done daily testing if there is a weak component no matter how good the lining is the performance won't be optimal. Often we found poor stopping and pedal feel was a result of unacceptable pressure and adjustment, not lining.
SteveComment
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Re: What type shoes to put on a 63
Gary -
Yup - AMMCO made such a grinder, and years ago they were found in most brake shops and automotive machine shops - however, OSHA/EPA outlawed their use decades ago due to the asbestos content in brake linings, and the machines disappeared. They were particularly useful in arc-grinding '65-'82 Corvette parking brake shoes, which made a totally useless parking brake system marginally effective. See photo below.
BrakeShoeGrinder.jpgComment
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Re: What type shoes to put on a 63
Thanks for posting John! I had forgotten about these things. We had two as I recall, one in engineering lab and another on the floor near the clutch facing burst tester. The asbestos was really bad. The fiber floated in the air around the plant everywhere. It settled in our clothes, mouth, and nose. My desk was in a relatively clean office behind a door at the end of the plant and the desk top and even inside the filing cabinets had asbestos dust all over. My white lab coat was gray and black every day. I threw one of my spec books away years ago due to so much asbestos in it. I attended OSHA sponsored classes weekly along with folks from the nearby GM plant. Those were the "Good old days". SteveComment
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