Adjusting rear brake steady posts

[Cutlass]

The rear drum brakes on my 66 BJ8 has two steady posts threaded into the backing plates, and help locate the shoes. They are held in position by jam nuts. The workshop manual does not indicate how to adjust these steady posts. So what's the drill?

 

[Dave Russell]

Loosen lock nuts, back off adjusters, apply brakes & while holding, adjust the posts to just touch the shoes, & tighten lock nuts. The felt sleeves on the inner ends of the posts hold a small amount of oil which prevents the posts from wearing the brake shoes or squeeking. The posts just hold the shoes square to the drums.
D

 

[Keoke]

Yep that's the way you do it. But if you are by yourself you can just turn the adjusters up real tight to position the shoes flat against the drum and then adjust the posts as Dave outlined. If you have a friend with a lathe you can duplicate those little furry post covers using Teflon and you will be good to go for life.---Keoke

OH! There is more than one way to skin this cat. If you have the drums off to replace the Bushes and want to adjust the steady posts. Then you can measure the distance between the backing plate and the shoe web at the two anchor positions and then adjust the posts so that dimension is maintained over the length of the shoe.

 

[Cutlass]

Ok, that all makes sense now. It's interesting that the workshop manual doesn't cover that. The teflon is a good idea, and I do have a friend with a lathe. He's a gunsmith of the old school, and often has to make his own parts. Interesting guy.