Saving a family treasure...(1936 1and1/2 ton)

[COE Dan]

The '36 trucks have mechanical brakes as you likely know already. Here’s one link to diagrams and a parts list for 35-37 truck brakes (there are likely others):

http://restoreyourford.com/1935tbrake.shtml

The advantage to mechanical brakes is they never leak and mechanical adjustment is all that's required. This means your parts may still be serviceable (as opposed to a hydraulic system that likely would have been destroyed by corrosion by now).

Here’s a 10-step guide for your brake rebuilding effort:

1) Don’t dive right into disassembly.
2) Keeping everything fully assembled, clean as much crud off the parts as you can so you can see how everything connects.
3) Take pictures of everything fully assembled. Pay particular attention to where clevises connect, which side of the clevis pins the cotter pins are on (it may not matter in most cases but in some cases it may), which direction bell cranks are mounted, and where any bends or curves are and what their orientations are. I can't emphasize how helpful this will be when you go to reassemble. Shop manual diagrams often don’t cover everything you might need to know.
4) Now you can start disassembly - continue to take pictures. Sometimes it's helpful to know how you took it apart.
5) Label everything.
6) Clean everything. If you can lay out your parts on a floor in relative positions, your labels and parts will remain associated while you clean individual items.
7) Inspect all the parts for serviceability. Mechanical brakes are susceptible to worn shafts, inadvertent bends, excessive play in connections (clevis pins/holes, etc.) and such. If you can’t find specs on how much wear/play to accept - ask Ford Barn. Someone out there should be able give you good information.
8) Replace all unserviceable parts. I'm not certain on the availability of mechanical brake parts for the big trucks as I haven’t dabbled in the big ones. Conceptually, they aren’t much different than the cars
9) Reassemble. One caveat - the truck may have had the brakes modified or erroneously reassembled in the past. If so, your pictures won’t tell you that. If parts don’t look right or fit right (minus allowance given for adjustments), there may be a problem. I’d seek advice from Ford Barn for this too.
10) Adjust and drive.

If I've forgotten anything, someone please speak up. Once adjusted correctly, mechanical brakes should provide years of dependable service - just remember, the stopping power is adequate, not great, with mechanical brakes.

Can I ask where you got your tires?

Looking forward to seeing some more progress pictures,

Dan