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When your brakes are feeling weak and pedal travel is long (not pedal freeplay), most likely all that is needed is a brake adjustment. Assuming you have drum brakes (which was stock in 1966), its a pretty easy task to complete. Begin by removing a tire; I start with the front brakes.
Drum brake adjustment can be completed with either leaving the hub on or taking it off. If its your first time looking at the brakes, I would suggest taking the hubs off to orient yourself with the brakes. Now that I know what to look for, I just do it through the inspection/adjustment hole.
- Tools you will need
- Screw driver to turn the stars
- Lug wrench
- Jack and jack stands
- Check out the brake parts
- This is easiest with the hub off but can be done with it on
- Check the shoe retaining pin and cups
- These are the parts that hold the brake pad straight up and down
- Make sure they are not worn and that they are actually holding the brake shoe correctly
- If you push on the side of the shoe and it moves, you need to pull the hub and replace the clip and cup
- Take a look at the return springs
- These are hard to see with the hub on but they will be obvious if they are broken
- Start adjusting the drum brake shoes
- I start with the front brakes
- Set the hand brake, block the rear wheels, jack up the front of the car, set jack stands
- Remove the front wheel of choice
- Spin the hub until you can see the brake adjustment star (there are 2 per wheel)
- The front wheel stars are at the 3 or 9 oclock position towards the front of the car
- Adjust the star by turning the star slowly with a screw driver and spinning the hub until the brake locks up
- When the brake locks up spin the star back a little until the wheel spins freely
- Thats one brake shoe adjusted (almost)
- Now do the same to the other star on the same wheel
- Get in the car and push on the brake hard a few times to reseat the brake shoe
- Adjusting the star only moves one end of the shoes and pushing the brake reseats it evenly
- Now readjust the brake shoe by turning the stars to the point that it just doesn't hang
- Move onto the other side of the front and repeat the process
- Replace the front tires and lower the front of the car
- Block the front tires very well and release the handbrake
- The handbrake only locks up the rear wheels so there is nothing keeping the front from rolling except your blocks
- Jack up the rear of the car and set your jack stands
- Remove the rear wheel of choice
- Check the shoe retaining pins,cups, and the return springs
- Spin the hub until you can see the brake adjustment star
- The rear stars are at the 6 oclock position
- Follow the same procedure as the front wheels
- Lower the car and tighten all your lug nuts/bolts
- Test the brakes
- Test the drum brakes at very low speed (like your driveway)
- Move on to a low traffic road and test the brakes at slow speeds
- If all is well you will have well adjusted drum brakes that stop your car nicely
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