I have a 57' Skyliner with the under dash power brake unit. I've had a noise coming from the front brake drum that acted much like a rock had gotten in the drum. I pulled the left front drum off and found one of the hold down pins had broken and the cups ended up getting mashed in the brake drum. Thankfully, not hard to fix.

I decided to pull all the drums off the car and take a look. The right rear drum had a crack on the outer edge but not on the drum surface. I pulled one off my parts car and wasn't too impressed so I am looking for a rear brake drum. I am also considering replacing all the wheel cylinders, shoes, and hardware as needed.

I would like to order the wheel cylinders, shoes, and hardware at Rockauto as they have competitive prices or at a local auto store. in trying to do so, I have gotten mixed part numbers. I have a couple of questions:

1. Am I correct that the 57 Skyliner, Ranchero, and station wagons share the same bigger sized rear drums?

2. Would the 57 Skyliner, Ranchero, and station wagons use the same rear wheel cylinders? There are 2 sizes available-a 7/8 and a 15/16. As near as I can tell 15/16 would be the size for the Skyliner. Is the 15/16 the correct rear wheel cylinder size?

3. Would the rear shoes on a 57 Skyliner, Ranchero, and station wagon be the same shoes which are the larger 11" x 2" shoes?

4. Does the 57 Skyliner use the same front wheel cylinders as the other 57' Ford full size cars? I think so but wondered what others know.

5. If I cannot find a suitable used rear drum and go with a new drum, are there sources for brake drums other than buying from the catalogs that cater to us car people? Shipping on a brake drum would likely be spendy due to its weight.

6. I'm thinking of going to silicone fluid so my paint won't be damaged if there is a leak. My car has power brakes which work good but are not as firm as I'm used to. Does silicone fluid make the brake pedal have less feeling? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thank You