Brake adjustments, stick or no stick

[old31]

When you adjust the brakes, do you use the wooden stick with 3 notches, or do you make the adjustments without the stick?

[Joe K]

I never used the stick.

Instead I take the car out to somewhere with a gravel driveway.

You can tell INSTANTLY which wheel grabs first - the trick being to get them all to grab/skid at the same time.

Joe K

[Will N]

The only time you use the stick is when you are setting up the length of the brake rods. You do that one time only after making repairs or replacing the rods or levers. After that, brake adjustments are done only at the wheels.

[nkaminar]

I move the adjusters in until the wheel just starts to drag them move the adjuster out one of two notches. After doing that on all 4 wheels I do a road test, much like Joe K, but on pavement.

It helps to first move the adjusters in until the wheels lock so that all slack is taken up in the system, then move the adjusters out until the wheels just drag and then one or two clicks looser. I will try one click first, but if some residual drag then one more click. The real test is the road test. There are always some black skid marks out in front of my house after doing an adjustment.

[mass A man]

I adjust my brakes similar to above posts, but I have the rears grab first.

[TMarsh]

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Never used a stick.

[Bruce_MO]

Another tool I use to confirm brake adjustments is my Harbor Freight infrared temperature gun. I check the temperature values of each brake drum. Handy to see if the drums are approximately the same temp after coming down a long hill in my neighborhood. Fronts won’t be the same as rears, but side to side they should ideally be kinda close. Found one of my rears was “cold”, and my adjustment was way off. They’re handy little tools.

[Keith True]

I've always said that whoever wrote and published that article in the 60's about that stick should be paddled with it.If all your parts are good,and you adjust the brakes to the service bulletins the car will stop.Adjusting brakes to arbitrary notches on a stick makes no allowances for .020 or.050 of bends,twists,and wear in 20 or 30 different spots.Adjusting the brakes according to the bulletins,or as per the directions from a half dozen people here will get you correctly set brakes.Fine tune as needed.

[Y-Blockhead]

I have never used a stick. The only place I have seen anyone use a stick is on YouTube. Since I like to bias my brakes a little towards the front, the stick method would not work for me.I do use a infrared temperature gun to check as Bruce mentioned.

What Keith sez is True.

[KMBeers]

I use the procedure in Les Andrew’s book and use the stick. I am relative new to the Model A and have had club members drive my car after I did some brake work and they felt I did well. The stick can work.

[WHN]

Originally Posted by Keith True

I've always said that whoever wrote and published that article in the 60's about that stick should be paddled with it.If all your parts are good,and you adjust the brakes to the service bulletins the car will stop.Adjusting brakes to arbitrary notches on a stick makes no allowances for .020 or.050 of bends,twists,and wear in 20 or 30 different spots.Adjusting the brakes according to the bulletins,or as per the directions from a half dozen people here will get you correctly set brakes.Fine tune as needed.

I agree!

[mcgarrett]

I'm certainly no expert on this topic and not looking to take sides either way, but I did find that the factory service bulletin instructs the technician as he begins to move the brake pedal "approximately" 1" and then "approximately" 1/2" increments two other times while performing brake adjustments. It seems to me that having some sort of gauge to measure those increments would more consistently accurate, although the service bulletin doesn't specifically mention using any kind of gauge. I suppose close enough by eye was good enough. Just thought it was interesting.

I don't have the experience that others do in this department. I have an adjusting gauge (board) and have used it with some success and it seems to help me get the adjustments in range, but I still fine-tune them by doing the skid method. I'm still honing my skills, but so far, so good.

[jb-ob]

2X post # 12.

'The Stick' is a simple tool to assist a novice in equalizing mechanical brakes. If adjusting four wheel brakes is new to you, you need it until you gain more experience.

[Bob Bidonde]

The brakes in my Model A's are biased to activate the front service brakes first. I have never used the graduated stick. Further more, I do not use the brake rods to adjust the brakes.

[J Franklin]

I adjust my brakes guided by a GreyRock brake manual and they work well.

[mcgarrett]

Originally Posted by J Franklin

I adjust my brakes guided by a GreyRock brake manual and they work well.

Interesting. Does the GR brake manual specifically mention adjustments to Model A brakes?

[J Franklin]

Originally Posted by mcgarrett

Interesting. Does the GR brake manual specifically mention adjustments to Model A brakes?

The older one I have does. It is a large format paperback with an orange cover.

[2speed]

I really don't understand the hate for board. Here is a Ford manual mentioning a pedal depressor(pretty much the board) in adjusting the brakes.

[mcgarrett]

2Speed,
Very interesting...did you find this in a Ford service publication somewhere? The procedure describing the use of a depressor tool makes sense especially when you consider the importance of getting the brakes adjusted correctly for safety's sake. Ford stressed the importance of, and reliance on their "authorized" service, so it seems reasonable that Ford would have provided a tool of some sort to make the adjustment process consistent, accurate and repeatable instead of a seat-of-the-pants approach going by eye and feel only. I have never seen one of the pedal depressor tools mentioned, but maybe one exists somewhere - I'm a tool fanatic, so it would be fascinating to see one.

[wwirz]

I use the stick. Works every time