Carrier Rear Brake Drums

[Jack Innes]

I do not think you would ever normally machine the carrier drums thin enough to be of concern. Bear in mind we are dealing with mechanical brakes that apply much less pressure than modern hydraulic, power systems and very sturdy drums. Many cars in the 20s had stamped steel drums about 1/8" thick. Another point to be made concerns grooves sometimes worn by rivets protruding from worn linings; a bit of a radial groove will have virtually no effect on braking & is sometimes more desirable than turning a great deal of metal off to remove the groove.
Most reliners can apply thicker lining & machine the newly lined shoes to the exact diameter of your finished drum. Each side does not need to be the same diameter but be sure not to mix the shoes up!

From personal experience I have found that bonded linings often come loose on vehicles that are used infrequently. I always prefer to have riveted linings if at all possible.

[cletrac (RIP)]

I took a closer look and what I thought was a weld is something to do with how they made their casting mould.

[Bob Carriere]

When I had my shoes relined in Ottawa the shop insisted on having rivets on the leading edge and trailing edge of the bonded linings. Once they knew that it was for a restoration with only limited expected annual driving they explained that it was a safer and much recommended practice. They also recommended arcing the drums to match the lining's arc and vice versa.... in fact the new linings showed how the lining surface had been adjusted/surfaced ground to match perfectly on the center of the lining. Makes it a lot easier to adjust with the cams and gives very good braking/stopping action.

One must remember to regularly adjust them as per service manual... remember this is old technology..... no self ajusting system.

Bob