C2 drum brakes

[Steve D.]

I bought a new front drum to replace an old cracked one. 2 questions:
1) The new drum weighs 17 lbs, but the other (original?) front drum that will be used weighs 14 lbs. Any problem here?

2) The old drum has a weight spot-welded on it, the new one doesn't. Problem?

The back drums have a similar situation. One looks like an original with a weight attached and a groove for a spring. The other, apparently a previous replacement, has no weight attached and no groove for a spring. One weighs 11 lbs, the other weighs 12 lbs.

Steve

[Joe L.]

Re: C2 drum brakes

Steve------

Personally, I would always replace brake drums in pairs. However, replacing just one should really cause no problem. The difference in weight and the fact that the new drum lacks a balance weight will cause no problem, either, AS LONG AS THE NEW DRUM IS PROPERLY BALANCED out of the box. If it's a piece from a high quality manufacturer, the chances are that it will be fine. Brake drums only get a factory balance weight if they can't be balanced without one.

[frank mccracken]

Re: C2 drum brakes

Another good reason for buying two 2 drums is because in the old days, drums were to be turned to the same I.D. Then you have to to take your new drum and turn the hell out of it to make it the same size as the other one on that axle. After disc brakes became more popular that seemed to change. The spec's for disc brakes do not call for rotors to be turned to the same thickness so they started to forget to turn the drums to the same size. At brake job time I get some chuckles from the young lads when I want my drums both turned to the same size, not just cleaned up to whatever size each one ends up at. Because I'm kinda anal I want my rotors the same size also.