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hello everyone!
I recently helped my father purchase a 55 Firedome. it is nearly identical to the car he drove on his honeymoon. it is a solid driving car that was restored some time ago, paint still good, good interior and appears to be original drivetrain.
we are trying to fix the parking brake. it will not hold on even a slight grade. we tried adjusting the cable at the brake assembly and it might have helped some but not enough, appears to be adjusted out as much a s possible. hand release under dash seems to be working correctly. we are not sure how to proceed and do not want to 'create work'!!
looks like the propeller shaft needs to be dropped in order to get inside the brake canister. the joints at each end are not typical u-joints, appear to be a ball/socket affair with a rubber boot.
any thoughts on tightening the brake, or removing the drive shaft would be greatly appreciated.
thank you
George,
Wow! That is one beautiful '55! I love the color combination! Do you have a shop manual for the car? I think there is a section in there that discusses the emergency brake. I can't remember for sure.. its been a while since I had my '55s. Good luck and I am sure someone on here will be along shortly that can offer some good advice.
Dean
Dean Mullinax
1957 Fireflite 2 Door Hardtop
1941 DeSoto Deluxe 2 Door Sedan
It's Delightful, It's DeLovely, It's DeSoto!
On the backing plate for the brake drum on the tail shaft of the transmission is a removable plate to give you access to the adjustment mechanism for the e-brake shoes. If you've adjusted the cable as per the FSM, then I would move on to the section about adjusting the brake shoes.
It's supposed to be fun!
1949 De Soto Custom Convertible (project)
I had the same issue with my 55 Fireflite. Here's what I did:
Read up on how the hand brake works in the FSM.
Remove the drive shaft.
Remove the nut, then remove the drum. Be sure the hand brake is released so that the drum comes off easily.
Disassemble.
Clean out all the dirt and junk that has accumulated over the last 64 years. Inspect the shoes to verify that there is enough 'meat' left. Also check for cracks.
Clean the star wheel adjuster. Mine was gummed up.
If everything checks out, put the assembly back together. Then slip the drum over the shoes and tighten.
Open the little adjuster window to verify that you can easily get to the star wheel.
Pull the hand brake lever about four clicks. Now use a spanner wrench and turn the star wheel until the drum is locked and won't rotate.
Release the hand brake to verify that the drum will now spin.
Reattach the drive shaft and recheck.
Ron
well we got it fixed!
wrote up a procedure that we followed for removing driveshaft.
thanks to everyone for their help
1955 Desoto propeller shaft removal,
There will be two removal procedures listed within depending if this is completed on a hoist or on jack stands.
Removal on a hoist.
1: Place car on hoist and ensure vehicle is stable and will not fall.
2: Using a scribe or scratch awl mark the location on the front and rear propeller shaft trunnion joint locations to ensure the propeller shaft is reinstalled in the correct phase to avoid possible driveline vibrations.
3: Remove all 4 rear propeller shaft bolts to differential flange.
4: Place vertical screw jack under rear differential.
5: Secure propeller shaft with the assistance of a helper while raising the rear axle.
The helper will be able to remove the propeller shaft from the rear differential input flange as you are raising the rear differential into its natural position.
(This vehicle is equipped with flex leaf spring shackles to assist in ride quality. However when on a hoist the flex shackles will rotate forward causing the axle to move towards the front of the vehicle putting pressure on the propeller shaft making it very difficult to remove. When the differential is raised the axle will lift up and travel towards the rear of the vehicle in the normal ride position allowing enough room to remove the trunnion joint from the input flange on the rear differential).
6: While the helper is holding the rear of the propeller shaft, remove the front 4 trunnion joint nuts from the driveline brake located at the rear of the transmission and carefully remove the propeller shaft.
7: To reinstall, reverse removal steps.
Removal on Jack stands
1: Place the rear axle of the vehicle on jack stands leaving enough clearance to lie underneath the vehicle.
2: Using a scribe or scratch awl mark the location on the front and rear propeller shaft trunnion joint locations to ensure the propeller shaft is reinstalled in the correct phase to avoid possible driveline vibrations.
3: Remove all 4 rear propeller shaft bolts to differential flange.
(The weight of the vehicle will keep the flex shackles in the correct rearward position allowing the propeller shaft to be removed).
4: Pull rear propeller shaft towards the front of the vehicle and remove the trunnion joint from the rear differential input flange and carefully lower it to the ground.
5: Remove the 4 remaining nuts on the front trunnion joint to the driveline brake, carefully separate it from the drive line brake flange and lower it to the ground.
6: To reinstall, reverse removal steps.
George -
What did you end up doing to solve the problem ? Was it just adjusting the star wheel behind the adjuster window ?
What wasn't mentioned in the FSM is that you have to pull down on the star wheel to tighten the shoe-to-brake clearance. Took a while for me to realize that.
Here's a photo of what the assembly looks like once the drum has been removed.
Ron
