4 Wheel Drum Brakes, Self Adjust

[Ranch]

If I can I'd like to make my brakes on my 58 Ranchero self adjusting.  Can I just get the lever, cable hook, cable guide and spring off the brake tree at NAPA or do I need to know something else?    Thanks guys in advance

[gasman826]

might need the adjusters too. 

[59meteor]

As mentioned, you will need the adjusters too, the older non self adjusting starwheels have fewer, and much larger teeth than the adjusters used with self adjusters. IMO, I have never found self adjusting brakes to function anywhere near as well as touted. Even on 1 year old cars (that still have rear drum brakes), I routinely have to adjust the brakes to get the brake pedal nice, and the park brake travel good.

[Ford Blue blood]

58 Edsel had/has 4 wheel self adjuster brakes.  In the Ranger/Pacer series the brakes were 57/58 Ford based except the wheel bolt pattern.  Look up the info/parts for them and you'll be good to go.

Self adjusters require backing braking followed by a forward braking.  The adjusting is accomplished when the shoes re-align themselves when moving forward.

[Ranch]

Thanks guys
    I'm aware of how they work and the procedure to follow.  I know the lever and adjuster have to be oriented to the proper side.  It's just that not having any old parts to go by that I am wondering about the length of the hook/cable and spring.  It's easy when you have the old parts to compare, not that I've ever had to replace those parts on any of my cars I grew up with.  Was hopeing  that someone might have first hand knowledge of changing over  11" Drums all around.

Thanks again        Bill

[Tom S]

See this.  http://57fordsforever.com/smf/index.php?topic=4225.msg27996#msg27996
Saw someone else here recently had the same issue of no room for the spring. Can't find his post now. Fix that first, it's easy enough to do.

[Tom S]

Can't find his post now.

Found it.  Guess it wasn't that recent.
http://57fordsforever.com/smf/index.php?topic=5724.msg45785#msg45785

[RICH MUISE]

We've missed you, Tom!!!!! Good to see ya back.

[Ecode70D]

Tom
    It's good to hear from you again.  I hope that you have been keeping well and stay in touch. 
Jay

[Ranch]

Thanks guys for your support. Tom, thanks for the links, wasn't aware there might be a binding issue with the cable end on the anchor post, seem to recall the eye of the cable was big enough to go back to where the shoes made contact and not interfere with the springs hooking on.  At least now I know that there are kits out there.       Bill

[Tom S]

Ranch, sure, the eye of the cable fits just fine. But understand that even as thin as the eye of the cable is it's just enough to make it so there's not quite enough room to get that 2nd spring to stay on that on that same stud. Not a surprise that I wanted at that point.
You gotta grind out some space on the inside of the round end of the stud. Do it before the shoes are on.  Used a cutting disk on a Dremel type tool.  Started with a 4" angle grinder but that was a bit clumsy & was cuttin' more, & nicking more things than I wanted.
Also I'd make sure that I got the cable for the same diameter brakes so it ain't too long or too short.
It wasn't a kit, just got the parts for the self adjusters in person at NAPA, including the star wheel with more teeth than non-self adjusting brake star wheels.

[Tom S]

We've missed you, Tom!!!!! Good to see ya back.

Tom
It's good to hear from you again.  I hope that you have been keeping well and stay in touch. 
Jay

Thanks, Rich M & Ecode/Jay. Ya caught me. Been tryin' to keep quiet since I've been gone so long & embarrassed 'cause my ratty '58 'Edchero' project has gone nowhere. Felt like I had nothin' much to contribute.
Just been lurkin here for a couple months since I bought a purddy 'new' '57 Ranchero out of Portland. That's another story but I don't know where to put it.

[hiball3985]

Glad you are posting again, when people go missing it makes us wonder what happened. Nice looking Ranchero, tell us more about it. I noticed your mirrors are mounted like mine were, the previous owner was an idiot and you could only open the wing window about 1/2". I finally had to change them to a GM type  ...  But you probably don't need them opened as bad as we do down here..

[Ecode70D]

Tom
     That's a good looking Rancharrow.   Oops I meant to say Ranchero.   HAHA
     Just curious,  How many months of the year do you actually get to take a nice car like that for a drive?
Jay

[Tom S]

... Nice looking Ranchero, tell us more about it. I noticed your mirrors are mounted like mine were, the previous owner was an idiot and you could only open the wing window about 1/2".

Hiball, As far as the mirrors go I never open wind wings. Probably stems from having cars that ended up with bad wind wing seals & wind wings that don't close tight enough. I remember stickin' an empty match book behind the latch in order to keep the wind wing closed tight enough that it doesn't make a lot of wind noise.  I could open these a bit, it would clear the mirror, but I ain't gonna do it.  Tried once & it was very hard to open so just gave it up.  Don't wanna force it.

I'll get around to telling you all about this Ranchero but there's no doubt that it's gonna be mostly a long rant about the things that are wrong with it. And like I said, I'm not sure where to put it,  especially after being AOL for 5 years. I now see a Members Rides section, so maybe that's where it should go. What do you guys think?
For now I've just posted about why I couldn't lock my doors & what I learned about left & right door locks. http://57fordsforever.com/smf/index.php?topic=7579.msg64907#msg64907