I thought I ordered brakes, not breaks 😭

Four years ago I did pads/shoes, calipers/wheel cylinders and all new hardware on my 81. I was on my way to work last Friday and started to hear a little squeak. At first I thought it might be the alternator or water pump, but when I pulled off the freeway and applied the brakes there was a horrific metal grinding and shuddering. The rear shoes are bonded, and as near as I can tell a large chunk of the friction material let go and allowed the adjuster to fall out after I applied the brakes. It spun inside the drum and sheared off one of the T bolts that holds the backing plate to the axle tube flange. It didn’t do my drum any favors either…. So much for the quality of O’Reilley house brand lifetime warranty shoes. I should know better but I was trying to get this on the road for the 2017 show and went with what I could get without special order. Another set is going back in (under warranty) so I can get back on the road but I think I want to find something of higher quality before I replace the drum. I also couldn’t source the T bolt and had to go with a 3/8” 24 grade 8 substitute.

That breaks[brakes?] my heart, Jonathan!

Bummer!  Glad you got it fixed, but that doesn’t speak well for O’Reilly’s brakes.

But where's the rust???...This is like fake news!
Glad you got it fixed up.

The term freeway caught my attention too. It's not a word that we use up here. I guess we don't use Turnpike either. Everything is either a highway, or secondary rod or rural route.

Are there any toll highways in the southwest?

I've traveled all over the US...the only two states I have not stepped foot into are AK and NM, but the only toll highways I ever remember seeing were in the Northeast, and in and around Chicago.

When I think of tolls, I think of I-95 north and south, and I-90 east and west...lol.

Gary this does not speak well of O’Reilley brake parts. I can’t remember if it was here or through Facebook that I was warned that O’Reilley brake parts were extremely poor quality. I say this only to let others know that others have had issues as well, and my suggestion is to avoid their house brand. They are the only ones who stock the hardware kit it my area (to their credit), but the damage caused by the failed bond is not worth the risk, not to mention the labor and inconvenience. I like local stores for lifetime parts because the exchange is easy and truly free, (without shipping expense) and no waiting. I might not be able to get quality riveted shoes locally though.

Cory, the Mohave desert oxidation schedule is pretty relaxed 😎. I still think I will order powder coated drums when I replace these though….

In the southwest we don’t have toll roads that I’ve encountered. I’ve used them in California and Oklahoma. “Freeway” is just how people here refer to any Highway with multiple lanes and limited access through ramps and lacking stops/roundabouts etc., the one I use to get to work is technically Interstate 40. I’m just grateful the brake didn’t lock up at high speed 😬

Jonathan - That’s horrible quality, not poor.  It should be illegal on brake components.

Cory - OK and KS have turnpikes where you pay a fee. But we don’t typically use the term “expressway”, although in the Tulsa area there is the Broken Arrow Expressway.

I ran into a similar issue on my 1977 F150, used AutoZone's brake shoes on the rear and they burned up in one trip with the camper. This right after asbestos linings were banned.