Brake the Bank

[PH4]

I need two rear brake drums, shoes for front and rear, and a wheel cylinder.

There are a number of different brake shoes and rear brake drums listed by our host with a large difference between price among them. A Proline drum is $55 while some of the LR original drums are up to $250.

Before I order would like any advice/pros or cons/thoughts from fellow board members. Thank you. (1962 2.25 109 with I believe 11 inch brake drums).

[autoguy]

lots of opinions on proline parts in the thread link below

http://www.roversnorth.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3700

[TeriAnn]

I need two rear brake drums, shoes for front and rear, and a wheel cylinder.

There are a number of different brake shoes and rear brake drums listed by our host with a large difference between price among them. A Proline drum is $55 while some of the LR original drums are up to $250.

RN's proline drums are probably quite good. No one skimps on quality for drums and the cardboard box or sticker that say's "Land Rover" can be very expensive.

For shoes I highly recommend Mintex. For wheel cylinders Gurling/Lucas.

[jp-]

TeriAnn, who supplies Mintex?

[JayGoss]

RN's proline drums are probably quite good. No one skimps on quality for drums and the cardboard box or sticker that say's "Land Rover" can be very expensive.

For shoes I highly recommend Mintex. For wheel cylinders Gurling/Lucas.

TeriAnn- do you know of a vendor where one can purchase Mintex shoes? I don't believe our sponsor has them. Thanks!

[CliftonRover]

what are they for I have some proline shoes that I don't need and some drums too.

[Jim-ME]

Try Trevor at RoverFarm. I believe he has Mintex.
Jim

[luckyjoe]

I believe BP sells Mintex pads.

Regards,

[JayGoss]

what are they for I have some proline shoes that I don't need and some drums too.

I guess they are some well-made brake shoes with (hopefully) good quality control mechanisms in place. There have been some issues lately ("genuine", ProLine, Bendix and other brands- but haven't heard about Mintex) with brake shoes where they are being produced with the wrong shape. The leading and trailing edges contact the drums because they are too high and the middle doesn't make contact. Because of this "improper arch" only about 1 square inch total of the shoe makes contact leading to poor braking. I guess the difference is so extreme that the braking performance is compromised to the point where it's not safe to allow them to "seat in". Some folks put these on and can't drive in reverse because the shoes bind despite any adjustments when they try to back them off with the adjustment screws. On multiple vehicles my installer is having to install new shoes, take a ride, remove all drums and shoes, sand down the high spots and repeat until the brake shoe is adjusted to the proper contour. Unfortunately, with this trial and error process and the cost of labor, the price of the shoes is paid many times over. I'm at the tail end of a long restoration and I'm broke. I asked him if he'd tried Mintex pads and he replied that he was unaware that they were available- so I'm glad there are a few responses with some vendors that may have them. I'd rather get some good shoes on there the first time than pay for them 3 times over in labor costs, correcting for manufacturing defects and getting them to where they should have been in the first place! I guess there are some brand new shoes on my Rover now (not Mintex)- and guess what....the leading and trailing edges are binding....

[daveb]

sounds like there is something else going on, jay. Put the shoes on, check the springs are installed correctly, make sure the wheel cylinder isn't seized, adjust em up tight, back off a few notches on the adjuster. test drive. don't obseess about perfect contact with the drums. it shouldn't take long for the shoes to bed in if they are all moving with the master cylinder.

the rear will take longer to bed in than the fronts in my experience.

I guess they are some well-made brake shoes with (hopefully) good quality control mechanisms in place. There have been some issues lately ("genuine", ProLine, Bendix and other brands- but haven't heard about Mintex) with brake shoes where they are being produced with the wrong shape. The leading and trailing edges contact the drums because they are too high and the middle doesn't make contact. Because of this "improper arch" only about 1 square inch total of the shoe makes contact leading to poor braking. I guess the difference is so extreme that the braking performance is compromised to the point where it's not safe to allow them to "seat in". Some folks put these on and can't drive in reverse because the shoes bind despite any adjustments when they try to back them off with the adjustment screws. On multiple vehicles my installer is having to install new shoes, take a ride, remove all drums and shoes, sand down the high spots and repeat until the brake shoe is adjusted to the proper contour. Unfortunately, with this trial and error process and the cost of labor, the price of the shoes is paid many times over. I'm at the tail end of a long restoration and I'm broke. I asked him if he'd tried Mintex pads and he replied that he was unaware that they were available- so I'm glad there are a few responses with some vendors that may have them. I'd rather get some good shoes on there the first time than pay for them 3 times over in labor costs, correcting for manufacturing defects and getting them to where they should have been in the first place! I guess there are some brand new shoes on my Rover now (not Mintex)- and guess what....the leading and trailing edges are binding....

[yorker]

Try Trevor at RoverFarm. I believe he has Mintex.
Jim

The last brake shoes I bought from Trevor were Mintex, great prices too!

[JayGoss]

sounds like there is something else going on, jay. Put the shoes on, check the springs are installed correctly, make sure the wheel cylinder isn't seized, adjust em up tight, back off a few notches on the adjuster. test drive. don't obseess about perfect contact with the drums. it shouldn't take long for the shoes to bed in if they are all moving with the master cylinder.

the rear will take longer to bed in than the fronts in my experience.

Thanks. I would but the car is in a restoration shop that specializes in Rovers. The guy doing the work has been in the biz in one way or another for probably 20 years. I probably wasn't describing it well- the springs are installed correctly & brand new cylinders. What's happening is the brake shoes are binding because the shape of the shoes is grossly out of proportion to the inner shape of the drums- so much so that, despite backing the adjusters all the way off, there is so much binding that it's like driving with the brakes applied...they have to be ground down to even fit in the drum properly. This is all third-hand, however, as I'm not doing the work. I've installed shoes and adjusted brakes before and I know what you mean about not being too much of a perfectionist with regard to shoe/drum contact. I agree that there is a seating in process that should occur- and that eventually the shoes will break in and the high/low spots on the shoes will "smooth" out...and the breaking performance will still suck as they are drums . I think it's just a quality control issue where installers are having to clean up for inconsistent production results. I appreciate your input, though- if it were me doing the install I would try your suggestions...but I feel confident that the person doing the work has run out of adjustment options and is now either going to pass on a few hours of labor to me sanding shoes...or hopefully finding a new shoe that is properly manufactured the first time around so he can return the flawed shoes.

[singingcamel]

Did I miss something? are these new brake drums or used? If there used you may need to tru them up,resurface them.

[yorker]

Why not reline the old shoes? that is period correct on a restoration and you know the old shoes had the correct radius.

AAU8471

[Jim-ME]

Unfortunately I don't remember where they came from but when I did my rear shoes I had to grind the leading and trailing edges of the shoes down so they wouldn't bind. They still bind when they get wet. I'm going to get a set of Mintex and try again.
Jim