Emergency brake, can you lock up the rear?

[old31]

Can any of you lock up the rear brakes with your emergency brake? Or am I asking for the impossible.

I cleaned up and adjusted the ebrakes. I can certainly slow the car from 40PMPH but I also need 1/2 a football field.

With 4 clicks it will keep the car from rolling down a steep hill.

[Dick M]

In a word, "NO". The ebrake is a parking brake. It is designed to keep your 'A' from rolling when parked. I believe that you could well wrap the (ebrake) parking brake assembly around the axle housing should you try to lock up the rear using the parking brake.

[tbirdtbird]

you will destroy the ebrake band carrier if you try this. I have seen them ruined and it is not a pretty sight
Give it up.
Get your service brake working correctly and you will have no worries.

It is not an ebrake, but a parking brake

[Bob C]

I wonder why Ford referred to it as an emergency brake?

Bob

[MikeK]

If your E-brake only provides a very slow braking effort something is wrong.

The E-brake on both my A's will easily skid the rears on dry concrete. I certainly don't make a habit of it, but I am confident that I can apply them firmly, to the point of tire howling, in the event of an emergency.

I have seen several bent, trashed E- carriers and in all cases it appeared the failure was a result of rust pit weakened and misaligned parts. I imagine if you abruptly yanked the lever at speed the sudden lock-up shock could bend the carriers.

If your actuating linkage appears correct in angle and adjustment get a rear hub puller and see what is going on inside.

[Steve Wastler]

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I'm with Mike on this one, and am also confident mine would/do operate as he stated. I find it a bit easier to regulate tension at drum with the squeeze grip lever over the push button while keeping the pawl away from the ratchet.

[tbirdtbird]

"The E-brake on both my A's will easily skid the rears on dry concrete."

Why? service brake NG?
The twisted carriers I have seen were not defective with rust or anything else.

Go ahead use the ebrake at speed all you wish. Its your car.
Is this how you drive your modern?

[Tom Wesenberg]

My carrier was torn when I bought my 28, and it didn't have any rust. Of course in 28 the stop lug was single thickness, and later Ford went to double thickness, but I've also seen them bent and torn. Even though I'd use it in an emergency, and Ford calls it an emergency brake, I like to think of it as only a parking brake. It is VERY self energizing and will skid the tires as Mike said.

[Chuck Sea/Tac]

If you read the service bulletins, ford specifies adjusting the equilibrium pull of the emergency brakes by going 15 miles per hour and slowly pulling them on ,with some one watching to verify they both lock up simultaneously.

[old31]

Originally Posted by Chuck Sea/Tac

If you read the service bulletins, ford specifies adjusting the equilibrium pull of the emergency brakes by going 15 miles per hour and slowly pulling them on ,with some one watching to verify they both lock up simultaneously.

Chuck, so that answers my question. When the ebrakes are good, properly adjusted, and operating at 100% (at 15mph) they are powerful enough to lock up the rears.

No that's not the way I drive any car, but it tells me that I have more work to do to make the ebrake better than it is.

[dean from bozeman]

Not quite on target with this thread but it is an emergency brake story.

Years ago I was talking with an elderly gentleman about the early '28 brake system. Yes, the one that allowed the emergency brake handle to operate the service brakes. Well, this man told me about a time, years ago, when he was driving an e28 "A" that had a loose emergency brake handle. So much so that when he was going down a bumpy hill the handle vibrated into an engaged position just as he entered an icy intersection. To his surprise, all four wheels locked up and he went gliding and rotating through that busy intersection. One can only imagine what his heart beat and blood pressure were at right after that experience.

[Y-Blockhead]

Originally Posted by dean from bozeman

Not quite on target with this thread but it is an emergency brake story.

Years ago I was talking with an elderly gentleman about the early '28 brake system. Yes, the one that allowed the emergency brake handle to operate the service brakes. Well, this man told me about a time, years ago, when he was driving an e28 "A" that had a loose emergency brake handle. So much so that when he was going down a bumpy hill the handle vibrated into an engaged position just as he entered an icy intersection. To his surprise, all four wheels locked up and he went gliding and rotating through that busy intersection. One can only imagine what his heart beat and blood pressure were at right after that experience.

Not to mention the color of his shorts...

[john charlton]

Untill a couple of years ago even antique cars in UK had to pass a stringent roadworthy test . The emergency brake was tested on a "rolling road" this took no prisoners . I had to tell the tester to go easy as I was sure the carrier woud get bent if he yanked it on hard .I have seen many many twisted carriers over the years witch begs the question how did they get bent ???

John in lovely late summers day Suffolk County England .

[tbirdtbird]

i have a suspicion that the OP has never had a rear hub off to examine just how the ebrake band and carrier actually work......

[Tiny]

I've always called them Parking brakes not Emergency brakes.

[old31]

Originally Posted by tbirdtbird

i have a suspicion that the OP has never had a rear hub off to examine just how the ebrake band and carrier actually work......

Now why would you say that. You have no freekin clue.

[bobpo1]

I asked some of the regulars at the French Lick convention a few years ago what they would consider the single most important thing to consider before I took my '30 cpe out on the road for it's first trip. One younger fella told me he'd have to think about that overnight. When I met him for breakfast the nest morning, he said "it would be proper working brakes." So I went to work on them (they were all new with cast drums.) I can honestly say they work extremely well and I can lock them up.

I've always wanted to thank him, but I haven't seen him since. I have never used the parking braking except to hold it parked.

[Capt Quahog]

Actually, the 31' Ford (photo to left) came as purchased last year with what look to be totally BRAND NEW BRAKES soup to nuts. Presently, the car is unregistered and not actually driven. We pulled off the rear assemblies and the things are so virgin, that the brake shoes have only lightly started to scuff the paint on the inner drum surface.

In primitive, yet highly scientific tests we had that Model A Ford up to decent speed at which time I solidly pulled back on the chrome emergency brake handle. Holy Moly! Those rear wheels in fact "locked up" and on a couple of noted occasions left rubber on the road. Now . . . you're not suppose to do that operation . . .but it is possible probably because of the all new brake system on that particular car.

Thank you dear Henry for equipping your beloved Model A Ford automobile with those fine mechanical brakes.

[Tom Wesenberg]

Originally Posted by Capt Quahog

Actually, the 31' Ford (photo to left) came as purchased last year with what look to be totally BRAND NEW BRAKES soup to nuts. Presently, the car is unregistered and not actually driven. We pulled off the rear assemblies and the things are so virgin, that the brake shoes have only lightly started to scuff the paint on the inner drum surface.

In primitive, yet highly scientific tests we had that Model A Ford up to decent speed at which time I solidly pulled back on the chrome emergency brake handle. Holy Moly! Those rear wheels in fact "locked up" and on a couple of noted occasions left rubber on the road. Now . . . you're not suppose to do that operation . . .but it is possible probably because of the all new brake system on that particular car.

Thank you dear Henry for equipping your beloved Model A Ford automobile with those fine mechanical brakes.

I hope you don't have paint on the braking surface.

When I painted the inside of one of my drums just a little overspray got on the braking surface, and that sure made the brake grab. I hand sanded it off, and all was fine again.