Rear Drums: hot & smelly!

[2 Darts]

If a brake is dragging, the wheel will get hot. Also, the matrix that secures the friction material will smoke and stink if it gets really hot. Wear pattern on trailing shoe looks peculiar. Could not tell if lead shoe has same pattern. If wear on leading shoe does not match trail shoe, suggest check parking brake adjustment and freedom of movement for e-brake cable.

 

[green1]

Some shoes just stink; different material. Upper springs look different, but if the drum came off, ok. Some material glazes easier. If no problem pulling drum off, adjustment fine, drum will wear. Auto adjusters look good. Are the fronts stopping first? (weight of the car there). Could be prop valve/ master cylinder putting too much to rear. That glaze looks like hard high speed braking; maybe the front is not doing it's job.

 

[BillGrissom]

Your adjuster appears way out for new drums and new shoes. I had to back mine in almost all the way and I was re-using the drums. However, I used a hardware kit for a 73 Dart, with the different self-adjuster. Did you also check that you didn't mix up the adjusters left and right? If you take them apart, they usually have an L or R on the end. Still, that would just make them loosen the brakes. I adjust so the drum slides on easy, w/ no dragging and don't try to tighten them further. I just back up multiple times and stop hard to let the self-adjusters do their job. Since your drum spun freely, not sure what would make them too tight after that. The e-brake cable sticking sounds like to best theory.