How I adjusted my new rear brakes

I'm not sure how unconventional this is, but here is how I did it quick, easy and got it perfect.


Place rear axle on stands so the tires are off the ground

remove tires

turn adjusters all the way out so there is no drag at all

Start engine, place car in 1st gear and allow let the clutch out.

The rear drums will now both be turning

Because the rear end is an open unit, meaning there is no positraction the differential will balance power to both sides. As long as resistance on both sides is the same, they should turn at the same speed.

With the engine running and the drums spinning start turning in the adjuster on one side in until it stops the drum and all the power all goes to the other side.

go over to the other side and turn the adjuster in until both side once again spin at the same rate.

What you are shooting for, is for both sides to spin at the same rate with a very small amount of drag coming evenly from both sides.

And presto, the brakes are perfectly evenly adjusted.


Another thing I learned I could do with this method is use the gas and brake at the same time to bed the brakes in and make a good mate to the pads and drums prior to adjusting.

Do not try this with a Bugeye.

The point of adjusting the brakes is to have the shoes at rest to be a safe distance from the drum, so when you step on the brakes, they engage without the pedal moving too far. Beyond that, I can't see that much matters. The pressure of the shoe against the drum doesn't depend on the initial clearance.

Your procedure adjusts them for a certain amount of drag on both sides. I don't think that's what you want. Having the drum brush the pads lightly at one or two points as you spin the wheel is OK (and probably inevitable), but you don't want continuous drag. I once had my brakes adjusted too close and ended up with a brake locking up and overheating the hub--grease everywhere, a big mess--and lucky I didn't really damage something.

I agree, that's exactly how they ended up in adjustment, "just" touching. There is not enough contact there to create any significant heat.

It was simple enough and kind of fun to do.

interesting - well conceived.

Trace-
I gotta say that the idea of adjusting the rear brakes, with the car running and in gear, makes me cringe. I've been around construction equipment all of my life, and I know of too many gruesome incidents from entanglement with rotating equipment. Even with the tires off, the potential is there.

I also had a flashback to the Ferris Buehler movie and the scene in which the running car falls off of the jackstands.

Adjusting the brakes while rotating the wheels by hand is a simple process. Drive the car for 50 miles and readjust.

Have to agree. That just sounds too dangerous besides exposing the risk of over tightening. The traditional method, as Steve described, always works. You really need the hands on feel of the final adjustment.

I see your concerns about entanglement, and the wheel studs spinning do present an issue with loose clothing. For instance- The draw-string on a hooded sweatshirt could cause a serious injury if it got caught in the spinning wheel studs.