Pre-war (up to 1942) 1941 Hand Brake Adjustment and Axle Nut Torque

[Art Cutler]

The rear wheels on my '41 Series 62 Coupe are warm/hot to the touch after I go for a drive.  The front are at ambient temperature.  I took the car to the downtown Cadillac dealer for the last brake job.  They said the rear shoes needed replacing but the front were in great shape.  I have tried adjusting the hand brake per the instructions on pg. 22 of the 1941 Service Manual Supplement multiple times thinking that is the issue with no change in results.  I disassembled the complete brake system this week.  I verified the wheel cylinders are 1 3/32" front and 1" rear, the short (primary) shoes were forward, the shoes are the right width, the brake lines are clear, the bypass port in the master cylinder is clear, and all brakes were functioning with the car on the jack stands.  Does anyone have ideas on what I'm doing wrong?

Also - the torque spec for the rear axle end nut is about 300 ft-lb.  It isn't obvious to me why it has to be so tight considering the square keys prevent drum rotation on the axle and the rear drums can be a struggle to get off.  Any insights would be appreciated.

Art Cutler

[J. Russo]

The brakes will drag (page 21) if the brake pedal is not adjusted properly.

I learned the hard way when I burned up my front brake shoes.

Have you had any work done with your master cylinder lately? That where the pedal adjustment is made.

[Art Cutler]

John,
Thanks for pointing out that important adjustment. The pedal to floorboard clearance was 3/8 - 1/2" when I disassembled the system, smaller than the 3/4" specified in the manual but hope it was enough to allow the master cylinder piston to fully retract.
Art

[J. Russo]

John,
Thanks for pointing out that important adjustment. The pedal to floorboard clearance was 3/8 - 1/2" when I disassembled the system, smaller than the 3/4" specified in the manual but hope it was enough to allow the master cylinder piston to fully retract.
Art

Art,

A member on this forum gave me a great tip on making The pedal adjustment. I removed the rubber cup attached to the pedal on the engine side where it rests against the firewall. I then cut a short 1x2 piece of wood and wedged it between the pedal and the firewall. The 1 inch side is actually 3/4 by today's lumber measurements.

I then made the adjustment at the master cylinder. You'll know if you're adjusting too far if the piece of wood falls out.