brake adjuster

finnasnewport

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hi again! so i'm working on a 1962 newport, 2 door hardtop, 361, auto.

i've been a chevy guy so this is all new to me. i am trying to get the front brake drums off and the manual says to back off the 7/16 nuts on the back of the drums. i've found the nuts but they are in really bad shape and stuck in place so the wheel is locked up. any suggestions to remove the drums would be very helpful.

also, these things are in bad shape and will need to be replaced. anyone know of a supplier for brake parts?
 
hi again! so i'm working on a 1962 newport, 2 door hardtop, 361, auto.

i've been a chevy guy so this is all new to me. i am trying to get the front brake drums off and the manual says to back off the 7/16 nuts on the back of the drums. i've found the nuts but they are in really bad shape and stuck in place so the wheel is locked up. any suggestions to remove the drums would be very helpful.

also, these things are in bad shape and will need to be replaced. anyone know of a supplier for brake parts?

The 7/16" hex nut is hooked to a brake adjusting cam; on the front, there is one cam at the top of the backing plate and one at the bottom of the backing plate. If your cams are seized from rust, give them a shot of Break Free, Krill oil or some other good penetrating oil. It is important to get the cams to where you can get them to back off so the support plate is not bent trying to get the drum off. Tapping the hex head with a small brass hammer and applying the penetrating oil will usually free them up. The full contact brakes on this car were and are a major PIA to work on. Suggest contacting Craig at Mobileparts for the parts you need. He is a vendor on this site. Good Luck.

Dave
 
Use a 6 point socket, they will get rounded off over the years. The adjuster nut will turn until the shoes are on the drums then they don’t turn that direction anymore. Try turning them the other direction. They don’t need to turn very far, like 1/4 turn to make a change. They are directly on the cam, no worm drive so action is immediate on moving the shoe.

penetrating oil may not do anything as there is a seal behind the brake plate.

I like to use a 3/8 drive breaker bar to adjust these brakes so you can change directions easily without flipping the ratchet direction.
 
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Might check www.mymopar.com for factory service manual downloads, plus parts books (with illustrations). PLUS the downloads for the Chrylser MasterTech training videos! www.jholst.net is another good resource for '55-'65 Chrysler products. It's mainly oriented toward the 300 Letter Cars, but they share many of the same-design components as normal Chryslers did back then.

The brakes on the pre-'65 Chryslers were overly complicated compared to what other brands (and Chrysler, post '64) used. Some different ways to do things, by observation. Once fully understood for why they did those things, it might be easier to make them work correctly.

Enjoy!
CBODY67
 
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