[gtogoat]

I've had my Tempest for about a year now and is in need of brake repair. What I have discovered is that I am having a hard time finding new front/rear drums. What is out there in the aftermarket? Does anyone have any info on where to find these? What can I cross over to for replacement parts...Corvair? Thanks in advance...

[mechanickeith]

Check with Kanter. They list drums, no price, say's enquire?? www.kanter.com

[hootsk]

Kanter is a good source. You could also retrofit disc brakes onto the front and pick your best two drums for the rear. www.scarebird.com

[hootsk]

Also, just throwing this out there -- California Phil, the mechanic who did the '62 215 convert's brakes in Kansas sourced a drum from a late-model Ford Ranger and machined it on a lathe to fit the Tempest. I didn't have time to test it thoroughly, but it seemed to work great.

Out in rural Kansas they're apparently used to not being able to get stuff and having to make it out of whatever they can get. Phil took one of the old drums that looked like it had sat at the bottom of Salt Lake for 30 years to his parts guy, they got out the books, fired up the computer and compared physical specs of new drums until they found a close match. I think it was for a 2004 Ford Ranger rear.

The stud holes fit exactly over the Tempest's studs. But the drum was slightly deeper side-to-side on the outside due to a lip that looked like it was made to fit in a slot on the Ranger's backing plate, and on the inside, there was a little "step" ring of metal on the inside corner (maybe because the Ranger's shoes are slightly narrower than the Tempest's?). So he chucked it up on a brake lathe and machined off the lip and the step, and then it seemed to fit fine.

If I remember right, he said there were two versions, finned and not finned, and they were both about $15. The finned version was the one he tried.

I shipped the drum back to Seattle, so I don't have it with me to give you the part number, but I could post it when I get back if anyone's interested.

Chuck

[Keith Seymore]

I'd be interested, Chuck -

(...assuming '63 is the same...).

K

[poseur111]

Originally Posted by hootsk

I shipped the drum back to Seattle, so I don't have it with me to give you the part number, but I could post it when I get back if anyone's interested.

Chuck

Wow, thanks for this post. I was looking closely at these Ranger drums for an interchange on my '62, and you've saved me from having to buy a test piece from the junkyard. Now, if I can just get my buddy to fix his lathe.

By the way, I have the Kanter 'Brake Overhaul Kit' coming in the mail. It seems to be a decent deal (for Kanter) as it includes shoes, w.c. rebuild kits, and hardware for 4 wheels. Also a m.c. rebuild kit and new hoses. Be ready to put down a core deposit for the shoes though.

[gtogoat]

"I shipped the drum back to Seattle, so I don't have it with me to give you the part number, but I could post it when I get back if anyone's interested."

You bet! When you get time-I appreciate the help!

[Peter Serio]

Is there a 4 digit # Hollander or maybe a NAPA part number for the 2004 Ranger rear brake drum? That sounds like a good idea, after 45 years or just by loking at them you really have no idea how many times the original drums have been turned. Best to go with brand new.

[mechanickeith]

I just finished a search & found the small rear drums are a 9"x 1.75 with a 5x4.5 bolt pattern on the Rangers. I am going to take an axle with me tonight & see how close the center hub is to the axle. If it fits the axle hub I will get a pair & mount them up to see how close they are. I looked at several brands, raybestos, bendix, etc. Some are a plain drum & some are finned. I will get one of each & see if they will work. I dont know if we can get them to work on the fronts as the lug studs are swedged onto the drum to hold it onto the hub. But anything is workable if it helps keep our ropeshaft cars on the road.

Keith

[hootsk]

Keith, you are truly an ultimate warrior!

***Disclaimer: I am no mechanic or machinist and have never touched a brake lathe in my life. All I did was listen carefully and drive the car after the brakes were done, and they were as good as new.***

What you wrote there jogged my memory. I think he told me they had to "turn out" the center hole as well to get it to fit. But he used the same drum on the front. Cut off the studs to separate the drums, then drilled the stubs out of the hubs and replaced them with same diameter studs about 3/4" longer to accommodate chrome cap nuts for a wheel thicker than stock (I had shipped him some TT II's).

There was some back-and-forth while he was figuring out the right depth to cut the "shelf" off the inside of the drum and the lip off the inside edge. The center hole was already done when I got there, so I suspect that was a simple measurement. But there was some play in the shoes that he couldn't easily measure with the drum on. The drum would spin freely up on the lift with no wheel on, but when he put the wheel on and tightened the lug nuts, it started to rub. So he pulled the drum and shaved a little more off. He could tell where it had rubbed because it'd polish the edge of the shoe or the backing plate. Once he had a freely spinning wheel all together with the lug nuts torqued down, he saved the measurements and was able to cut as many as needed.

Chuck

[gtogoat]

Is this pretty much the style we are talking about?
Thanks

[hootsk]

gtogoat, it looked more like this. but he did say there was one without fins that had the same specs he was planning to try if the finned one didn't work.

to be clear, i'm guessing as to the year. all i can remember for sure is ford ranger. when i get back to the shop in a week or so, the box with the drum should be there already and i can get the part number off it.

[mechanickeith]

Today, I checked 2 different drums for a 2004 Ranger. They are 9"x1.75 on a 4.5" bolt pattern. But, the inside of the drum where it goes on the axle center is larger than the axle. Drum measures 2.80 ID, axle measures 2.675 OD. This means that the drum will not center on the axle. The lug stud holes in the drum are larger than the axle studs & will move around on the axle quite a bit. The difference between the drum & axle is 1/8 inch!! I have not had a chance to check a front hub to see what diamater it is.

Keith

[hootsk]

If the drum won't center on the axle, this info may not be worth anything. But I promised to post pictures of it when I got back to the shop, so here they are. You can see on the shot of the inside that this one's been cut to fit.

On the face: 8952, M211 and MAX DIA 9.06IN.

When I get a chance I'll try reinstalling it and see how it fits. I'll measure the axle and stud holes. But if I remember right, it went on tight and was damned hard to get off. Which makes me think I might have gotten the year wrong, because 1/8" would be loose.

Chuck

[gtogoat]

Chuck/Keith
Thanks for the research/help...
Let us know when you can

[hootsk]

Got a pallet of parts from a yard in Minnesota that had a 63 V8 car they were scrapping. Car was basically a rust bucket, the yard owner said, but there were a few good pieces left. He sent me the torque tube, transmission, diff, dashhead, and brake drums. But when the brake drums arrived they weren't Tempest. They look just like that mystery Ranger drum, but with different numbers.

MAX. DIA. 8.909 8939 Z1

The yard owner swears they came off the Tempest, so apparently Kansas isn't the only place they're sourcing parts for these cars from newer vehicles. They've been spray-painted gray, but the stampings are clearly visible. I'm trying to find out what they're from. I'll also try them out real-world on a Tempest axle along with the other mystery drum from Kansas and see how they fit. Visually the center hole and stud holes look too large, but I'll bolt them up to check.

Chuck

[hootsk]

On both the Kansas and Minnesota drums both the center axle hole and stud holes are slightly wider than the Tempest's. Keith measured 1/8" wider, I got less than 1/16" (we may be using different drums). However, both drums were tight on the Tempest hub and rear axle because I had put new, longer studs in both, and the new studs -- in order to make up for cutting out the old swedge studs -- have wider, tapered bases. They both fit exactly. (On a hub or axle with original studs they would likely be too loose. It's Kanter for those cars.)

However, the Kansas drum trumps the Minnesota one because the slightly wider inner diameter (9.061" vs 8.909") happens to fit the Tempest shoes' curve better. I tried a few sets of old shoes and they were all pretty much perfect in the Kansas drum. The Minnesota drum was always slightly too small and the shoes hit unevenly, on the ends.

The other reason the Kansas drum is a better candidate is because the inside edge design is a lip, like the OEM drum, rather than a trench like the Minnesota one, and fits the backing plate better.

The trick now is to roll a set of four real-world in a road test. But before that can happen it has to be determined if the drum can be cut for the shoes' correct side-to-side play. When the Kansas drum is slid onto a hub and has a wheel bolted up to it, it turns freely only if the lugs aren't cranked down too much. If you crank them down, which is of course necessary, the drum drags. From the inside of the drum it looks like it's because the shoes are rubbing on the inside edge. But the inside wasn't cut down for the full width, so if I take off the excess it may be fine.

Back to the brake lathe.

It'd be great if this worked, because I don't think even Kanter sells the finned V8 front drums. I have just one of those left, and it isn't that thick.

Chuck

[elefantrider]

Anyone find a new drum that works yet? I need new front and rear drums but do not want to test my luck with buying used junkyard parts.

[GaryK]

USA Parts Supply has them new for $100 a piece. www.usapartssupply.com
Order their new FREE 2010 catalog for 61-75 Tempest and Lemans. They are pricey but have a lot of parts for our cars. They also charge a lot for shipping.

['62pest]

keith there is a napa down on buckeye and just a bit east of central i believe where i bought my brake shoes. they were spendy, but i have new shoes and i should be able to stop. i know this means nothing as far as my input for the drums, but i do recall buying corvair shoes.