Cast iron brake drums and
properly rebuilt brakes will go a long way to reduce Brake fade. The real danger is overheated brakes and the resulting brake fade on steep sections.
The stock steel drums, especially if they have been turned down too many times, are much too thin to dissipate enough heat in these situations. The original drums that Ford used and sold were never meant to be machined even once as stated in the Service Bulletins. Drums were meant to be replaced.
I would use cast iron drums and put some miles on a new brake job in the "flatlands" to break-in the shoes and drums after a fresh install.
Behind the house there is a 3/4 mile to 1 mile section of dirt road that goes from 7100 feet to 8200 with 7 or 8 "switch backs". This is a section where I start at the top in 2nd gear to use "engine braking" to save the brakes.
Starting in 3rd would overheat and burn up the brakes before I got to the bottom, if I ever made it without going off the edge of the road.
If you find yourself on a steep hill and in 3rd gear I suggest that you use the brakes to slow down and get into 2nd gear
sooner rather than later ... before the brakes get too hot!
Even with good brakes and cast-iron drums I would never go down this "hill" in 3rd gear!
In the last 45 years 5 or 6 cars have gone off the edge and none were Model As!!
Downshifting in the middle of a steep downhill with a Model A non-synchronous transmission can be more difficult that you would think ... always better to start in 2nd at the top and let the "road ragers" behind you in their modern cars fume their little heads off.
It is a good idea to "scout the trip" before adding the addition weight to the car so you know where to take it easy!
In the 60's I drove the Model A 40,000 miles with the "Large B police head" on the back roads and jeep trails from 5000 to 12,000 feet (even Mount Evans at 14,240 feet) and made it back safely.
If your idle speed is too high you will use the brakes more than otherwise.
You just have to know the limits of the car and take it easy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 29RPU
Thank you guys for the responses. I have to go thru the brakes, then I think I'll just try it without the family first. I almost want to try it now, but the brakes aren't the greatest. We have a family cabin at about 6500 ft in the mountains near hume lake in CA and I thought it would make a fun trip. The responses were as I expected. I thought if I heard 3rd gear would really hold a car back I might try it, but I'll get my brakes finished first and be safe. Thanks again.
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