I need to fix my brakes (3 Viewers)

[6f40j9]

Clamped off the rear connector hose and instant pedal. I obviously need to bleed the rear section again.

 

[Pighead]

drums suck.

I'll have to disagree here, I had excellent LandCruiser drums. When my Pig was new to me {1986} I spent a lot of time and energy on my brakes. I rebuilt every cylinder, applied anti-seize in the right places {made future adjustments easy and positive} and replaced all the rubber lines. I adjusted and balanced enough to be able to lock up 35s simultaneously with just a little too hard push on the pedal. I found it useful, once or twice, to lock them up and produce that tire screech when people cut me off in traffic. Found it worked better than a horn. When properly adjusted, they're easy to maintain. Every few months, or whenever you feel the brake pedal travel just a tad too long, you roll about underneath with your special brake-adjuster spoon tool and give each cylinder one click tighter. I loved my drum brakes {except after stream crossings. Or in the rain} and swore I'd keep them forever. Then I went SOA and pretty much had to get discs.
Drum brakes work very well {when dry}.

 

[majdomo]

Clamped off the rear connector hose and instant pedal. I obviously need to bleed the rear section again.

Progress! You'll get it.

 

[pb4ugo]

I'll have to disagree here, I had excellent LandCruiser drums. When my Pig was new to me {1986} I spent a lot of time and energy on my brakes. I rebuilt every cylinder, applied anti-seize in the right places {made future adjustments easy and positive} and replaced all the rubber lines. I adjusted and balanced enough to be able to lock up 35s simultaneously with just a little too hard push on the pedal. I found it useful, once or twice, to lock them up and produce that tire screech when people cut me off in traffic. Found it worked better than a horn. When properly adjusted, they're easy to maintain. Every few months, or whenever you feel the brake pedal travel just a tad too long, you roll about underneath with your special brake-adjuster spoon tool and give each cylinder one click tighter. I loved my drum brakes {except after stream crossings. Or in the rain} and swore I'd keep them forever. Then I went SOA and pretty much had to get discs.
Drum brakes work very well {when dry}.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^EXACTLY^^^^^^^
With discs, i don't have to do any of that crap anymore.

 

[nabbasi]

My '78 has an OEM front disc axle and OEM rear drum. All new parts (including booster & master). You could stop the thing with 1 toe it's so boosted and soft.

My '67 has 4 wheel disc (wilwood), a wilwood proportioning valve, wilwood master cylinder, all new lines (soft & tubing) and has a great pedal feel. but occasionally, the first pump does nothing. It's not always, and usually happens after parking forward and having to back up (makes parking lots fun). I assume it has something to do with the rod adjustment, but haven't re-adjusted yet, so I'm curious if that helps you.

I'm with @pb4ugo though, drums suck (I hate leaky/ frozen wheel cylinders, and just working on drums in general).

 

[nabbasi]

I'll have to disagree here, I had excellent LandCruiser drums. When my Pig was new to me {1986} I spent a lot of time and energy on my brakes. I rebuilt every cylinder, applied anti-seize in the right places {made future adjustments easy and positive} and replaced all the rubber lines. I adjusted and balanced enough to be able to lock up 35s simultaneously with just a little too hard push on the pedal. I found it useful, once or twice, to lock them up and produce that tire screech when people cut me off in traffic. Found it worked better than a horn. When properly adjusted, they're easy to maintain. Every few months, or whenever you feel the brake pedal travel just a tad too long, you roll about underneath with your special brake-adjuster spoon tool and give each cylinder one click tighter. I loved my drum brakes {except after stream crossings. Or in the rain} and swore I'd keep them forever. Then I went SOA and pretty much had to get discs.
Drum brakes work very well {when dry}.

First, remind me to buy old rigs from you! You're the type of PO I want to buy stuff from, but NEVER DO! People look at me like I'm crazy because I use anti-seize on too much stuff.

Second, I agree that drums will lock you up really well (until you get fade, but not an issue in a land cruiser) or until they get wet. But I just hate maintaining drum brakes. And adjusting drum brakes. And removing drums. etc.

The last 4 times I've done drums, I've said "this is the last time I'm doing drums. disc swaps only from here on out." Then I inevitably do them again, because I hate myself.

Clamped off the rear connector hose and instant pedal. I obviously need to bleed the rear section again.

That's great! Also, dang it. My rear hoses are a bit too long. Now I'm wondering if air is gets trapped in mine sometimes.

 

[6f40j9]

Rear brakes are driving me nuts. With the wheel on I can’t turn them or adjust the rear cylinders.
When I loosen the wheel I can adjust them and spin the drum just fine.
What am I doing wrong?

 

[peesalot]

Ah, drums need to be adjusted with wheels bolted on. Set them so a trip around the block gets em a little hot, go back a click or just take a few short trips to wear em in. I agree with Pig that 4 drums worked fine save when wet. FWIW gravity bleeding all 4 has always worked for me. Is your MC a dual circuit or single ? I was luck that my 40 was a late 70 production so it had 4 drums with a boosted, dual circuit MC.

 

[6f40j9]

Ah, drums need to be adjusted with wheels bolted on. Set them so a trip around the block gets em a little hot, go back a click or just take a few short trips to wear em in. I agree with Pig that 4 drums worked fine save when wet. FWIW gravity bleeding all 4 has always worked for me. Is your MC a dual circuit or single ? I was luck that my 40 was a late 70 production so it had 4 drums with a boosted, dual circuit MC.

I was going to drive it down the hill when I first put it back on the ground, but could tell right away they were too tight.
I literally can’t adjust the rear most cylinder with the wheel on.
I’ve backed them off enough to barely spin the wheel when it’s on. Gonna take it down the hill in a minute.
Dual reservoir, no booster, front discs, proportioning valve in the rear line near the master.

 

[charliemeyer007]

Some times the drum isn't centered. With the wheel barely tight, step down hard on the brake to center the drum, then tighten the wheels. These days parts aren't the same as back then. The bleed screw on new cylinder are tapped the same and leak when using a vacuum bleeder so require something like Permatex in order to work. The slot in the adjuster isn't tapered to help keep the shoes centered and the shoes need ground to fit in the slot.

How old are your rubber hoses? I had one on my F150 that went bad on the inside and acted like a check valve.

 

[Pighead]

When I loosen the wheel I can adjust them and spin the drum just fine.

Are you new shoes wider than the old shoes?

 

[charliemeyer007]

+1 look or drag marks inside the drum. Oh and I ground a slight bevel on the edge of the shoe material.

 

[6f40j9]

Are you new shoes wider than the old shoes?

I didn’t change shoes or drums.

 

[6f40j9]

Some times the drum isn't centered. With the wheel barely tight, step down hard on the brake to center the drum, then tighten the wheels. These days parts aren't the same as back then. The bleed screw on new cylinder are tapped the same and leak when using a vacuum bleeder so require something like Permatex in order to work. The slot in the adjuster isn't tapered to help keep the shoes centered and the shoes need ground to fit in the slot.

How old are your rubber hoses? I had one on my F150 that went bad on the inside and acted like a check valve.

These are the shoes and drums it came with. They worked until I threw the front end in and made a bunch of lines.
I have pedal now, since backing them out and bleeding them, but I can’t just the rear cylinder unless I take the wheel off.
I tried the pedal thing a couple times during the process.
I’ve been making sure to put the drum on right where the ‘extra holes’ line up as well.

 

[6f40j9]

+1 look or drag marks inside the drum. Oh and I ground a slight bevel on the edge of the shoe material.

Drums and pads look remarkably good.

 

[sogncab]

Possibly but it’s probably in mm and I only read in bald eagles lol.
I’ll try to find it though, good suggestion, thank you!

1" = 25.4mm

As an example
300mm/25.4= 11.811" Or basically 11-13/16'

 

[6f40j9]

Took it for a drive down the hill and back.
I definitely don’t have as good of pedal as I thought, even with them dragging pretty good and after being bled with them tight, but better than before.
I guess I’m going to live with it as I can’t adjust them with the wheel on and I can’t spend hours on it for this simple task.

 

[peesalot]

"Hours on it for a simple task", you just described an fj40 to a T.

 

[majdomo]

Can torquing the wheel down deform the drum enough to make it bind up? Seems very unlikely but that's what it sounds like is happening..

 

[pb4ugo]

Why can't you adjust the brakes with the wheels on?