VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - GENERAL Mechanical - Engine, Trans, etc Removing bonded brake linings ??

I'm going through the brake system on my '37 and want to reline the brake shoes. To prepare the shoes, I want to remove the linings that now are bonded to the shoes. I tried chiseling the old ones off, but there's got to be a better way to do this! Anybody know an easier way ???
-Bob

Bob
I think lots of heat on the shoe will cause the glue to release, apply the heat evenly over the shoe but not go beyond blue tinge of steel as it may distort the shoe.
Tony

Bob:
Please exercise all caution when working with these! If these are the original or very old shoes they probability contain asbestos and you cannot be too careful when working with that stuff. You may want to consider a pro shop to do this work because of the potential hazards.
Be safe, and we'll see you down the road!

Thanks for the info, guys. The safety aspects are especially apreciated !

Bob,

New shoes are only $30/axle, is it worth all the work you are doing?

Rich

"New shoes are only $30/axle, is it worth all the work you are doing?"

Rich,
In no way am I denigrating your question / comment, but I guess it depends on ones interpretation of "worth". In a monetary sense, the answer is usually "Heck, NO!!".

There is however, at least in my demented brain, a tremendous sense of satisfaction from learning how things were done back in the day, being able to replicate a job with my own hands, and knowing it was done correctly, that transcends a dollar value.

As it turned out, I heated the shoes on the metal side with a torch and was able to scrape the linnings off with a putty knife with very little trouble and in a lot less time then it would take to run to NAPA, order the shoes and return another day to pick them up.

What I neglected to say originally was, the shoes that were on the car were drilled for riveted brake shoes, but the current (worn) linnings were bonded on. I have several sets of NORS linnings drilled for rivets that I picked up at various swap meets and wanted to use. I've riveted those on succesfully.

I know, I know, bonded brakes are better, etc., etc. I have in the past, riveted brake linnings to shoes on various old cars and driven them many thousands of miles with no problems, as millions of people before me have. Hey, isn't restoring a car to total originality,what an "authentic" restoration is all about ??

Bottom line, worth can't always be measured in dollars and, at least in my opinion, worth is measure by the fun I'm having and let me tell you, I'm having one heck of a good time!! :)
-Bob

Aren't we all somewhat demented in toying with these old cars to start with. My father shook his head a long time ago and said he couln't figure me out in that while all my friends were trading their cars up to newer models, everytime I bought one it got ten years older.

Actually bonded brake linings are noisier than riveted lining. That is one of the reasons Cadillac kept riveted up until later disc brakes. The reason the manufacturers went to the bonded lining in the first place it was just cheaper & faster to assemble to the shoes.

I just got done replacing the wheel cylinder on my 47. I got a snootfull of brake dust, presumable asbestos. My lungs felt like crud for the last 2 days, a cough to beat hell. Maybe coincidence, maybe not. Just be careful with that. It was blowing from the wind the second I took the drum off. Next time I am definately going to wear a dust mask. Good luck.

Originally Posted by stylemaster47

I just got done replacing the wheel cylinder on my 47. I got a snootfull of brake dust, presumable asbestos. My lungs felt like crud for the last 2 days, a cough to beat hell. Maybe coincidence, maybe not. Just be careful with that. It was blowing from the wind the second I took the drum off. Next time I am definately going to wear a dust mask. Good luck.

You're 110% right on the money. Asbestos is very, very dangerous stuff. I look back and think often of many, many brake jobs I've done over the last 45 years or so and vividly recall blowing the brake dust off of them as a matter of course, with no thought of what I might be doing to my health. Every time I get a little upper respitory infection, I wonder if my past indicretions are coming back to haunt me !!

Bob,

Certainly, I appreciate what you are doing. I guess that there are some things that I feel are better done by others and this is one of them. This past winter I completed a total overhaul of the brakes on my '37 and I did purchase new shoes. I considered installing a dual master cylinder, but decided to rebuild the original.

Asbestos is something that I have a healthy respect for. I can tell you that a dust mask is woefully inadaquate for this material. In addition, you can contaminate you work area, track asbestos into your home and expose others to the hazard and if you wash your work clothes with other clothes, all can become contaminated. This ain't BS, I attended the National Astostes Training Institute a few years ago. Our company was considering doing abatement work, but because of liability issues, passed on it.

Rich