How do I set up my front drum?

[GasX]

Took a long look at my new wheels yesterday and have a few questions about getting them sorted out.

1. The first picture shows the drum brake opened up. You can see a nut on the axle. Should this be set to whatever spot that holds the brake flush with the hub to the point where it stops rubbing the hub when it spins? Also, should I put washers between that nut and the hub to keep it from vibrating loose?

2. In the second pic, you can see the brake arm sits about 1/2" from the fork. How do I secure it to the fork without putting to much pressure on it (which torques the brake into the hub)?

Thanks in advance...

 

[mdlee1958]

Those style of drums are meant to have a stud that slides between the two forks and allows the pad plate to "float" as it were on the fork/swingarm that it is mounted to. I would suggest using a hose clamp with a small enough screwhead that will slide into the slot to allow for float.

 

[sportscarpat]

The way to secure the brake arm to the fork leg is to weld a small piece of round bar to the fork leg so that the slot on the brake arm rests around the pin. A word of caution, though. You need to know what your doing on the welding part. If the pin were to shear off the arm will rotate and could cause you to crash. When it comes to safety don't mess around.

 

[GasX]

Are there any alternatives to someone with zero welding experience?

 

[chinahailin]

Keep sharing more in the future.

 

[GasX]

Jury-rigged a solution using some bits from the hardware solution. I might switch to two smaller clamps for some strength and redundancy. Looks like braking will ben the clamp, so I have to be sure it will hold up.

Going to look into a sportsman fork for looks, comfort AND safety...