* Brakes *

[moose60]

Philip-
I think that the shoes on my truck are all of equal length. I carefully examined them before installation to make sure that there were no differences. I also just went and checked the shoes that I removed. All four are identical. So, it seems that I will experience somewhat faster wear of the secondary shoes. This seems like it's not something to worry about. Correct?

[philip]

Philip-
I think that the shoes on my truck are all of equal length.

Oops ...

The system I described earlier is the brake design with a FLOATING self adjusting slack adjuster which is associated with the larger floating front caliper system starting in 1983.

But you have an '82 with the fixed (stationary) NON automatic slack adjuster and twin piston fixed front caliper.

With the fixed (to the backing plate) manual slack adjuster design, the shoe lining will be of equal length.

[moose60]

You have a 1982 which is the last year of the FIXED (stationary) slack adjuster

I'm seeking clarification here:

My adjuster can slide on the backing plate. This is a sliding system different from the one I saw at the JY over the weekend (on newer trucks) which has the slack adjuster and the e-brake rod combined. The later system slack-adjusters also seem to be at the top of the backing plate, where mine is at the bottom.

Can my system be considered "fixed" due to the small amount of movement?

[bwbrown55]

Hi, my name is Bobby and I'm a new member. Been lurking a long time, but this is my first post. If I understand this correctly, the rear drum brakes on a 1981 720 are not self-adjusting?
Thanks in advance,
Bobby

[moose60]

Bobby-
Welcome to the board. You are correct about the brakes, it's a manual adjustment.

[bwbrown55]

Thanks moose, No wonder I've been wearing through the front pads so quickly. Time to adjust the back brakes.

Bobby

[philip]

Image added to post Which way to rotate the star wheel adjuster

[asavage]

You have a 1982 which is the last year of the FIXED (stationary) slack adjuster

I'm seeking clarification here:

My adjuster can slide on the backing plate. This is a sliding system different from the one I saw at the JY over the weekend (on newer trucks) which has the slack adjuster and the e-brake rod combined.

I'm guessing maybe this is the type of adjuster you have (eBay Auction 320063086056, BIN $18 ea)?

[moose60]

Al,
Yup, thats what they look like on my pickup.

[TDI_Joe]

While doing a brake shoe inspection I found I have automatic adjusters on my rear brake. It appears to adjust when parking brake is applied while moving in reverse. My truck, a 82 KC SD 22 Feb build should not have these, apparently a non-stock addition. I checked my 1982 & 1983 FSM and found no reference to this setup.

[asavage]

That type of adjuster is not dependent upon the parking brake; when brakes are applied while moving in reverse, the lower edge of the rearmost shoe "catches" the drum -- it is self-energizing. If there is too much clearance between the rearmost shoe and drum (ie it needs adjusting), the movement of the shoe toward the drum pulls the adjuster cable enough to move the adjuster arm enough to "catch" the next ratchet tooth on the screw adjuster.

This is the way almost all drum brake self-adjusters have operated since the 1950s. Pull the rear drum off a Chevy or Ford or Dodge and you'll see substantially identical adjuster bits.

A prominent exception to the this self-adjusting bandwagon is the Gen1 Maxima Wagon (not Sedan) rear drums, which utilizes a mechanism that really does require the parking brake to adjust, and which will never self-adjust if the parking brake is not used. The Maxima's rear drum adjusters are not dependent upon wheel motion, only parking brake actuation. And they're always frozen up

[philip]

While doing a brake shoe inspection I found I have automatic adjusters on my rear brake. It appears to adjust when parking brake is applied while moving in reverse. My truck, a 82 KC SD 22 Feb build should not have these, apparently a non-stock addition. I checked my 1982 & 1983 FSM and found no reference to this setup.

LUCKY YOU ! Officially, those rear brakes became in 1984. So your shoes too are different than the OEM 1982/83 assembly. Drums too.

AND... the automatic adjuster on nearly all truck and cars are made like yours. It could turn the adjuster only when you first hit the pedal while backing up. Notice the arm says "L" on the left design while the "R" on the right arm.