I will not run "$15.00 brake shoes" on my rig, OEM all the way!!!! In my opinion, that is like putting a $15.00 crash helmet on your head and going out and run a Pro-Stock MC!!!!

Me?? Rich???!!! I wish. I just don't see the point in wasting that time when I could be doing somthing else, like I donno, using the truck what it was made for....like wheelin it! BTW I don't use $15 dollar brake pads either, I agree with OOP'S on that one, EXCEPT that I find that pads at the dealer are expensive. You can get decent Raybestos shoes at Checker for about $40 bucks and they WORK FINE!!! drum breaks do so little to slow your rig down I don't feel the need to go super expensive on them, now I will buy OEM pads from BAP Imports for my discs, those are a little more important. Don't get me wrong, the rear drums are important too but much less so.

Have fun seeing it boil (thats that's what it does) and let us know how it works out. I just wouldn't be very comfortable heating the crap out of my brake shoes, thinking the friction material might come off the backing plate....that propane torch has got to be a hell of a lot hotter than your breaks should EVER get.


oh. BTW d00d. its hrd to undrstnd
wut ur tryn to typ. mayb im jus
dum or sumthin but its kinda
annoyin.

<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" />

well, that wuz e z
i practiced on a dry shoe first
something appeared to evaporate off
fluid wet shoes apparently had little fluid in em as not alot more came off than the dry one
now i can fix that annoying noise

thanx for the idea, tech

Yes, it does work rather well. I have the account for the local water department, and these guys are hard on their trucks, especially the brakes. They run Ford 1 tons, 4x4 and duallies, so the shoes can get pretty expensive. Saving them a bunch of money on a repair for a blown wheel cylinder keeps their fleet coming to me, and an account that size is good to have, especially in the winter. As you saw, you are just passing the flame over the shoes, not heating there to the point that would damage them. BTW, if you are looking at a fluid leak around a drum, and want to know if you have brake fluid or gear lube without pulling the wheels and drums, here's how you can tell. Put a clean pan under it, and spray it with a little water. If the water in your pan is cloudy, you've got brake fluid.

I'll clean and re-use brake shoes or pads if there's a reason to do so. But with the cheap price of replacement Toyota shoes, I'd just buy a new set.

I had a pair of shoes get soaked once. I tried to clean them. When they dried they looked good. The next day when I looked at them the fluid had worked it's way back to the surface and they looked soaked again. I then threw them away and bought new ones. I could spend $12 of cleaner or 24.95 for new shoes and get my truck back on the road again. If you clean them, let them sit, I'll bet the fluid comes back to the surface in a day or so......

thats just the problem..cheap shoes blow and OEM shoes are like 50 bucks. Id clean em up to save 50 bucks no questions asked. Then again to each his own.