62 Cadillac front brakes

[johnegray]

My car has Brake Shoe Hold Down Kit 5.043 installed. What purpose does it serve? And where would I get replacement springs? Advertised brake rebuilt kits don't include them.  Thanks...     

[Daryl Chesterman]

Hold down springs attach the brake shoes to the backing plate.  You can see what is in the kit if you look at NAPA onlineâ€"Part number 80406 (United Parts).

Daryl Chesterman

[johnegray]

Thanks for your response. If only it were that simple. I've included two pages. One is from the 62 shop manual and shows the front and rear brakes. The second is from GM restoration parts (very faint logo in middle of page). If you compare the fronts, you'll see the restoration  ones have a few more parts. Each side has two triangular adapters, two more pins and springs, etc. None of the additional parts have individual part numbers. Rather, they are all part of GM Brake Shoe Hold Down Kit 5.043. The rear brake also has a 5.043 spring. No idea why my Caddy has the kit installed. And anyone I've talked to says all I need is the kit they all sell. Which would be great if I didn't have the kit installed but I do. Could take it off but don't want to do so without knowing why it was added. Heavy duty for towing? Any ideas?         

[MikeC]

Hi, not sure how you made out, but my 62 has the same arrangement with the triangular pieces.  I would suggest using your original springs and pieces if they are not too bad.  I have read in some of the other postings that the quality of the original parts are superior to the replacements available now.
Mike

[MikeC]

Check out this post:  http://forums.cadillaclasalleclub.org/index.php?topic=132601.msg280130#msg280130
Mike