My brake shoes crumbled

Question:

I went on a trip in my 1950 Ford F1 pickup truck and noticed that every time I stopped for breaks or gas, the brake lights were stuck on. To get the lights to go off, I got into the truck and gave the pedal a few pumps. Sometimes this would get the lights to go off and other times I’d have to repeat the process a few times to get them to go off. Also, when I’d start off after applying the brakes it felt like they were dragging, so I’d pump the brakes until it felt right.

After returning from the trip of at least 400 miles, I jacked up the truck and removed both front wheels. The driver’s side drum was tight and after some tugging I got it off. When it came off, out came a bunch of brake lining material. There were small pieces, medium-size pieces, and large pieces. Both the front and rear linings were completely gone with the shoes still there. What caused this? The brakes were on the truck since 2005 and were part of a complete front brake package that I purchased. I wanted the brakes to be topnotch so I purchased everything new, including the drums.

Aside from the old shoes coming apart there appears to be no other damage.

Answer:

I think it’s likely that the shoes were defective from the beginning. In simplest terms, a brake shoe consists of friction material attached to a steel backbone (the “web and shoe table” in brake industry parlance). The friction material is normally bonded, riveted, or bonded and riveted to the shoe table. In your case, it appears as though something was wrong with the attachment of the friction material, causing it to separate and break apart. This very rarely happens, which, obviously, is a good thing given the potential for catastrophe when it does.

In general, I strongly advise using shoes and other brake components manufactured in America. If that’s not feasible, then my second choice is parts made in other first-world nations.