brake shoe direction

roadster1234

Sharpest Tool
Sep 11, 2014
248
nj
First Name
lou
Willys Model
  1. Wagon
Willys Year:
  1. 1959
happy new year to you all

my question is on my 59 wagon 6 cyl 4wd the short shoe was in the rear and long in front, can this be possible, i got the truck this way and with all the brake jobs i have done this seems wrong right, but i read here its possible,, what the real answer guys send pictures please and thanks
 
It is backwards to most of what we all have done in the past 30 years. However that is correct on your Willys wagon.
 
thanks eric i looked it up in the repair manual it says some vehicles may have had the short shoe to the rear go figure as always thanks
 
I ak not sure I can explain it but it has to do with the older bendix design. Willys was about 10 years behind the times on the parts used on many of these. Heck who else was builidng a car witha flathead in 1960?
 
Gentlemen,

The long shoe in front is a function of the fixed anchor at the bottom.. The shoes try to rotate
with the drum, and with a fixed anchor at the bottom of the backing plate, this motion actually
increases friction.. The rear shoe doesn't do much until you are backing up, at this point the
front shoe doesn't do much. Make sense?

On a upgrade kit, with the adjuster at the bottom, BOTH shoes try to rotate (while applied in
and vehicle moving forward). So, in this case the front shoe is pushing the adjuster and the
rear shoe. The rear shoe is then getting assist from the drum rotation and the front shoe.
To equalize wear, they make the front shoe shorter... I hope this makes sense.

Dual wheel cylinders (one on each side, or one each top and bottom) have been used in the past
to maximize braking...
 
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