Homemade Brake Shoe Arching

Today I arched my front double leading brake shoes so they conform perfectly to the brake lining in the hub. It worked so good that I had to share it.

1st picture: my supplies are 60 grit precut sandpaper pads (the kind that is sized for orbital sanders), 3/4 inch wide double-sided Scotch tape and duct tape. A) Cut the sandpaper into strips 1 inch wide; that's the width of the hub brake lining and shoe. B) Apply duct tape to the back of the sand paper because the double-sided tape will not stick to the backing without it. C) Now apply the double-sided Scotch tape to the duct taped backing of the sandpaper strips.

2nd pictue: A) Clean the brake lining really well with denatured alcohol or some other non residue solvent. B) Apply both sandpaper strips to the lining. C) Put some masking tape over the whell bearing to keep any grit off those surfaces. Not shown: I have EBC grooved brakes shoes so I drew a line on each surface of the shoe between the grooves using a magic marker. These lines will give you an indication of how much shoe surface is being removed in the next step.

3rd picture: A) Slide the axle through the hub from the side opposite the brake. B) Mount the backing plate over the axle and into the hub. C) Thread the axle nut all the way onto the axle. D) Place the wheel onto an open top pail so the axle can drop into it. E) Gently apply the brakes and begin a back and forth rotation of the backing plate until all the magic marker lines disappear. With the whole thing assembled like this, you can simply pull up on the backing plate to expose the shoes and look at your progress. Don't go crazy without checking your progress often, the 60 grit cuts fast

When finished, pull the whole thing apart and be sure to clean out the hub real well then wipe off the lining again. Make sure there is NO GRIT anywhere in there or on the shoes or in the backing plate.

I had to trial and error this a few times until I came up with the duct tape trick as the sandpaper kept getting pulled off the hub lining without it. Now that you know this little secret, I'd say you can do all this in under 1 hour.

I can't say yet how well this worked because my bike is having its shocks rebuilt but the shoes are definately matched to the hub. I'm looking forward to finding out soon.

I think we need a sticky or forum topic just for great tech tips like this and jetting, gearing, tires, suspension................

Now that is one hella of a good tip ! Genius !!!

Thanks for shareing this. Im running straigth to the basement looking for tape and sandpaper.

Genious idea! I just checked online and adhesive backed sandpaper is available. I wonder if that would stick well?

senior woods- well done & why didn't i post this earlier as i've used it many times!?

luvwoods,
Worked just like you said. Had to go to Home Depot for some other stuff this morning. Picked up a package of "Norton" Stick & Sand adhesive backed 4 1/2" X 4 1/2" 60 grit for 5 or 6 bucks. Cut to 1 1/8" strips for me. Stuck right to the inside of the drum. Mark the face of the brake shoes as suggested. Dropped the brake assembly in the drum. Figured out the pressure on the brake arm while rotating the backing plate assembly round and round and round. Checked brake shoes as suggested a couple of times. 5 -10 minutes at the most - WA! LA!. Clean up, grease everything back up, reassemble and done. Very cool. Great tip!!! Thanks!!!
Rick

Luvwoods, kudo`s to you bro!

Excellant lapping idea.

Cafe Husky bonus points to ya.

Thanks everyone, but you're giving me way more credit than I deserve. Was told of the sandpaper idea but couldn't figure out how to make it stick to the hub or hold the whole assembled thing together and keep it all true. The duct tape backing and axle in the bucket was my idea, I guess. Even better is Schimmelaw's stick & sand adhesive backed sandpaper.

Anyway, I'm glad you all like it and find it useful.

(Good god I hope this works 'cause if it doesn't, I'm sure I'll be the first to hear about it !)

Results are in - I finally had the chance to try out my home made brake arching job last weekend on my first trail ride of the year. I have to say I'm pleasantly pleased with the result as I can now stop way better than I used to with new but un-arched front shoes.

Here's some specifics:

1) I did a lot of gas it and slam the front brakes on flat grassy ground - nothing scary happens like lock ups, just smooth controllable stops. A vast improvement from before.

2) I tried numerous single-track down hills (ruts, roots, rocks, etc) where I could actually fully stop while moving forward without using the rear brake.

3) Stopping while going uphill is much, much better but the DLS brakes still don't fully stop the bike from rolling backwards no matter how hard I pull the lever.

4) No deep water crossings to challenge that aspect; the Park System frowns on us crossing water on their trail systems but we can shred ruts two feet deep in the dirt - go figure.

All in all, this is a great, cheap improvement project if you're looking to gain front stopping power on your DLS'. Hope it worked out well for those of you who've already tried this too.

Thanks T.

Carpet tape works well, too. The fabric reinforced kind, not the cheap stuff.

AWESOME, I will be using this on my 390 WR before my next event!

Tony p

Thanks for that worked very well, might keep me out of a hedge a little longer.

Great way to fit the brake shoes.

On the old drum brakes on cars decades ago this was the way when they riveted there on linings. They sanded the linings and they marked where the high areas were and sanded the matching drum radious to the shoes. Old school. On the old flat head stock car we supported with our labor I remember doing this with the brake shoes. We needed all the stopping power we could muster.

I'm going to fit new brake shoes soon. My son was complaining about the drum brake stopping power over the newer bikes with disc brakes. I never notice it I just adjust to it.

After running 100cc husqvarna 25lb chainsaws for many hours/decades my grip strength is very strong. The cam operated brake shoe design is one of the best it's used on trailer trucks still today that carry 80,000+ pounds.

Been doing this for years. You can also put the sandpaper on the brake shoes. Don't pull in the lever..it is not as accurate as taking up slack with the adjuster. Ride the bike slow and careful or spin the wheel by hand. Adjust the tension on the pads. The reason I have done this...warped drum. I am turning the drum with sand paper. IT WORKED!! If you get to carried away, it will strip off the paper. Also paint the inside of the drum with a sharpie so you can see progress. I had a drum that was either warped or had a high spot. I could feel the lever pulsing when riding slow. It was the front and it was spooky. It was like the brake was pulsing on and off. Don't you just love cool ideas? One more high tech idea...Phillip head screws that are messed up. Put valve lapping compound on the screwdriver tip to get extra grip. Jeff

Is it worth doing this on single leading shoes??

Yes, it is always a good idea. I don't have any twin leaders on any of my bikes, but still arc the new shoes.
The single leaders on my 390 will lock up on dry tarmac ! Awesome brake :-)