Brake drums binding

[Ricrose]

I am having a very frustrating afternoon. I have rebuilt my front axle and it has all gone well - until I fitted both the brake drums. For some reason they bind when the three stubby retaining screws are tightened. It must be the brake shoes, but I just can’t see that I have fitted either them or the springs incorrectly.
I got the new shoes from Paddock (unboxed so I can’t tell the brand) and I was wondering if it is usual for them to be trimmed in order to allow clearance?
I don’t want to start until I have exhausted all other possibilities.
Thanks for any advice or insight.
Richard

[JohnboyLandy]

Hi Richard,

Did you wind the adjusters (snails) all the way in ?

Cheers,
John

[Ricrose]

Hi John
They are wound right the way in - on the ‘idler’ position. I have also checked that the hub is on square and all check OK.

[1950landy]

Check the adjustable brake shoe steady posts are not adjust incorrect causing the shoes to tilt.

[Ricrose]

That’s something I hadn’t considered- I’ll have to have a look tomorrow now. It’s both of them which would be unusual.

[gromit]

Until you can apply the brakes the shoes don't 'centre' themselves.
Sometimes removing the drums and adjusting the position of the shoes can help.

Are the adjusters actually clear of the pins in the shoes ?
Are the wheel cylinders fully retracted ?
I thought of the shoes being tilted but this has been covered.

From your first post does it rotate OK until you tighten the screws ?
This might be the drum centering itself as you do up the screws and then binding on the shoes so pulling the drum & adjusting the shoe positions might help.
It might also be the drum worn tapered and new shoes with thicker linings cause a problem.

Paddocks brake shoes are likely to be Indian. You shouldn't have to fine tune the linings (but who knows with aftermarket parts) . I've been known to file down linings to get a full contact area because new shoes seriously impacted on the braking performance (which is below average anyway).

Rub some chalk around the inside of the drum, refit it and force it to turn. Remove drum and look at the linings, this should give a clue as to what's going on.

Best of luck,

Colin

[Ricrose]

Thanks Colin
Solid advice as usual - I’ll give the chalk a go in the morning.
The drums go on straight but I think the screws pull them onto the shoes for the final bit and it’s that that’s binding.
Tomorrow’s another day......