Reproduction Parts for 1916-1964 Chevrolet Passenger Cars & 1918-1987 Chevrolet & GMC Trucks


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Gates31 Offline OP
Grease Monkey
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Grease Monkey
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Hello,
Last May I found and bought a 31 AE Independence that had been sitting in a barn for 45 years . It was fortunate to have the former owner who stored it have it up on blocks, out of the weather, however still sitting in a barn with a mostly dirt floor didn't do it any favors.
Long story short , after a few weeks of buying it I got it running , reconditioned the gas tank, greased her up and got to drive her . She runs like a watch !! Even put her in a car show last fall .
This winter I have been fixing and making her safe and more reliable for the road .
I'm in the middle of installing new brakes , Going through a complete over haul of running gear, wheel bearings , king pins etc
It has been going well untill I got to the rear brake adjusters which are froze up . Anyone have a schematic or drawing of what is inside those . Can I use heat to free them up . Don't want to ruin them but I have sprayed enough PB blaster,soaked them in my parts washer and lubricated them enough to stop my ex wife's mothers jaw to stop squeaking and that's saying something
Any advice or tricks to free the middle that goes on the keyed shaft

Thanks

Filling Station - Chevrolet & GMC Reproduction Parts


Filling Station


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Remove the adjusting screw and give them a good degreasing . Next soak in Evapo-Rust or a similar product. My guess is you can probably find replacements for not too much money and might be the best solution.


Steve D
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I should have some used if you end up not fixing yours.

Dave

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Backyard Mechanic
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Loctite makes a product called Freeze Release. I've had success with that. Do your brakes have that adjuster bolt with the little check nut you have to loosen first?
Make sure threads are clean. And give it a try. Friend of mine I think uses a similar product with the Sea Foam name.

Last edited by David_S; 03/31/23 12:37 PM.
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Gates31 Offline OP
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Yes David_S ,
All the parts are there and the bolt is in good shape and I have removed it and cleaned it up. I will keep working to free them up . My main concern and question was what was inside it ? and I didn't know if anyone had ever been brave enough to open one up or if there was a drawing of the inner workings .

Thanks Dave39MD for the offer, I will keep that in mind if all else fails
I will update with what worked or didn't work
Thanks

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There’s not much inside. Picture star with a center hub with a keyway. The adjuster bolt turns in on one of the arms to rotate the hub. It is not really shaped like a star but I thought reference to a star would make it easier to understand how it works.
They get loaded with crud inside and get stuck. When you soaked it, was it with the adjuster screw out? I found tapping the outside helps free it up. And air hammer with a flat button end works good too. Vibrations are you friend when loosening stuck things.
I also made a keyed shaft that I could clamp in my big vise so I could tap the housing while turning the housing on the shaft. I’ve freed up a bunch using this method.make sure the adjuster screw is out when doing it.

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Shade Tree Mechanic
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One of my break adjusters was frozen up. I soaked it in all the available solvents to remove all the grease etc. I finally soaked it in carb cleaner and then PB Blaster and used an ultrasonic cleaner to finally loosen things up. With the adjustment screw removed try and move the keyed center back and forth to help loosen things up while soaking it in your favorite solvent. Be patient, work at it slowly and hopefully it will loosen up.

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Gates31 Offline OP
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Well I'm happy to report that I did get them all unstuck. I have a new favorite penetrant oil , Aerokroil by Kano stuff is amazing

Chistect , yes I did have the adjuster screw out the whole time and thank you for the rundown of whats inside. Its always helpful to me to know how it works to know what my options are to problem solve .
Thanks everyone for the help.

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Gates31 Offline OP
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So new question on the same subject . What have you seasoned guys found that works well for lubricating the interior of the brake adjusters that lasts when you put them back on? Do you pack them full of grease or a heavier oil ? I'm starting to second guess my thoughts on it. Only because when I disassembled them to clean them , a few of them almost seemed like they had bee's wax in them, or something like that on the adjuster screw when I removed it from the body.


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