Ferodo rear brake shoes

NickZ · Jul 6, 2021

I have what look like a new set of Ferodo shoes for Commando rear brake.

When I did a test installation on the brake plate they seemed quite loose. The holes for the pivot pins on these shoes measure 0.514" in diameter. The shoes being replaced have diameters of 0.501" and 0.505". The pivot pins themselves measure 0.496" diameter.

Has anyone had experience with Ferodo rear shoes? Is this normal? Having 0.018" play seems like too much to me.

CanukNortonNut · Jul 8, 2021

Hi NickZ,
I have a brand new pair of Ferodo FSB 922, (06-3417)
purchased a number of years ago and the hole dia. is 0.500" so I would send them back or get them bushed.
Cheers,
Tom

NickZ · Jul 8, 2021

CanukNortonNut said:
Hi NickZ,
I have a brand new pair of Ferodo FSB 922, (06-3417)
purchased a number of years ago and the hole dia. is 0.500" so I would send them back or get them bushed.
Cheers,
Tom

Mine are same part # so someone must have messed with these. I acquired them with a bunch of other parts and no way to send them back.

CanukNortonNut · Jul 8, 2021

I would go to a hobby shop and look for some K&S brass tubing with a 0.50" I.D. and look for a tight slide fit hole size drill to drill your shoes by mic-ing the O.D. of the tubing. Some klutz at the factory may have used a 13mm drill instead of the imperial 1/2". That would be my quick and dirty way to fix that slop. Some Red locktite to hold that tube in place. You can also try McMaster Carr. Good luck.
Cheers,
Tom

NickZ · Jul 8, 2021

CanukNortonNut said:
I would go to a hobby shop and look for some K&S brass tubing with a 0.50" I.D. and look for a tight slide fit hole size drill to drill your shoes by mic-ing the O.D. of the tubing. Some klutz at the factory may have used a 13mm drill instead of the imperial 1/2". That would be my quick and dirty way to fix that slop. Some Red locktite to hold that tube in place. You can also try McMaster Carr. Good luck.
Cheers,
Tom

Some good ideas.
Thanks.

oldmikew · Jul 8, 2021

an expanding reamer -if you can get one-might be better than drilling

elefantrider · Jul 10, 2021

I don't have any experience with the Ferodos but I have recently dissasembled 2 old swap-meet brake assemblies where on each unit, the shoe was frozen on one of the pins. I needed to saw the shoes off the pin. Torch heat or puller did not work.

A little looser than stock or brass sleeve might be better yet. .018 sounds like too much clearance though.

Vintagebrake in Sonoma, CA had a lot of good information on its website, unfortunately not working anymore.
Might want to try calling him.

RoadScholar · Jul 10, 2021

NickZ said:
Mine are same part # so someone must have messed with these. I acquired them with a bunch of other parts and no way to send them back.

If the shoes have been messed with bin them responsibly before they mess with you.

By the time you find the bushing stock, bore the pivot holes in the shoes, fit/press the bushings into the shoes, ream the bushings to fit the pins I posit that your time would be better spent purchasing another set of Ferrodo shoes which appear to be readily available for somewhere around $60, give or take. I have purchased Ferrodo shoes and haven't been impressed with the casting flash where the springs seat, and if not properly removed put the spring on the verge of jumping off and/or being cut through.

If you don't bore the pivot pin holes in the shoes just right you may well create a safety issue causing the shoes to bind in activation or to present less contact with the drum or both, up to you in any case, just don't want to read about you in the "Remembering Our Friends" section of the forum. Please err on the side of safety.

Given the job rear brakes are assigned a set of standard, less expensive, OE replacement offerings should suffice nicely. If the rear shoes get hot enough to fade the Loctite suggested earlier will release, which may or may not complicate matters, 'can't say.

If you have the equipment and the skill to bore and bush the set you have then please accept my apology for injecting negative energy into this post.

kommando · Jul 10, 2021

Get the RGM rear shoes with the MZ Gold lining material.

gortnipper · Jul 10, 2021

kommando said:
Get the RGM rear shoes with the MZ Gold lining material.

+1

I have a new old set of Ferodo shoes in my parts bin that very likely won't go in since I installed the RGM MZ Gold shoes.

NickZ · Jul 11, 2021

RoadScholar said:
If the shoes have been messed with bin them responsibly before they mess with you.

By the time you find the bushing stock, bore the pivot holes in the shoes, fit/press the bushings into the shoes, ream the bushings to fit the pins I posit that your time would be better spent purchasing another set of Ferrodo shoes which appear to be readily available for somewhere around $60, give or take. I have purchased Ferrodo shoes and haven't been impressed with the casting flash where the springs seat, and if not properly removed put the spring on the verge of jumping off and/or being cut through.

If you don't bore the pivot pin holes in the shoes just right you may well create a safety issue causing the shoes to bind in activation or to present less contact with the drum or both, up to you in any case, just don't want to read about you in the "Remembering Our Friends" section of the forum. Please err on the side of safety.

Given the job rear brakes are assigned a set of standard, less expensive, OE replacement offerings should suffice nicely. If the rear shoes get hot enough to fade the Loctite suggested earlier will release, which may or may not complicate matters, 'can't say.

If you have the equipment and the skill to bore and bush the set you have then please accept my apology for injecting negative energy into this post.

I've already ordered an new set of Ferodo shoes. As you said... $59 including shipping from The Bonneville Shop is a no brainer, even if I do have the tools etc to bore & sleeve.

norton bob · Jul 11, 2021

I bought a set of "Ferodo" rear shoes for the Atlas , NO Noticeable retardation effect. Slung them and fitted RGM gold set. Wheel can now be locked.

NickZ · Jul 11, 2021

norton bob said:
I bought a set of "Ferodo" rear shoes for the Atlas , NO Noticeable retardation effect. Slung them and fitted RGM gold set. Wheel can now be locked.

Wish I read these before I ordered.

maylar · Jul 11, 2021

This is interesting. Given my very favorable experience with Ferodo front disc pads I wouldn't have hesitated getting their rear shoes. Now I'm not so sure.

CanukNortonNut · Jul 11, 2021

I have no issues with the platinum Ferodo shoes on my rear brake. It does the job. I use the same as the OP. except mine has a metallic fleck in the compound.
cheers,
Tom

Ferodo rear brake shoes

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