rear brake shoes

[maxwedge5281]

i have just replaced a couple of leaky rear wheel cylinders and am considering replacing the rear brake shoes on my 63 bj7. in doing some reading on the forum it was mentioned that perhaps there are replacements that are shoddy and perhaps better ones are available at different suppliers???? anyone with experience with which supplier might provide a better brake shoe??? thanks for your help!

 

[Keoke]

HI
For you Healey Surgeons would be a good source.

Additionally, it would be good to have a local shop ARC the drums and shoes to fit properly.

 

[maxwedge5281]

thanks keoke. i asked about the shoes and was told by healey surgeons that their shoes are available with three thicknesses of lining . the thinnest version is for use with aftermarket wheel cylinders. when i asked why this was the case they stated that the aftermarket cylinders are just a bit taller and hold the shoes out a little further than the original girling cylinders. they also do not rearc the shoes. they mentioned that if this was the case most likely the drums were the culprit. i have no idea but they seemed to speak with authority!

 

[Keoke]

i have no idea but they seemed to speak with authority!

--YEP !! what they tell you is as good as gospel, in addition to providing spares they are one of the top Healey restoration facilities in USA.

 

[HealeyRick]

thanks keoke. i asked about the shoes and was told by healey surgeons that their shoes are available with three thicknesses of lining . the thinnest version is for use with aftermarket wheel cylinders. when i asked why this was the case they stated that the aftermarket cylinders are just a bit taller and hold the shoes out a little further than the original girling cylinders. they also do not rearc the shoes. they mentioned that if this was the case most likely the drums were the culprit. i have no idea but they seemed to speak with authority!

That's really interesting. When I bought my shoes from Moss, they seemed thinner than the old ones. I had difficulty adjusting them out to the drums, although I found some of the problem was due to the fact I was missing one of the tappets in the adjuster. Nevertheless, since my old shoes were still good and were thicker than the new ones, I reinstalled them and everything worked ok. Finding a place to arc your shoes may be tough unless you find an old time garage that never tossed their brake grinding machine out. One possibility is to find a shop that does truck brake and spring work. They may also be able to reline your shoes with a shoe material with higher metallic content than stock.

 

[GregW]

I remember Dave Russell talking about a place that would re-shoe and arch shoes to the drums. It's been several years, but maybe they are still doing it. Search and you shall find.

 

[GregW]

Ah, here it is.
https://www.britishcarforum.com/bcf/showthread.php?15624-New-Brake-Lining&p=131145&highlight=brake+shoes#post131145

 

[HealeyRick]

Ah, here it is.
https://www.britishcarforum.com/bcf...ing&p=131145&highlight=brake+shoes#post131145

I had Porterfield custom make some front disc pads with a Hawk HPS compound for my BJ7. They messed up, sending me a BJ8 set at first, but they made it right and customer service was very good. Brakes work good, too:https://www.porterfield-brakes.com/

 

[GregW]

They didn't mess up Rick, you just had the wrong car.

 

[Guest]

I remember Dave Russell talking about a place that would re-shoe and arch shoes to the drums. It's been several years, but maybe they are still doing it. Search and you shall find.

Cuba?

 

[HealeyRick]

They didn't mess up Rick, you just had the wrong car.

I was just happy to find a place that would make up the pads. I couldn't find anyplace that carried uprated pads for the BJ7. And, as I said, they were really good about fixing the mistake and the price was quite reasonable.

Cuba?

Here's the guy to see. you can tell he knows high performance by the Ferrari sticker under the rear porthole:

 

[GregW]

I was just happy to find a place that would make up the pads.

For sure.