Self Adj To Manual Adj Drums
 

I have a 9" Ford. Does anyone still make a kit to convert from self adjusting to manual adjusting?

I've been searching around without any luck. I guess I'm showing my age, but I stopped having birthdays years ago.

Re: Self Adj To Manual Adj Drums
 

Couldn't you just remove the lever and the spring ?

Re: Self Adj To Manual Adj Drums
 

Not quite, the manual star has a spring that keeps it from spinning. The auto stuff could still tighten.

Re: Self Adj To Manual Adj Drums
 

Put a dab of silicone on the adjuster to keep it from tightening up.

Re: Self Adj To Manual Adj Drums
 

I just went to the hardware store and got some locknuts. I adjusted the brakes to about .010 clearance with 0 - 12" dial calipers.

Re: Self Adj To Manual Adj Drums
 

Thanks for all the replies. I've been searching and I think I've found what I need.

Early 60's Fords have the 9" rear and manual adjusters. I found only them ("manual drum brake adjusting screw") at Rockauto. No springs.

Found a brake parts set that looks like it has the right return spring. (early 60's Ford with 10" brakes) They're available at a lot of places. One of the manual adjuster return springs is longer, because the auto adjusting stuff is out of there.
The other thing I needed is a spring to hold the adjuster in, and hold the bottom of the shoes together, while it captures the star wheel so that it doesn't spin. I found what look to be the right one at Macs Auto Parts. ("brake adjusting spring", a different one is listed as "auto adjusting spring")

Esentially, I found the parts separately. The used to come in a set. It all looks good, but I won't know for sure until I try them. It's all cheap enough.

Hard to describe, but I'll post a couple pictures if and when I get it together.

Re: Self Adj To Manual Adj Drums
 

Do you plan on getting two sets and using just the longer shoes? I used to do that on my footbrake cars

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No, I'm just replacing the needed hardware.

Re: Self Adj To Manual Adj Drums
 

Try a heavy repair truck shop, they usually do brakes on everything and might still have the adjusters and springs that you need.
The manual adjuster has a course gear wheel.


https://www.summitracing.com/parts/s...two-ten-series

Re: Self Adj To Manual Adj Drums
 

Please tell me this is an April fools joke...LOL

Re: Self Adj To Manual Adj Drums
 

No Steve, sorry.
It was a common thing back "in the day". It kept the brakes from dragging when the suspension stretched or squatted on launch, plus of course, from tightening up in general.
I'm building a '71 street/strip Duster, retro to the late 70's, early 80's. It's part of the build.
I guess now days, most cars are disc all around.

Re: Self Adj To Manual Adj Drums
 

Not sure when Ford switched to self adjusting brakes, but for certain my 57,8,&9 Ford cars came with 9" rear ends with manual adjusters. The starwheel on the manual adjuster has much larger, wider teeth, and a straight spring that connects the 2 shoes together at the bottom, and also rides on top of the starwheel, to prevent the starwheel from moving on its own. Another option is what I did with my 85 Mustang Stockers 8.8" . It had C Clip eliminators, which took up a lot of space, so what I did was trim down the female end of the adjuster, to allow a fine thread nut to act as a jam nut while maintaining the original length of the adjuster.

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I haven't seen them in years. Imagine walking into the 'Zone and asking a 19 yo chick?

I just use the same cross spring, hole to hole. It'll bite down on one of the spring turns but not gonna let it move.

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Lol, I stopped having birthdays, but maybe the 19 yo would be on to me?

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1962 was the change!

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I have it back together.

The manual star adjusters were a bit too long, but the manual adjusting springs work. I used the original auto adjusting star wheel with them. The manual springs keep the adjusters from turning on their own.

I found a return spring in the kit that replaced the short return spring that was used with the auto adjust set up.

There are two before and two after pictures. The after also shows the E- brake hardware removed.

They all got turned 90* somehow.