UPDATE;  All finished .  brakes are fantastic, how they should be . I honed the brake cylinders as well, despite the fact that they looked new the rears were very dirty and had a lot of crap in them, so yes the lines really needed changing. The linings fitted perfectly, no need for machining like the brake bonder said. Obliviously I cant do any hard braking yet but judging by the feel is very progressive and pulls up very quickly without trying at all. Success!  



"Came too close to dying to stop living now!"

I'm getting to damn old to be crawling around on the garage floor. Also would help if the fittings weren't metric .. The tube was from Eastwood very nice to work with but I didn't expect when I finished that one I would find the USA supplied tube would have 10 mm fittings agh! And do you think I can find my 10mm tube spanner?
The brake place claimed what he gave me "should be a bit softer" than what I had but would knows??



"Came too close to dying to stop living now!"

Are the ceramic shoes better? I am under the impression that they work better than the material that replaced the asbestos.

Durham Missouri

An article in Hemmings Classic Car shed light on brake issues in old cars. When the manufacturers phased out Asbestos in brake linings & pads, some years ago, they had to agree on a new standard for brake material. Unfortunately, the new standard is not as compatible with old brake drums & rotors as would be desirable. So, later brake lining material is less affective than the original material that contained Asbestos... For instance, my 57 Fords brake feel at the pedal is like stepping on stone  & braking is weak to say the least..   


Paul

Ahh so many answers.. Anyway I found out its 11"  +.060  I went to brake place this morning and they inspected it, Said drums are 1st over size , guy went away came back with oversize linings said just put them in [not bad for a local Aussie place]  , so I guess that's about all I can do. I'll still try replacing as much of the hard lines as I can and see if this solves my dilemma. Whatever is going on I hope it will fix as the guy pointed out to me that my L/H front has being going through some hard work as the pivot point was waring and there is a crack in the metal as well..  



"Came too close to dying to stop living now!"

Guys just chancing some specs on the brakes on my 56 Fairlane town sedan.  mainly the drum sizes and max they can be cut. Wheel cyl sizes would help too so I can check. Im pulling my brakes although they look in great condition, Im going to reline the shoes I have to try something its just dangerous the way it is. I plan to replace the hard lines as well,  3 /16" is it?
  Currently I have the dual circuit and power booster setup, works ok when you heat up the brakes [normal driving] but the harder you push in an emergency stop it just wont pull up, it should be able to lock..  The brakes on my 35 pickup are way better.. 



"Came too close to dying to stop living now!"