Need opinion on brake drum quality

[A97obs]

So I just did brake shoe change and brake drums seem fairly shot !
After new shoes and hardware I get a slight squealing squeaky lope noise at a specific rotational point from the driver drum area as far as I can tell . It’s only when I’m 2-3mph in a parking lot or mostly faintly heard when making a turn which is weird .

I suspected it may be warped drum . I lifted the truck on jack stands with No suspension load and let wheels spin at idle and the noise is Not There . It is also not there at high speeds . Only under load , part of me said maybe on axle bearings are dry but I just changed the gear fluid and new diff cover it wasn’t dry , I have no evidence of axle seal leak drips .

The noise is only at a certain repetitive rotational point when the wheel is turning. So I assumed a warp area rubbing on new shoes . The e- brake was adjusted correctly the drum slips on with just enough contact to know it’s not loose or to hard to fit over the shoes .
My e- brake catches a lot sooner then before and it releases just fine I tested that as well with suspension off ground.
Aside from that unknown issue I’ve Assumed drums may be the best starting point . Ive changed a few sets in my time , but never thought much about quality if it even matters with aft market or oem.
Just thought I’d ask here if from one set to the next as far as durability/ wear / or rust preventative plays a part in what’s offered for 92-99 brake drums .
Anyways. I was leaning towards rock auto there is fvp, centric , ac Delco , bendix, durago. In plain sight quality all looks the same as far as specs sheet . Anyone tried specific brand over another and found any differences. I just planned on spraying them with a high temp brake caliper paint so not concerned with rust issue down the way. Mainly braking and machining quality . It’s 24$ bucks for duragos all the way to 83$ ac Delco

 

[nightowl3130]

Hey, from past experance here, I noted u mentioned berrings, you can usually hear them. If the berring is worn, your seal will leak, your shoes will be wet. If so, make sure u check diff oil level. There were 2 different size drums for my 96 Cierra. I always try & use Delco, even if I have to save a little. GM truck=GM parts for me. Just putting that in here. Best of luck...

 

[A97obs]

Hey, from past experance here, I noted u mentioned berrings, you can usually hear them. If the berring is worn, your seal will leak, your shoes will be wet. If so, make sure u check diff oil level. There were 2 different size drums for my 96 Cierra. I always try & use Delco, even if I have to save a little. GM truck=GM parts for me. Just putting that in here. Best of luck...

Ya I figured I’d ask I don’t usually ever spare much expense anywhere.. I know this by the fact I paid close to 100$ for Cunningham machined replacement door bushing and pins where-as most would buy the 10$ brass Napa replacements thinking it’s fine and find out they crumble 9/10 times ..

Sometimes you can get away with other brands depending on what the particular part does.. just an example of why I asked about drums . The only thing I can assume would be any different in a machined drum is the level or accuracy with the machining..

My diff fluids are all good no seal leaks .. I think I’m gonna take shot at the drums one was pretty scored up probably originals my shoes are 11” so the drums are 11.15”

 

[movietvet]

Drums and rotors all absorb heat during the braking process. Brakes work by friction, friction builds heat and heat builds in the rotors and drums and over time, they will warp and get high spots. It is the nature of the beast. In my years in shops, I have machined/turned a bunch of both. Nowadays, most shops do not have a brake lathe. Because of that their brake jobs always include new rotors or drums and even then, brand new does not mean perfectly flat or round. IMO, you should have done the wheel cylinders too. New drums and then burnish in the shoes properly. One thing/step that I see skipped or just not done because is an unknown, is cleaning and lubing the contact points at the backing plate where the shoes lay against when held in place by the hold down hardware. If the contact points have ridges worn in them and are small enough, you can grind them flat, clean and lube. If ridge is deep enough, the backing plate needs replaced. The contact points I talk about allow for smooth movement of the show across the backing plate and allow a good resettle when release brake pedal and return springs pull shoes back in place. Safety is most important when driving and brakes are where you don't cut corners.

 

[Russ B]

Seems you probably answered your own question. I hate squeeks, rattles, ticks and knocks. As a result the gods of mechanical maintenance grant me more than my share. In your case it will be a process of elimination. New drums are cheaper than bearings. I presume you checked wheels for vertical and horizontal movement and spun wheel. Still possible a bearing may need to have the car weight to act up. Utube, Rainman Ray is king on this diagnosis. His tricks are priceless. Would you believe front end noise could be caused by bad ball joints which he finds using big ass pliers. It is possible your techniques to find may not be correct.

As far as quality of parts. What's that? Parts have gone down as much come from China. As a result it is quite possible the GM OEMs may be the same as the no name part. Just got skunked on a Lincoln/Ford door regulator. These fail a lot so upon second failure I order OEM. Looking at both they were made on same assembly line with all kind of same markings. Only difference is double the price.

 

[A97obs]

Drums and rotors all absorb heat during the braking process. Brakes work by friction, friction builds heat and heat builds in the rotors and drums and over time, they will warp and get high spots. It is the nature of the beast. In my years in shops, I have machined/turned a bunch of both. Nowadays, most shops do not have a brake lathe. Because of that their brake jobs always include new rotors or drums and even then, brand new does not mean perfectly flat or round. IMO, you should have done the wheel cylinders too. New drums and then burnish in the shoes properly. One thing/step that I see skipped or just not done because is an unknown, is cleaning and lubing the contact points at the backing plate where the shoes lay against when held in place by the hold down hardware. If the contact points have ridges worn in them and are small enough, you can grind them flat, clean and lube. If ridge is deep enough, the backing plate needs replaced. The contact points I talk about allow for smooth movement of the show across the backing plate and allow a good resettle when release brake pedal and return springs pull shoes back in place. Safety is most important when driving and brakes are where you don't cut corners.

I’ve only had the shoes on 3 days and wasn’t expecting to need drums that’s why I am right on top of it now ..and I agree with the contact points I did absolutely lube all of the shoe housing contact points on the backing plate ! But I didn’t take to much notice with contact point wear !
I will surely relook this over and consider the new backing plates . I shoulda coulda done new cylinders but with all things considered and the truck being rust free Cali under carriage as well as no Leaks and failures I passed on cylinders, because I am planning on little shops rear disc swap
The noise is from rotation not from brake shoe expansion, it may be also a spring from the new hardware spring kit possibly stretched in the wrong position not installed in wrong place but wrong position causing the drum to rub on one of the hardware springs ..so I can’t relate brake shoe contact point as the noise it’s much more pronounced considering the shoes don’t rotate only the drum.

I think I’ll resolve it with a pair or ac Delco drums and go back over spring placement hopefully

 

[A97obs]

Seems you probably answered your own question. I hate squeeks, rattles, ticks and knocks. As a result the gods of mechanical maintenance grant me more than my share. In your case it will be a process of elimination. New drums are cheaper than bearings. I presume you checked wheels for vertical and horizontal movement and spun wheel. Still possible a bearing may need to have the car weight to act up. Utube, Rainman Ray is king on this diagnosis. His tricks are priceless. Would you believe front end noise could be caused by bad ball joints which he finds using big ass pliers. It is possible your techniques to find may not be correct.

As far as quality of parts. What's that? Parts have gone down as much come from China. As a result it is quite possible the GM OEMs may be the same as the no name part. Just got skunked on a Lincoln/Ford door regulator. These fail a lot so upon second failure I order OEM. Looking at both they were made on same assembly line with all kind of same markings. Only difference is double the price.

Agree even oem parts are gimmicky anymore I believe it I see it.
Hence the fairness in asking if it really matters what we pay$$ for a Brake Drum that basically only spins and only real necessary level of quality would be the fact if it’s machined properly ? With correct thickness ? or not etc.. that alone doesn’t always justify paying a huge price gap from ac delco to fvp parts for example if they’ or certain parts are relatively made the Same in the end .
Sometimes they are, but mostly they aren’t . I fully understand that cheap is cheap but these days ac delco isn’t what is used to be either …also as agreed.
I never cheap out on my trucks. I blow more unnecessary money than I outta usually. But drums was a necessary inquiry I felt like at least I may find feedback on limitations/faults or even positive notes from experience with one brand to the next.

 

[movietvet]

I’ve only had the shoes on 3 days and wasn’t expecting to need drums that’s why I am right on top of it now ..and I agree with the contact points I did absolutely lube all of the shoe housing contact points on the backing plate ! But I didn’t take to much notice with contact point wear !
I will surely relook this over and consider the new backing plates . I shoulda coulda done new cylinders but with all things considered and the truck being rust free Cali under carriage as well as no Leaks and failures I passed on cylinders, because I am planning on little shops rear disc swap
The noise is from rotation not from brake shoe expansion, it may be also a spring from the new hardware spring kit possibly stretched in the wrong position not installed in wrong place but wrong position causing the drum to rub on one of the hardware springs ..so I can’t relate brake shoe contact point as the noise it’s much more pronounced considering the shoes don’t rotate only the drum.

I think I’ll resolve it with a pair or ac Delco drums and go back over spring placement hopefully

When you go back in. With drum off, grab the end of axle and check for in and out end play. IMO, should be no more than 1/8". Then, while pushing in, spin and feel for roughness, then pull out and spin and feel for roughness. Then just spin and feel for roughness and listen for noise. No leaks usually means no bearing problems but not always. I still think you just have a high spot on the drum surface that is chirping with shoe contact or even inner drum lip and backing plate lip contact where rust and/or crud could be. Also, consider the wheel making noise because is not torqued properly.

 

[rebelyell]

OP A97obs
suggest following:
First, accurately measure your drums' Inside diameter and compare to GM spec for Max diameter; that Max spec may or may not also be cast into drum.

relying on OE or Raybestos or Wagner drum brands typically provides very good results; same for hardware, pads and shoes. If there's a Heavy Duty drum version available; that may pay dividends.

 

[df2x4]

Raybestos is the current GM/ACDelco supplier for brake drums and rotors, so the GM/ACDelco should be Raybestos in a different box.

That said, I've had issues with pretty much everything being warped out of the box these days. No matter what you buy, I would take them to a mechanic with a brake lathe and have them checked (and turned if necessary) before installation.