Brake emergency
... But I do expect that if I am driving 30 mpg and slam the brake all the way down, that I should either skid or stop and/or the wheels should stop spinning. Is that correct?
Will keep you guys posted.
What does "all the way down" mean? The pedal should not come even close to touching the floor. You can keep pressing harder, and it should build up more hydraulic pressure in the tubes. An NFL linebacker could certainly press harder than me.
First thing, back up many times in a parking lot, jamming on the brakes each time. That makes the self-adjusters work and should get the shoes at the right adjustment. If you get a hard pedal then, you may be done. If not, open the reservoir and watch as someone presses and releases the pedal. If you get a geyser of fluid from the bottom port, that is a sign of either air in the system or overly-flexible hoses (about to burst, like an artery in your brain).
Not sure why finding the hardware was tough. Next time, look for drum "hardware kit" in rockauto. I got at Autozone ~$12 for an axle. My 10" drums were harder to find than 9".
The comment that new imports can stop 3x faster than a Dart w/ 9" drums makes no sense. If you can skid the tires, no brakes would be able to stop any faster, and indeed you want to be on the border before skidding. Don't compare stopping distance spec's from the 1960's. That was for old bias-ply tires. You can get tires w/ quality as good as any import for your car, and it really matters. One article comparing tires on ice found that special snow tires stopped 2x faster than all-season tires, and that is a major difference.
