Why Drum Brakes?

[Autostrada Pilot]

If you deal with drum brakes much.
Take an old spoke (talk to one of you motocross riding friends) and a chunk of broom handle.
1) Drill a 1/8' hole cross ways thru a 6' piece of broom handle in the middle.
2) Slip spoke thru hole and put spoke nipple back on.
3) cut spoke to length (6' to 12")
4) heat other end up with torch and bend a nice hook.
5) file end of hook sharp

I thought for sure that step 6 was going to be, "poke sharp hook into eye".   

[triangleforge]

Actually, that's step one - might as well start the suffering early.

[sno_duc]

I thought for sure that step 6 was going to be, "poke sharp hook into eye".   

My car wrenching started in the early 70's, back when most of the cars that high schoolers could afford had drum brakes. After a couple of learning experiences that involved brake springs and me getting perforated, plus basic cheapness (only made $1.25 an hour, most of which went to keeping my dirt bike running), led to a home made tool that works quite well.

[MendoDave]

I like this topic of Complaining about Drum brakes. I had a few cars with drums and well....lets not talk about that, gives me a headache and my knuckles start to hurt just thinking about it.
But I'm glad it's not just me that felt the pain & sweat when fooling around with the things.

So I had a CR250R with a drum on the back. It was pretty easy to change the shoes on that. braked OK too. I just didn't like the the squeal that emanated from the rear wheel area when using the back brake.

[Popeye the Sailor]

Whine whine whine about modern day drum brakes.

Go work on some that are not self adjusting and you'll appreciate the new ones.



Also I just use a pair of wire snips to extend the brake spring. They dig in enough for purchase but don't hurt the spring.

[MendoDave]

I think I will just stick with Disks.

BTW I was under a car recently and noticed how the parking brake was a drum brake mounted on the drive line.

[triangleforge]

Go work on some that are not self adjusting and you'll appreciate the new ones.

You mean like my '73 Land Cruiser FJ40 that had drums on all four corners? I miss that truck, but don't miss fishing around for the click wheel through the backing plate, wondering if I'd moved the stupid thing at all, and repeating on all four wheels until I gave up in exhaustion. And every so often there on the East Coast, you'd get one that was rusted into a frozen lump.

Nope, don't miss those days at all, but still isn't enough to make me appreciate the slightly updated out-of-date technology. 

[Popeye the Sailor]

Says the guy with an anvil in his avatar. 

[MendoDave]

Says the guy with an anvil in his avatar.