Replacement Brake Drums
#1
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Replacement Brake Drums
What are you guys who still have rear drums doing for the drums? I pulled mine tonight and they are worn past the specified max 201mm far enough I could see it with my ruler. I see rockauto lists "economy" centric ones and some out-of-stock-everywhere raybestos. Atkins has what I think are Mazda ones, but they're $60 a piece! Any suggestions? Get the cheap ones and hope to stumble across a GSL axle?
#5
Happy Rotoring!
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This is the 2nd thread I've saw in the past couple weeks asking about where / how to source drums. I wasn't aware that they are becoming hard to source. Maybe it's just harder to find them at the prices people are used to paying. I used to think that consumable parts like brake pads, drums, water pumps ect.. would be available forever. Now, I'm not so sure. At what point do critical things like housings dry up, which forces more and more vehicles off the road which in turn reduces the demand for the smaller consumable parts. At some point, will a lack of demand for the smaller items drive them to become scarce or unobtaium too?
#6
Out In the Barn
iTrader: (9)
I'm in the process of trying to buy drums for my 1979 and I can't find them in stock anywhere. Not RockAuto, Summit, Atkins. I did order from Summit but they are on back-order. The 1981-1985 won't fit the 1979/1980. Summit says they will ship from the manufacture on 3/19. We'll see.
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#8
Full Member
Thread Starter
This is the 2nd thread I've saw in the past couple weeks asking about where / how to source drums. I wasn't aware that they are becoming hard to source. Maybe it's just harder to find them at the prices people are used to paying. I used to think that consumable parts like brake pads, drums, water pumps ect.. would be available forever. Now, I'm not so sure. At what point do critical things like housings dry up, which forces more and more vehicles off the road which in turn reduces the demand for the smaller consumable parts. At some point, will a lack of demand for the smaller items drive them to become scarce or unobtaium too?
#9
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Thread Starter
I received the cheap chinese Centric drums today - they look good. The box is marked 7/25/17 which I would have to assume means these are not old stock - the drums are fairly close in appearance to the factory ones but not exact. Definitely look like they should fit and work well - and being new production (not on a shelf for a decade+) I'm not too concerned about getting them turned unless I find later on they act out-of-round. Should get around to throwing a coat of paint on them and installing on the car later this weekend. Way better than the old drums, both of which show signs of having old shoes run down to the rivets (current shoes are at 50% I'd say) and one of which is grooved/lipped deep enough (at least .75mm) I had to back the adjuster way off just to pull the drum.
#11
ancient wizard...
I received the cheap chinese Centric drums today - they look good. The box is marked 7/25/17 which I would have to assume means these are not old stock - the drums are fairly close in appearance to the factory ones but not exact. Definitely look like they should fit and work well - and being new production (not on a shelf for a decade+) I'm not too concerned about getting them turned unless I find later on they act out-of-round. Should get around to throwing a coat of paint on them and installing on the car later this weekend. Way better than the old drums, both of which show signs of having old shoes run down to the rivets (current shoes are at 50% I'd say) and one of which is grooved/lipped deep enough (at least .75mm) I had to back the adjuster way off just to pull the drum.
As a professional technician,i always chuck a new rotor/drum on lathe to at least measure for runout and if needed remove what's necessary for 0 runout. Reason: time is money,nothing like roadtesting a brake job to find vibration/pulsation/shimmy present which means you get to do the job twice while being paid once to do it. My2c.
#12
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#13
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Update:
I got the new drums, cleaned them up, put some paint on the outside (to prevent rust), and contemplated roundness. Since I don't have a lathe handy (and couldn't figure out a way to mount them backwards to the hub centered well enough to use a dial indicator to measure), I figured I'd just try them. Took the car out this past weekend (just around the block) for the first time on them, and oh yeah one's way out of round. After calling several places to find somewhere that will actually turn drums (the guy at Midas genuinely asked "What do you mean?") I had that done today for more than the cost of the drums! Will put them back on, and next time the weather clears up (and I get some other work on the car finished) I'll hopefully find them to be satisfactorily round.
I got the new drums, cleaned them up, put some paint on the outside (to prevent rust), and contemplated roundness. Since I don't have a lathe handy (and couldn't figure out a way to mount them backwards to the hub centered well enough to use a dial indicator to measure), I figured I'd just try them. Took the car out this past weekend (just around the block) for the first time on them, and oh yeah one's way out of round. After calling several places to find somewhere that will actually turn drums (the guy at Midas genuinely asked "What do you mean?") I had that done today for more than the cost of the drums! Will put them back on, and next time the weather clears up (and I get some other work on the car finished) I'll hopefully find them to be satisfactorily round.
#14
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Thread Starter
WARNING
Chinese **** **** me again! Put the drums back on, they were clearly uneven turning by hand - only after the screws (or wheel) were in place. Messed with it for nearly two hours before figuring it out - they aren't out of round, THE FLANGE BORE IS TOO BIG - there is several thousanths of radial movement between the drum and the hub on both sides - the drums CANNOT locate on the hub so there is no way to have them work correctly!
Chinese **** **** me again! Put the drums back on, they were clearly uneven turning by hand - only after the screws (or wheel) were in place. Messed with it for nearly two hours before figuring it out - they aren't out of round, THE FLANGE BORE IS TOO BIG - there is several thousanths of radial movement between the drum and the hub on both sides - the drums CANNOT locate on the hub so there is no way to have them work correctly!
#15
Waffles - hmmm good
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WARNING
Chinese **** **** me again! Put the drums back on, they were clearly uneven turning by hand - only after the screws (or wheel) were in place. Messed with it for nearly two hours before figuring it out - they aren't out of round, THE FLANGE BORE IS TOO BIG - there is several thousanths of radial movement between the drum and the hub on both sides - the drums CANNOT locate on the hub so there is no way to have them work correctly!
Chinese **** **** me again! Put the drums back on, they were clearly uneven turning by hand - only after the screws (or wheel) were in place. Messed with it for nearly two hours before figuring it out - they aren't out of round, THE FLANGE BORE IS TOO BIG - there is several thousanths of radial movement between the drum and the hub on both sides - the drums CANNOT locate on the hub so there is no way to have them work correctly!
#16
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Thread Starter
I am going to grind the lip off the original very-worm drums and return them to service until further notice.
#17
Waffles - hmmm good
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Good to know, thanks for the heads up. Seems RA parts for cars are not the right sizes anymore or the quailty control is very bad. Somethings changed, and for the worse it seems.
#18
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Thread Starter
As a conclusion on my part, here's the part and lot numbers from the box (they matched between the two) and the bore which is too large. I've boxed these up and am returning them under warranty for a refund; I'm still out the $60 (twice the cost of the drums) I spend having them turned, though. Some careful Dremel work and a cleanup by hand with 220 grit took the huge lip off the one original drum, so I've returned them to service. They're past the 201mm max diameter, but at least they work! I'll have to keep an eye out for a somewhat local GSL axle.
#19
1st-Class Engine Janitor
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Clearly this is a supplier problem. Hopefully, they will make it right, as we're running out of sources for these aging parts.
#21
Senior Member
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Not good about the drjms.
I have centric front rotors on my 1982 GS and have not had any issues. Centric must be hit or miss.
I need to source GSL rear rotors for a GSL rear end swap. The rotors locate to the axle the same way as the drums and also provide the hub cenrric engagement for the wheel.
Anyone have experience with rear GSL rotors that work fine or ones to stay away from? I was going to get centric...
I have centric front rotors on my 1982 GS and have not had any issues. Centric must be hit or miss.
I need to source GSL rear rotors for a GSL rear end swap. The rotors locate to the axle the same way as the drums and also provide the hub cenrric engagement for the wheel.
Anyone have experience with rear GSL rotors that work fine or ones to stay away from? I was going to get centric...
#22
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