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New Brake Shoes for '68 Cougar

2K views 6 replies 7 participants last post by  glennw40 
#1 ·
I replaced the rear brake shoes with new ones from National Parts Depot. Adjusted shoes so the drums rotate with slight touching of lining. Checked brake pedal and all looks well. Re-install the wheels and attempt to back out of the garage. The car will not move. Thought maybe I forgot to remove the wheel blocks, but no everything is clear. So why will the car not move? Pull out the jack stands and get it in the air again. The rear wheels are locked solid.

After dis-assembly and some head scratching, it appears the shoes are about 1/16 inch wider than the old shoes I removed. When the wheel is tightened to the axle, the shoes are clamped tight between the brake drum and backing plate, locking everything up. Everything about the shoes is correct except for the width of the metal shoe. Even the new lining matches the width of the old shoes, but the new metal shoe is slightly wider than the new lining. May be a Chinese metric conversion issue. Put the old shoes back on so the car is driveable, but it still needs new brake shoes.

Anyone else ever experience this problem? The only solution I see is the bench grinder, or postage for return.
 
#5 ·
I had a CJ7 rear brakes bind up on me and lock. It seems the emergency brake cable(s) were defective. Make sure you've installed the emergency brake mechanisms correctly and are not engaging the rear brakes.

What is the actual width of the shoe, maybe a few people can measure working brakes to compare. I would also give NPD a call and see what they have to say.
 
#6 ·
Search the site. IIRC this has been posted about quite a bit in the past. I think secret agent Nancy had the problem on her cat when she was working on it.
 
#7 ·
Brakes

After dealing with my brakes extensively the last couple of weeks (all new system) there are 2 sizes for the rear brake linings. 2 inch and 2 1/2 in. You probably need a 2" Wagner Part number PEB152. I use the PEB152R which the "R' is for riveted. About $30
 
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