What are the best shoes?

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Wally-T

Wally-T

64 Signet
Joined
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Cochrane Alberta
Hey folks. Just put new drums, springs and shoes all around the old 64. Purchased everything from Rock Auto. Unfortunately I fell for the "best price" deal and bought the Bosch shoes . What a dumb idea. I went from worn out old brakes that worked great (one foot operation that stopped on a dime) to a two foot operation that make for a hairy ride. The contact pattern is horrible. Mostly riding on the top of the shoes on one of the front drums and on the center of the other (haven't checked the rear). They obviously weren't ground properly. Anywho, I'm wondering who ya'll might think makes the best shoes? Raybestos is a big name but I'm not sure if they're made off shore or not. Almost everything is these days.
Your two cents worth or more would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Wally
 
If you can find some older NOS Wagner, Raybestos, EIS or the like, they're probably good. All of them are made overseas now though as far as I know.
 
Back in my MG days, after I riveted the brake lining to the shoe, had to fit them to the drums. It usually took a course file to taper the tips of the lining back an inch or so.
 
Dicer said:
Back in my MG days, after I riveted the brake lining to the shoe, had to fit them to the drums. It usually took a course file to taper the tips of the lining back an inch or so.
Click to expand...
There was a tool for just that. It shaped the shoes for an exact fit for whichever drum size you had.
 
I remember riviting many brake shoe linings back when I worked at an Allis Chalmers dealer. We also re-lined clutch discs.

If you buy shoes, get something in the middle range like a semi-metallic. Full metallics will eat your drum up quicker. I doubt any of these are made in the US anymore.
 
Hey Wally T,
Mad Dog gave you the definitive correct answer....
Haven't heard from you.......

P.M. me, as per forum rules , if you want to treat your car right.........
Craig.......
 
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more dumb shoes.png
 
If your drums are worn & that is quite likely if high mileage, then there will be little contact between the shoe & drum if the shoes are for std size drums. Result will be poor braking until the shoes 'wear into the drum' OR you have them radius ground to your drum size.

I get my brake shoes custom bonded at a brake shop. They have different lining materials for different applications. Example, if you do a lot of high speed driving & want less brake fade, you would get harder material, probably with metal in it. These often take time to 'warm up' with poor braking until they do.
i am over the boy-racer bit, no more high speed stops, so I get soft linings that require minimal foot pressure & give superb stopping power.
 
Eventually, the shoes will wear to match the drums. Less likely that the new shoes have an incorrect arc than that your drums are worn. Insure you put any shorter lining on the leading shoe. I know Bendix Global is just rebadged cheap imports, unlike real Bendix.
 
The last shop that i worked at, before i called it quits, in the automotive repair field, we had some "old school" equipment that would "arch" the brake shoes to the brake drum diameter after machining them.
That way full contact will the full diameter after how may thousandths of an inch were machined off the drum.
Won't find equipment like that anymore at a repair shop, unless they're really old school, and have the space to keep, and use the old equipment.
 
Well, it's disappointing when you think you're getting a good deal, only to end up with a headache. I had a similar experience with my car brakes. I opted for some generic brand, thinking I'd save money, but they turned out to be a disaster. After some research, I found Raybestos. They're made in the US and have been a game-changer for me. Smooth stops, no more two-foot operation. If you're still searching, give them a try. And hey, if brakes aren't your thing, maybe invest in some quality shoes. I recently got a pair of Nike kicks, and they've been worth every penny.
 
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