Drum Brake Wheel Cylinders

I'm looking for new wheel cylinders for my 11" drum brakes. I called around locally and they range from 10-15 dollars per cylinder for a foreign made cylinder, but some places offer a domestic cylinder option for around $40 per cylinder. Anyone have experience with these 2 options? Is the "domestic" cylinder really worth 3 times the cost?

Also, the parts stroes are telling me my fronts should be 1 1/8" diameter and the rears should be 15/16". I've been telling them it is for a 1974 cj5, but the brakes actually came off a postal jeep of an unknown year. Are all 11" brakes going to use the same wheel cylinder? Am I okay telling the parts stores it's for a '74 cj5 when the setup really came off a postal jeep?

 

Not sure about the diameter of the cylinders, but it kinda makes sense... The fronts do more work and could stand to be larger.

I used the cheaper W/C. Probably going to be a matter of opinion there. You can spend $15 now and replace them in (say) 3 years. Or you can spend $40 now and replace them in (say) 9 years. Just depends on your personality.

 

the cylinder diameters are correct for the year Jeep stated

 

Just take them apart and measure the bore.. then get a hone and a rebuild kit and have fun....



BUBBA

 

I know the bore size checks out. I just want to be sure it's ok to tell the autoparts store I need brake parts for a 72-75 cj5, when in actuality, the setup came off an old mail jeep. Is it all the same stuff?

 

JMO - my success rate for rebuilding wheel cylinders is about 50%. Old cylinders often have water in them, and with any pitting, they're ruined. They work for a while, then they leak.

$40 for a new brake cylinder sounds like a lot - I'd expect about half that, even for a name USA brand like EIS. You might try Turner http://www.thejeep.com/onlinecatalog/p76.htm and ask them about their source. Or else Walcks - they've had some good reviews.

<edit> I guess if you had a postal parts book you could look at the specs, and determine if the CJ-5 and DJ-5A sizes are the same. Then, if you knew, and they were different, what would you do? Jim told you that the sizes are right for a CJ - I'd take that as good and go with it. The only other possibility is that the CJ cylinders won't fit, and that's pretty unlikely; I believe they are both Bendix brakes, a commodity item.

 

Thats my main concern. I replaced a wheel cylinder about 7 years ago and remembered that it fit the backing plate, but the two arms that come out of the cylinder were forced at an angle when contacting the shoes. I lived with it because the jeep was only used for low speed plowing at the time. But this time around, I plan to drive the jeep often. I have the backing plates off and just sand blasted and painted them last weekend. This weekend I'm gonna go from parts store to parts store until I find a set of drums and wheel cylinders that work for me. I was just hoping that someone with an 11" setup off a mail jeep could save me some aggrevation. But hopefully the 72-75 setup works for me. Thanks to all for your input. I'll let you know how I make out after the weekend.

 

You could always get the correct internals from AAA motors: www.postaljeep.net

Just tell them that you have a DJ5D, F, or G.

Good luck!

Don

 

Angle up and down, or angle in and out? The plane of the web of the shoe has to line up with the plane of the slot in the end of the "link" that sticks into the cylinder.

 

linc
90% of the CJ/DJ brakes use the same link arm between the cylinder and the shoe
oddball/specialized applications do exist pertaining to how the link attaches to the shoe
as long as you stay with the 11" application, you should be fine IMO

 

It was either up or down, I can't remember right now. If it was either in or out, that would have been a bigger problem. Every other drum brake setup I've ever seen or worked on had the "link" perfectly in line with the wheel cylinder. No angle, up, down, in, or out.