Looking for a quality brand recommendation for the brake shoes on my 1956 Ford Crown Victoria with original front and rear drum brakes - Bosch, Bendix, Centric, any others? Bonded or bonded/riveted? Are the front and rear brake shoes the same size or are they different? Should I replace the springs also?

See if you can find someone locally that does brake re-bonding. Take your drums to them and they will make the linings to suit your drums. If you buy something off the shelf you had better be sure how oversized your drums are . Believe me you can chase your tail and end up with very poor brakes fitting incorrect linings.
I live in one of the most isolated cities in the world and the guys I went to here pulled an oversized set off the shelf ready to go! So you must be able to find someone close.
 I also asked about machining and the guy looked at me strangely and just said " nah just fit 'em"    Best brakes ever!



"Came too close to dying to stop living now!"

I put Kelvar linings on my T-Bird many years back.  Work great. Stops much better than any drum brake linings that I have ever used. Not as good as disk's, But good. Been so long I have no idea where I got them or who the manufacturer was. Googled it and a lot of companies offer them. Had the drums turned at the time. Linings still look great. Probably not a lot of miles on them though.

One of the contributing reasons for poor original brakes on our collector cars is;  Most or all original brake lining materials contained Asbestos, which is no longer used or in most cases allowed.. And according to an article in Hemmings Classic Car a year or so ago, the materials that the brake industry has settled on now, are not as compatible with original cast brake drums as the old materials.. Is there a preferred material that works better than others?  I don't know? But, if I could find out, (here or elsewhere)  I'd sure lilke to try it on my 1957 Ford car, with manual brakes, because the current brake linings impart about as much feel at the pedal as stepping on stone!     


Paul

Bonded linings last longer, which means more miles between brake jobs (important only if you drive your car much). But, if I ever came across a NOS set of extra-thick/oversized riveted asbestos linings that fit my original (turned-to-the-limit) drums like a glove.......then maybe.
Springs under tension (like tires) go bad with time, even if not used. Since they are not expensive, and as long as everything is already apart.......why risk it?

6 VOLTS/POS. GRD. NW INDIANA

Is Kevlar linings the ones to use or is there a better material out there.


54 Victoria 312;  48 Ford Conv 302, 56 Bird 312
Forever Ford
Midland Park, NJ

Some of the guys in the '52 - '59 ford forum on the HAMB are using ceramic shoes and seem to really like 'em.