[Bored&Stroked]

My guess - either the wrong rods, or somebody tried to "tighten up the brakes" by shortening the rods (by putting a z-bend in them). Also, my guess is that the "reason" it was done, is most likely related to worn components than anything else.

When I first got my 32 cabriolet (mechanical brakes) - it had been sitting for 55 years - which in a way was good (not been messed with). I went through the brakes and rebuilt everything - and it took a bit of time to get it right. Two of the rods were very worn on the threaded ends back by the trans, so I reworked them - by buying 5/16 steel rod and grafting/welding new ends onto them (with new threads). I straightened every rod, put new brake shoes in and went through all the mechanisms. In the end, these brakes are perfectly fine and work well - for my usual back-road cruising. I get up to about 65 mph on some of the roads. The most important thing is to get them rebuilt correctly and to keep them adjusted properly - other than those two things, they're quite usable and stop quite well (no pulling to either side).

Now - for high speed freeway cruising - especially in traffic . . . probably not the best. I will be putting a complete set of hydraulic brakes on the car (Lincoln Bendix style) - for better braking. The good news is that I'm keeping ALL the original stuff - such that it can be put back in the car if I or somebody else wants to do this. I figure I'm just the temporary caretaker of the car . . . I want future generations to have what they need to put it back to 100% stock.