Brakes fitting tight?

[PaulS]

So I brought the frame and axles back from the cabin to start adding things like an engine and transmission...

And I remembered a problem that I had when I parked the chassis out there, but the problem is not what I thought it was at the time.

I can rotate all the hubs easily by hand.  With the brake drums on, they're only very slightly harder to turn--the difference is more in sound.  But when I put the wheels on and tighten down the lug nuts, they're quite hard to turn.  (I can turn them, though.)  Previously, I had thought that the drums were too deep and this was causing them to contact the backer plates.  But now I'm reasonably sure that this is not the case.

So what is going on?  How can tightening the lug nuts make it harder to rotate the wheels?  Any ideas?  Or is this just normal and will loosen up when it gets on the road?

Thanks,

-Paul

[Ryan_M]

Is this just happening on the front, rear, or all 4 wheels?

Have you adjusted the brake pads at all to get them as far away from the drums as possible to start with? Then adjust outward until they rub?

Also, was the Jeep running and driving with this set-up previously? If front axle shafts and/or the bushings/shims are the wrong combination it could lead to binding when the axle nut is tightened (if your axles even are the style that have the nut). I don't see how tightening the lug nuts would make a difference either way though.

[PaulS]

Sorry--should have given more info...

Almost everything on the brakes is new--using the kit from Walcks.  The brakes are the aftermarket style where the drum mounts outboard of the hub.

I forget how I originally adjusted the brakes--it was a while ago.  But they are currently loose enough that I can slide the drums on and off fairly easily.

-Paul

[PaulS]

And it is all four wheels.

[PaulS]

If it helps, here's a picture of the brakes after I assembled them and before they went on the axles.

[1955CJ-5]

You might try lightly painting the inside of one of the drums with a cheap easily removed spray paint..sort of a guide coat...

Then bolt the drum on and turn it, when you remove the drum you ought to be able to see where it was rubbing..

[PaulS]

Tried the spray paint.  The only rubbing I can see is on the surface of the drum where the pads rub.  I tried to avoid getting much paint on that surface, but there was some and it's wearing.

Can the adjustment of the brakes change when tightening lug nuts?  I can't see how...

I've tried adjusting one of the brakes to see--but the same thing happens when the upper adjusters are as loose as they get.  I can't get the anchor pin adjustment at the bottom to move at all--is that normal?  The locknut is fully loose, but the anchor pin won't move.

I think I'm going to pull one of the brake assemblies off and have a look at at it.

-Paul

[PaulS]

Tried loosening a different brake.  This time, both the upper adjusters and the anchor pins are all loose, but tightening the lug nuts still causes the same problem...

Haven't pulled a brake assembly yet, because that means pulling hubs, and that's not fun.

-Paul

[1955CJ-5]

My only guess, and it's a guess, is that the linings are too wide....can you measure them?

I don't have a brake shoe handy to measure and check against....and I'm sure you have the book measurement of 1.75"...

They would not have to be off by much...

And maybe post a picture of the hub and drum....

You could try to call or email Carl and see if he has a suggestion....

[1955CJ-5]

Another thought....if you can take the shoes off one brake and then assemble the drum and wheel that should help narrow it down...it's been so long I don't remember if that is doable without removing the hub....but I do remember that the brakes were a pain....I had trouble with those eccentrics in the lower pivot points...

[PaulS]

The linings seem to be about 1.77" and the metal part is around 1.80".  So they do seem a bit wide, but the don't seem to be contacting anything they shouldn't be.

[specialty]

Do you have the top eccentrics adjusted correctly?

[LeeC]

Just for the heck of it do the same thing without the drum, it may be something completely stupid that everyone is missing.

[specialty]

Did you ever get this problem resolved?

[PaulS]

Did you ever get this problem resolved?

Not yet.

The brakes are loose if there's no drum on them, so the problem is the drum or the pads.  I still can't figure out why it only happens when the lug nuts are tightened.  The drum will easily rotate before the lug nuts are tight.  I can see this being an issue if the drum was too deep and being pulled onto the backer plate, but there is no evidence the backer plate is being contacted.  And there's no way the pads are hitting the front surface of the drum, either.

On one wheel I managed to loosen off the brakes (both top and bottom adjusters) and the wheel spins over part of its travel and binds on another part.  Makes me thing the drum is not quite true...  I've only tried loosening the adjustment on two wheels.  On the other it didn't help at all.

I'll be pulling the drums off in the next day or two so I can move the chassis more easily.  And I'll retrieve my old drums from the cabin on the weekend to see what happens with them.

-Paul