1966 Ford Custom Front brake shoe noise

How about a picture of it now? Could be the shoes hitting the inside of the drum especially if they did not go in deep enough on the re surface

Roy

Most likely there is a spiral groove machined into the drum. On the left side that can make the shoes walk out away from the backing plate, then snap back. That groove would have to be pretty aggressive though for you to hear that. Most brake specialists take a very light and slow final cut to avoid that. The clue is the clicking will not occur unless you're applying the brakes, and it won't do it in reverse.

You also have to look at where Ford put the hold down springs and nails. They're not in the center of each shoe frame. They're down real low. That will lead to chattering and moaning, particularly if water gets inside there.

My very first car was a '66 Custom. I vowed to never own another Ford but I bought one many years later. After that one and those I've worked on I really will never own another one. Hope you have better luck than I did.

OBVIOUSLY MINE DIDN'T SHOW UP WHILE AGO

I POSTED 6 PICS. SEEMS LIKE NOW-A-DAYS ANYTHING OVER 4 IS A PROBLEM FOR THE 2CARCOMPUTER

I HAVE OLDER VEHICLES TOO.'77 JEEP CJ 5 AND A '46 WILLYS JEEP. BOTH ARE SIMPLE FORD-LIKE BRAKE SYSTEMS

MY THOUGHTS WERE LIKE ASEMaster6371's. EVERYTHING LOOKS RIGHT IN THE "BEFORE PIC". BUT ANY SORTA MISTAKE COULDA BEEN MADE AFTER THAT. EVEN WITH EXPERIENCED FOLKS

WITH DRUM BRAKES---SEVERAL COMMON THINGS CAN BE EZIily FOUND WITH A NOVICE DIYer

LIKE THE OLE PRIMARY/ SECONDARY SHOE MUSICAL CHAIR ROUTINE

NO MATTER WHICH WHEEL. FRONT OR BACK. THE "SHORT LINING" SHOE GOES FORWARD AND THE "LONG LINING" SHOE GOES TO THE REAR

.---NOT--- 2 LONG ONES ON THE PASSENGER SIDE---2 SHORT ONES ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE OR

SHORT REAR---LONG FRONT

THE BRAKES "SELF ADJUST" WHEN YOU BACK UP AND HIT THE BRAKES. THE SHOES SORTA "RACK" OR MOVE (IN REVERSE) AND ALLOW THE "KNIFE" TO MOVE AND CATCH THE NEXT "COG" ON THE STAR WHEEL. IF THE SHOES AIN'T IN THE RIGHT POSITIONS "EXCESSIVE" OR "NO" MOVEMENT MIGHT OCCUR. THIS COULD MAKE A RACKET, AND/ OR THE "SELF ADJUST" MAY NOT HAPPEN EITHER

ANOTHER PROBLEM I OFTEN SEE IS, "LET'S MIX UP ALL OF THE PARTS AND CLEAN THEM!"

RECENTLY, "TUCKER", A COLLEGE FELLER WHOM I'VE BEEN AIDING IN FIXING HIS JEEP HAD BOTH ISSUES I MENTIONED ABOVE (LAST WEEK!)

NOT ONLY WERE THE SHOES ALL MIXED UP, BUT HIS SELF ADJUSTERS WERE INSTALLED ON THE WRONG SIDES (STAR WHEELS). WHEN HE HIT THE BRAKES IN REVERSE, IN THEORY, HE WAS "UN-ADJUSTING" THE SHOES. THEY "SHRANK" AWAY FROM THE DRUMS, INSTEAD OF GETTING CLOSER

THERE COULD BE OTHER STUFF TOO

LIKE. BLEEDING? INITIAL SHOE ADJUSTMENT?

JUST MAYBE AS A REVIEW.
.
.
My Bench bleeding ain't on the bench. It's on the vehicle!

Much EZer that way!

This can be done on the vehicle (my preference) using two people, one pumping and one monitoring the Master Cylinder.

I wrap string loops around the little hoses and tie a knot, as to keep the tubes from blowing off of the plastic adapters.

I take it one step further, by squeezing the little hoses with my fingers (as if I were a check valve) The VERY SLOW PUMPING OF THE PEDAL will push the fluid into the reservoir, SCOOTING BY MY PINCHING, but the pinch will not allow it TO S. UCK AIR BACK, as you see in the beginning of this video. My way makes things faster, but if you did not tie the hoses to the adapters--THEY WILL BLOW LOOSE (lots of adjectives will be bust loose out of your mouth!)

This is the basic bleeding procedure I use:

KEEP FLUID IN THE RESERVOIR AT ALL TIMES/ CONSTANTLY CHECKING!

START WITH FURTHEST OUT WHEEL CYLINDER, FROM THE MASTER CYLINDER, WORKING TO THE CLOSEST (RR, LR, RF, LF)

2 PEOPLE, ONE PUMPING, OTHER BLEEDING AND REFILLING

#1 man is the Bleeder

#2 man is the Pump Man

1-MAN BREAKS BLEEDER LOOSE-SNUGS IT BACK YELLS, "PUMP IT UP"

2 MAN-PUMPS 6-8 TIMES (YELLS "PUMPING") THEN HOLDS PEDAL--YELLS, "HOLDING"

1-MAN CRACKS BLEEDER. AIR/ FLUID SPURTS OUT

2-MAN YELL, "FLOOR", JUST BEFORE THE PEDAL, ACTUALLY HITS THE FLOOR

1-MAN TIGHTENS THE BLEEDER. WHILE IT IS STILL SPURTING OUT (NOT AFTER IT STOPS. OR IT WILL SUCK AIR BACK IN). THEN YELLS, "OKAY---PUMP IT UP"

PROCESS STARTS OVER UNTIL YOU ARE SATISFIED, WITH EACH WHEEL

THIS DOES NOT MATTER WHETHER THEY ARE DRUM BRAKES OR DISC.

ON DRUM BRAKES:

YOU SHOULD ALREADY HAVE THE SELF-ADJUSTERS PUSHING THE SHOES CLOSE TO THE DRUMS, SHOES SLIGHTLY TOUCHING THE DRUMS, BEFORE YOU DO THE BLEEDING PROCEDURE. THIS WILL KEEP YOU PEDAL AT THE TOP AND TIGHT.

I PREFER THIS OVER USING THE ONE MAN, HOSE AND CUP, METHOD WHERE YOU SUBMERGE THE HOSE AND PUMP. TO ME THIS IS FASTER AND MUCH EZer.

IS THIS THE WAY YOU APPROACHED YOURS?
.
.

INITIAL SHOE ADJUSTMENT IS NORMALLY ALL YOU NEED TO DO.

USING A "BRAKE SPOON" AFTER THE WHEEL IS ON, FROM THE BACKSIDE IS A BIT HARDER. OVER-TIGHTENING IS EVEN WORSE, IN THAT NOW YOU HAVE TO POKE A LITTLE SCREWDRIVER IN BESIDE "THE SPOON" TO HOLD THE "KNIFE" OFF OF THE STARWHEEL, SO YOU CAN SPIN IT BACKWARDS TO LOOSEN THE SHOES

SO, 1ST REPLACE THE DRUM AND HOLD IT TIGHT AND "LEVEL"/ "FLAT" ON THE FLANGE AND TURN IT WITH YOUR HANDS. DO YOU HEAR A SCRUB?

IF NOT REMOVE THE DRUM AND DO IT AGAIN PUT THE DRUM BACK ON---SPIN---LISTEN

CONTINUE TO EXPAND THE SHOES TILL IT DOES SCRUB A LITTLE----BUT THERE IS NO DRAG OR RESISTANCE

(AFTER YOU GET EXPERIENCED AT THIS---THE FEEL OF THE DRUM GOING BACK ON---LETS YOU KNOW HOW FAR YOU CAN CLICK AWAY. USUALLY A LOT IN THE BEGINNING. THEN A FEW AT A TIME, AS THE DRUM GET HARDER TO SLIDE ON---BUT NOT SO HARD YOU POUND IT ON!)----IF IT'S RIGHT, THE DRUM WILL SLIDE RIGHT OFF WITHOUT YANKING ON THE SHOES!

BACK IT OFF. IF YOU GO TOO FAR AND FEEL RESISTANCE WHILE TURNING THE DRUM!

NOW THE SHOES ARE CLOSE TO THE DRUMS YOU ARE DONE ADJUSTING----THE SELF ADJUSTERS WILL TAKE OVER FROM HERE. DO BOTH SIDES OF THE VEHICLE!

LET US KNOW HOW IT'S GOING. SEND A PIC OF YOUR RIG. WE LIKE TO SEE WHAT "WE" ARE WORKING ON

THE MEDIC

.
.
. PIC 1) "WILLY" AND 7YR OLD GRANDSON
PIC 2) "MR. JEEP"
PIC 3) "TUCKER'S" JEEP BESIDE "WILLY", . HIS NEEDING "TLC" AND SOME "CATCHING UP" ON NEGLECTED MAINTENANCE
PIC 4) I DROPPED THE WINDSHIELD AND TOOK A PIC FROM PASSENGER SIDE. RARE, BUT I TOOK HIM UNDER MY WING, SO I LET TUCKER DRIVE WILLY, WHILE WE TOOK A BREAK FROM MESSIN' WITH HIS JEEP
PIC 5) TUCKER NOW WANTS A WILLYS TOO!

GLAD YOU GOTTER DONE!

YOU CAN ALWAYS DROP BACK IN ON THIS POST AND GIVE US AN UPDATE

STILL NEVER GOT TO SEE THE MYSTERY CAR

GOOD LUCK,

THE MEDIC

Now that you mention it, sorry I didn't see it sooner. In the second photo the lower spring is not hooked correctly on the left side. It's not pulling on the adjuster cable. Notice the looseness in the adjuster cable on top, above the cable guide? It won't pull the lever down either. The orange spring is supposed to be in the next holes down, an inch lower. No two springs hook into one hole. These brake shoes also fit a rear wheel application, possibly even on this car. The notches in the shoe frames where you have the orange spring is for the parking brake strut bar when it is used.