68 barracuda front 10 inch drum mysteries

[Neal Zimmerman]

Hi all. Trying to rebuild the front drums ( 10 inch) on my 68 barracuda. I have several questions so I will try to lump it all in one thread
1) whats up with the adjuster kits that have adjuster lever pivot pins way too small for the hole in the shoes?? I was going to use the ones from the old shoes but they were super loose too.
2) Which is the correct type adjuster lever for this year. There is the type with the aforementioned arm and pivot pin, and then other places I see one that uses no pivot pin but just kind of clips in a hole in the shoe and pivots from there. My POS barracuda had both styles, one on each side, so no help there. I dug out my 67 coronet rear end and looked at those brakes and they had the NO PIVOT PIN style. But the kit the parts house got me was the pivot pin style.
3) How the heck is the pivot pin style supposed to work, assuming I didnt have the wobbly pin situation. When I tried to assemble it it seemed the little spring under the lever just smacks on the adjuster barrel.
4) Which sides for the right hand/left hand thread adjusters. If my memory servers me well, I think the left hand thread goes on passenger side Yes??
Thanks.
Neal

 

[RedFish]

Factory service manuals contain pictures showing how it all goes together. Many of those are free downloads.

 

[Darter6]

Don't know if this will help. Just a photo of my 68 Valiant 10'' front.No pin.
Yeah, I get confused with the right/left adjusters.I go by the teeth on the wheel and how the adjuster lever turns them,they only work one way.
Your pin problem can be re-man shoes.Just guessing.

 

[Mattax]

1968 is a transition year. Unfortunately, one of the few ways to discover this is to go through factory literature.

1) whats up with the adjuster kits that have adjuster lever pivot pins way too small for the hole in the shoes?? I was going to use the ones from the old shoes but they were super loose too.

Can't help on this one.

2) Which is the correct type adjuster lever for this year. There is the type with the aforementioned arm and pivot pin, and then other places I see one that uses no pivot pin but just kind of clips in a hole in the shoe and pivots from there. ...

Model Year 1967 is no pivot pin
MY 1968 is no pivot pin, but March of '67 the shoes got tabs to contact the backing plate.
MY 1969 gets the new style of adjuster, and slightly different shoe with the matching holes.

3) How the heck is the pivot pin style supposed to work, assuming I didnt have the wobbly pin situation. When I tried to assemble it it seemed the little spring under the lever just smacks on the adjuster barrel.

I don't know what you got there, but in addition to the factory service manuals, the Master Tech booklets are really helpful and also have good photos.
Go to www.imperialclub.org -> Lit -> Master Technicians Service Conference
go down to what's new for 1968 for the new style shoes
then to 1969 for new adjuster mechanism.
Another place with good info, (but just one year of the MTSC) is the Hamtramck Historical Library. Many of the service bulletins are there.
The 1970 Hamtramck Registry Library Page (1965 - 1969)

4) Which sides for the right hand/left hand thread adjusters. If my memory servers me well, I think the left hand thread goes on passenger side Yes??

The '69 up adjusters are the opposite of the earlier ones. When you compare the two in the photos it will make sense. Then you can match it to what you've got.

One other tip. The shoes themselves should have a FMS number stamped in the metal. It might be an ink stamp, but I see that more often on pads. This is the frame/shoe number used by the brake manufacturers. This is one way to figure out what you have and what you ought to have.
Lets use the shoes for the rear 10x1.75" drums as an example, because I've got that figured out:
Up through Feb '67, a 256 shoe is correct. However the 151 shoes (for Fords) are so similar that a lot of manufacturers (and therefore parts stores) would substitute them.
March '67 through the end of 1968 model year, 288 is the correct shoe. Parts stores rarely have this and randomly substitute early or later shoes...
Finally for '69 until the next major change, 331 is the correct shoe. 331 has the hole for the self adjuster pin.

Slightly OT. But if you're buying shoes another thing to look at is the two letter friction rating on the edge code. Higher letters are better. Brake Lining Edge Codes | Corners Are Best - Handling Tech | Moparts Forums

 

[AJ/FormS]

I assume you know that you have to "rivet" those pins in, right?
In some cases I have removed the pins from the old shoes and reinstalled them in the new, and then tightened up the peening.