I picked up a model 8000 Ammco brake shoe arch grinder on Tuesday.

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I have been looking for one of these for years but they are generally in the $600 to $800 range. I think the number one reason people think their drum brakes are no good is because they never have the shoes ground to the arch of the drum. Most have never heard of it when they jumped on the get rid of asbestos all of the parts houses got ride of them. Most took out the brake lathe also so they could sell you new rotors and drums all the time. If you do not grind them it takes a long time to wear in to fit the drum.
I got the Ammco disc and drum lathe at a sale about 4 years ago for $350 has all of the tooling. Going to take it apart clean it up and just by chance Ammco used Ford Corporate blue on their equipment. I had got a gallon of the Lowe's equivalent of Rustoleum and they can scan and mix any color. So I took a valve cover and they mixed and it matches perfect. I painted my brake lathe, hydraulic press and rotisserie with it.
He did not have the gauges though that sucks I will have to figure out how to set the radius accurately.
I had ordered new dust boots for the lathe and need to get that back together. I have too many projects all the time, lol. I get bored with one and go to another. There is another rack of tooling under the lathe can do any rotor or drum.
I posted an add on Craigslist for the grinder and this guy buys lots of equipment with online auctions. I got it for $150 and he had a table it mounts on I gave him $50 for that. He is disabled and buys and sells to make a little money. He had a nice South Bend 8" lathe he got for $350. Going to get the info from him on that. If I had a lathe I could make the extinct lug nuts for the 1973 factory aluminum wheels.
So in the future if you want your drum brakes to work like they should you can send me your shoes to grind. It does have a bag for the dust but will do outside and look for a big vacuum at Goodwill to hook up to it.
Most do not know anything about grinding the shoe so here is a link to a video on youtube so you know.





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I struggled some but got the brake shoe grinder and roll around table cleaned up and painted. Looks like new. The table has space for the brake lathe also but does not have the up top rear rack for the adapters so going to leave them on two tables. Can use the open space for work area also.
I am missing one of the key pieces looks like. There is a rod that goes into a hole in the casting in the yellow part that swings the arch. That sets the top end of the shoe like the pin on the backing plate does. Will see if someone will loan me theirs to copy it and make on. Ammco does not service the grinders anymore do not even make the sand paper drums but a friction company does. I soaked the rusty stuff in my molasses and used DA sander on the panels just cannot do much with my shoulder gone crazy.
While trying to find a brake shoe gauge and my missing piece I see several for sale on Facebook Market place if interested in getting one. Just search for Ammco brake shoe grinder.

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Very nice David. My buddy has the same machine for cutting rotors.  We use it all the time.  We take a cut or two off the rotors every brake change just to square and clean them up. Nice machine to have around. 

 
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