Reply To: Brake Drum Band

[Anthony Zappone]

More than likely the brake drum band was installed to keep the drum from expanding away from the shoes. Under heavy use, especially mountain driving, the drum will expand away from the shoe mechanism. I learned this the hard way in 1968 going to the Pierce national meet in my recently purchased ’36 conv. sedan. This type of brake failure in mountainous terrain is usually accompanied by a good amount of screaming coming from the inside of the car.