Shortly after the blowout at highway speeds, I noticed every now and again the car would pull to the right. It was only noticeable at low speeds, so I continued to troubleshoot it while in the process of getting the engine re-rebuilt.
Upon an
inspection of
the wheel
cylinders and
hardware, I
noticed no
issues.
Suspecting the
drum as the last
possible issue,
I used a
homemade runout
gauge of a
Sharpie attached
to a tripod,
ever so lightly
in contact with
the inside of
the front drums
while they were
rotated. On the
passenger side,
the line was
unbroken, as
shown above with
the green arrow.
Once the same exercise was repeated with the driver side, the line broke at multiple points, showing that the drum was out of round. Examining closer, the wear was different in the areas where the line was broken, red arrows above.
Knowing I needed repair or replacement, my Internet research led me to J&G Brake Brake Drum Relining & Refurbishing in McHenry, IL. While I looked at used drums, not only would I have to acquire one or a pair and pay for shipping, there was no guarantee of them being able to be turned in a brake lathe and end up round. With J&G, I could have all that pre-done with one phone call. I lucked out in that J&G had drums on the shelf ready for my Wildcat, but they were without riveted hubs. This worked out perfect for my needs, as the rivets had been removed from my hubs years ago.
In addition to providing refurbished drums, J&G relined and reached my brake shoes to match the new drums. Above, I was surprised to see "Moraine Made in the USA'' on my old shoes. While I don't believe they were original to the car, when they were last replaced in the 70s-90s, it is neat that there were still Moraine stamped shoes in the supply chain.
Above, relined and arc ground brake shoes along with a refurbished drum from J&G.
Above, the matching pair of drums. The only hiccup is that the drum on the right side came without the new insert being machined down. J&G paid for return shipping, machined the drum, and had it sent back within a two week window.
Once I had new-to-me drums and relined brake shoes, I went ahead and replaced the hardware. Below is a short video of the hardware replacement on the driver side.
