Amazon: Not Matching Brake Shoes

[gothamus]

I am not sure if my new rear brake drum pads are mis-packed or this is by design. A few months ago I bought 'performance' brake shoes for my Amazon. After much cleaning, renewing, replacing I am re-assembling my rear brakes. While checking my assembly I found I had three shoes with the pad on the bottom end and one with the pad toward the top end of the shoe. I don't see an indication this is design.

I would wait longer for Brookhouse to write back. But I have this car on the street with the wheels off. I must have the wheels back on by the end of the weekend. Brooklyn Parking Rules are in effect.

If it is wrong, can I use them for moving the car around the neighborhood while the product is corrected?

I am including a picture of the pads on plate partially assembled. (This assembly is for checking the parts. I will be starting assembly from scratch before installation.) The pair in the right plate is what I expect, the left is my problem.

*RoadHouse HS Type Brake Shoes partial part #4409 something

[Ron Kwas]

gothamus;

It has to do with Leading/Trailing Shoe positions (there is a difference and a preferred placement)...I believe the assembly shown on the right side in the picture is correct...that is the Right side when back on the vehicle, and the leading shoe is supposed to begin low (Trailing shoe high), IIRC (others can confirm). The left side has two "Leading Shoes", so I think they sent you three leading shoes, and one trailing.
It's not the end of the world to install the two assemblies on the vehicle the way they are to keep the local authorities happy.

Cheers

See also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drum_brake

[mocambique-amazone]

Hello Gothamus, yes as Ron wrote: The right one on your pic is the right one ;-)

Drive it, you will have a difference in brake force left to right. Still useable, chane later when the matching parts arrive. Good luck, Kay

[gothamus]

I thought I responded with a thanks to both of your responses. Forgot to hit submit. Belated Thanks!

I am unsure about 2 other points of the rear assembly. On the diagram that is most similar to my rear brake assembly I see a clip Clip.png, which I purchased and possess. I do not understand what it locks to. I think it is meant to lock the lever in place. But there is nothing about the knob that inserts into a hole on the shoe that could be locked. It is a smooth shaft. #8 in the diagram is where the lever hangs onto the shoe, mine is not a separate piece. It is an integrated protrusion and not a removable part.

I may not need it since my link bar is longer on one end of the inside. I believe it assists in keeping things in place.

Second query: About hydraulic lines. I bought the pre-cut and flared lines for the Amazon. The new rear axle hydraulic lines are about a foot or more longer than necessary. I will have to give my lines loops or other detours to use up that spare length. The right line loops around the shaft. I think the last person to replace the lines found the same challenge. Is there a better suggestion? Looking sloppy to my eyes.

Thanks for taking the time to reply before and now. The assistance here is terrific and saves lives!

[Ron Kwas]

gothamus;

That clip looks like an unnecessary part for your brakes...you already know about the springclip between upper Spring and Crossconnecting Bar...I see it installed on right side of picture.

If preflared brakelines are too long, you have several choices...
1. Return them to supplier, and ask for replacement of the correct length (if you have the luxury of time...)
2. Loose the excess length in the form of "S" Bends along the way (perfectly functional, but not so neat and suitable for showing off with...but will do if the extra can be secured out of the way so that it can't catch debris or is vulnerable to damage, including vibration - secure "S" bends, if you decide to go that route!)
3. Cut to proper length and reflare (...requires a flaring tool obviously, confidence to make a flare yourself, which is a critical part of your braking sys, and rather defeats the point of buying them, supposedly sized correctly, ready to install!)

Caution: Triple-check flare fittings to assure correct matching with component they are assembled into! Know the difference between Double and Bubble flares! See also Unacceptable Brake Lines at link: http://www.sw-em.com/brake_notes.htm

I found and augmented a nice little graphic about the Leading and Trailing Shoe which might be of interest, and included it into my Brake System Notes.

Anti-Seize fitting threads AND fitting to line interface!

Good Hunting!

[gothamus]

Thanks Ron- that expands on my suspicions. I am glad for the verification about that clip. It was niggling at my cautious thoughts.

I went for the pre-flared because I have more confidence in experienced people than my amateur experiments. I have mastered a bit of bending method using a some larger sockets that is giving me some clean curves at varied sizes. So I will do some art and make sure it is secure along it's path.

Your articles are required reading preceding any of my projects. Thanks for the help they all provide our inexperience.