yeahbuddy

Looking to replace all four drums on my 4 door 68 Cutlass Supreme. Last year I replaced all the shoes and hardware but didnt change out the drums. Looking for replacements but most local auto part stores only have rears. Rockauto has one brand that carries fronts which is Wagner.

WAGNER Part # BD60198 Front Brake Drum
Brake Drum; Diameter = 9 1/2 Bolt Holes = 5
9-1/2 x 2 1/2" Brake; Front (Only 2 Remaining)

WAGNER Part # BD60736 Rear Brake Drum
9-1/2 x 2" Brake; Rear

Does this sound right? Just want to make sure I am picking up the ones that fit. They are about $32 a piece. Never heard of the brand but the rears Ive found in ACDelco, Guardian, Wagner and Benex

Allan R

According the the 72 CSM P5-26 A body cars with drum brakes were 9.500" original diameter. Max turning (machining) 9.560" Discard diameter 9.590" That help?

yeahbuddy

Does the front have to be 9.5 x 2.5? I guess that is my question.

jensenracing77

what is wrong with yours? can they be turned or are they to far gone? do they have to be new or would good used be OK?

Beob

I remember my front drums being wider than the rears. Can you just measure your fronts?

yeahbuddy

A year and a half ago I changed the shoes, hardware, brake and master cylinders. Ive been hearing light high pitched grinding when coming to a stop from front wheels. Also a couple really odd water-like grinding ...hard to explain. I figured I overlooked the shoes and should replace them anyway as most of the original brake parts were beat. I'm going to pull them off on Saturday and take a closer look. Weighing my options so I know what to order. Thanks

yeahbuddy

I don't mind used as long as they look good. What do you have? Shoot me a PM

jensenracing77

i am not sure if 70 is the same as 68 but i have a set off of a 70 cutlass 4 door. i would have to measure them to see if they are good. only thing is, if you can get new ones for $32 it may be better to go that route because you would want to have any used set you find turned. i wasn't thinking about that when i made my first post. with buying them and paying to turn them it may be more than $32 each.

Allan R

No, the front has to be 9.5 X 2.95
The rear is 9.5 X 2.45

Actually its the other way around. But the front drum is 'deeper' than the rear. I did a parts search on the GM parts manual. There are 2 different part numbers listed between front and rears, which means they are different parts.

I went a step further and looked them up on the NAPA website. Here's how it shakes down:

Rear Drums
Brake Drum Surface Depth: 2.45",
Center Bore Diameter:2.78",
Height:3.193",
Brake Surface Diameter:9.49",
Maximum Discard Diameter: 9.59",
O.D. 11.87",
Finned Brake Drum:Yes

Front Drums
Brake Drum Surface Depth 2.95",
Center Bore Diameter: 2.82",
Height:3.483",
Brake Surface Diameter:9.5",
Maximum Discard Diameter:9.56",
O.D. 11.49",
Finned Brake Drum:Yes

yeahbuddy

Allan, awesome man exactly what I need! Thank you

joe_padavano

Unfortunately, it's a little misleading. Brake drums are typically spec'd by the dimensions of the shoes that they fit, not the actual dimensions of the machined surfaces in the drums. The fronts are spec'd at 9.5 x 2.5. The rears are 9.5 x 2.0. This applies to every 1964-72 A-body except the Vista Cruiser. The VC used 9.5 x 2.5 rears.

yeahbuddy

It is confusing...but thats why I asked.

Id be good to go with that Wagner set in that case, correct?

Allan R

So the ones from NAPA won't fit? I also need to know because I'll be replacing the rear drums on my car in the spring. BTW, I could not find a reference in the CSM or AM for anything about drum size - other than the machining standards. That's why I visited the NAPA site, they have always got me the right parts in the past....They seem to be the same ones as Autozone and O'Reilly as far as sizing goes. Unfortunately they all seem to provide the same spec info as NAPA.

yeahbuddy

Allan, just a side note doing all this research on the drums Ive found multiple threads/suggestions about these upgrade ceramic shoes. I added this to my wish list. People say it has made a great difference and is less detrimental to the drum.

http://www.musclecarbrakes.com/stage16472cutlass.html

Allan R

Thx for the tip. I'll put them on my list too. I know ceramic works well - I have them all the way around my Sonata - 4 wheel disc. They are smooth, and don't seem to have issues with heat like most conventional pads do

joe_padavano

I can't speak to the NAPA numbers, but the two Wagner numbers in the first post are correct. You can cross the Wagner numbers on the NAPA website to see what NAPA numbers come up. Again, don't confuse the physical dimensions of the drum's friction surfaces (which is what the NAPA dimensions are) with the nominal dimensions of the shoes (which is what the Wagner dimensions are). You can't compare the two sets of numbers.

mpolds

The Drums' Dimensions are specifically measured by the shoe --- there is always an extra 1/4" from the lip to the absolute depth of the drum -- such that the front is 9 1/2" x 2 1/2" and the rear is 9 1/2" X 2" -- ONLY..

I have NEW -- non-China garbage in stock ... can't match a $32 price -- but the $32 drums are garbage and warp upon usage... buy them and you will hate life.....

Best to call me --- CRAIG -- 516 - 485 - 1935..................

yeahbuddy

Nice sales pitch. They have them in raybesto, acdelco, benix, Wagner and couple others. All have been around for some time.

Allan R

I just looked at the Rock Auto site and checked the drums you were asking about. Why not go with the AC Delco? There's even a 'sticky' coupon on this site for a discount. + they are only about 5 bucks more than the wagners? That's how I might go on this. The AC Delco rears are only 33 bucks each for my car. I also don't have a problem with paying less. For some reason Rock can sell these for 33, but everyone else would sell them for 55-59.

joe_padavano

A couple of things to consider. First, while RockAuto usually has the lowest prices, be sure to consider shipping costs on heavy items like drums and rotors. I've frequently found it cheaper to buy items like that locally at NAPA. Even with sales tax, the NAPA parts ended up being cheaper than RockAuto when shipping was added.

On the Chinesium drums issue, twice now I've had a problem where brand new Chinesium drums were out of round. This caused the brake self adjusters to over adjust and eventually lock up. Turning these brand new drums fixed the problem both times, but why pay for new AND turning?

yeahbuddy

I forgot about the RockAuto shipping charges but you can usually find those same prices shipped by Amazon with free super saver shipping if it comes out of their warehouse.

I went to NAPA last night and have them look up the Wagner interchangeable drums. Here is the NAPA part numbers the guy a the counter gave me:

440-1158 (Interchangeable with Wagner DB60198) - FRONT - $53.99/ea

http://napaautoparts.com/Catalog/Cat...158_0325291700

440-1359 (Interchangeable with Wagner DB60736) - REAR - $43.99/ea

http://napaautoparts.com/Catalog/Cat...359_0325236814


Two fronts and two rears total $195.96. This is their NAPA house brand. Are their parts made in USA? I never really bought NAPA parts other than a thermostat. Would they be superior to the ACDelco? Just trying to get the right set in my budget.

Allan R

Yeah, warehouse C for AC Delco. I just looked up their shipping to me. If I bought the 2 and 2 like you need, it would cost 242.00 (126 for parts and the rest for shipping). So it's definitely better for me to go direct to NAPA

Same parts I looked up. Are they made in USA? Don't know. You'd have to ask. I have bought brake calipers (AC DELCO remans) for my 72 and steering / suspension from them. It ranges from Made in USA, Made in Canada, Made in Mexico.

I would think that if any drum you buy is out of round, you'd see that on a caliper before you install it. I would take it right back and exchange it for a new 'good one'. Take your calipers with you. NAPA has been really excellent with me on issues where a part didn't fit, or had to be returned. So was PartSource ( Autozone in US)

jerseyjoe

These are correct. I bought the fronts on ebay for mine b/c the were less at the time. Grab the 2 from rock auto as they are now less. They fit, but keep in mind you must have the 2 piece hub/drum setup. The 68 came with one piece units. If your drums are original they are one piece units. You need to buy the hubs as well to use the Wagner drums. The hubs cannot be bought new, you will need to buy a used pair.
I used the musclecar brake shoes. They work fine, they were a little touchy when I first put them on but as they break in they are stopping well.

yeahbuddy

How do I know if it is one piece? The axles were swapped out a few months ago and the replacement set I got (from someone on here) had hubs on it. Don't know if this helps determine?

jerseyjoe

If the front drums are original style, you need to remove the outer wheel bearing, washer and nut to get it off. The drum is pressed onto the hub. If it has already been changed out to a 2 piece assembly then the hub and wheel bearings remain attached to the spindle and just the drum can be removed.