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#1 |
Member
Join Date: Dec 2023
Location: Rhode Island
Posts: 66
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This is the first time I've had the brake drum assemblies off the car. Being a somewhat newbie mechanic, I wanted to get your opinion on how the pads and rear drums look. I'm getting two front drum assemblies already but was thinking I could get away with having the rears (see attached) cleaned up.
Honestly the shoes look good, with no cracks in the material, and even wear. Only thing is that the brakes (including parking brake) should be adjusted.
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Early 1931 Coupe Member of the Little Rhody Model A Club (MAFCA & MARC) |
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#2 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: long beach ca
Posts: 171
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I don't know the technical name, but does the front have "floaters" on the lower shoes? LRF
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#3 |
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Join Date: May 2010
Location: brentwood, ca
Posts: 4,246
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Lubrication.
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#4 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 2,103
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All the shoes look good.
Sand down the shoes lightly, sand down the drums, grease the bearings, put white grease on the pivot points, adjust them and take it out on a few panic stops. And go go go. |
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#5 |
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Join Date: May 2010
Location: Victoria, Australia
Posts: 1,177
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#6 |
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Join Date: Dec 2023
Location: Rhode Island
Posts: 66
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Early 1931 Coupe Member of the Little Rhody Model A Club (MAFCA & MARC) |
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#7 |
Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2022
Posts: 18
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The first two pictures in your first post has brake floaters. The picture in your second post does not have brake floaters. I would have the same assembly on both front brakes. Put a bevel on the ends of the brake shoes.
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#8 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Western North Carolina
Posts: 3,900
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In the first photo, the activator was something that was available many years ago when the wedges, shown in post #6, were not available. It was a lever system that spread the shoes. I had the same on a 29 pickup and, although they worked, the brakes squeaked like crazy. The squeaking may have been due to the type of shoe lining. In any case, replace them with the wedges, as Jim said.
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A is for apple, green as the sky. Step on the gas, for tomorrow I die. Forget the brakes, they really don't work. The clutch always sticks, and starts with a jerk. My car grows red hair, and flies through the air. Driving's a blast, a blast from the past. |
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#9 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Connecticut Shoreline
Posts: 1,824
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How were your brakes working before you took everything apart?
Your shoes along with everything else look great. Maybe just adjustment is all that needs to be done. |
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#10 |
Member
Join Date: Dec 2023
Location: Rhode Island
Posts: 66
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Honestly I thought that my brakes worked pretty okay before. There was some fade if I made a long stop with light brake pressure. The rears will lock but the fronts won't on a panick stop. Testing on a dirt road also confirms this. No squeaking or odd noises after the first stop.
The parking brake requires you to go four clicks before it'll do anything. Also on a side note post #6 is an image I found online and not my own brakes.
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Early 1931 Coupe Member of the Little Rhody Model A Club (MAFCA & MARC) |
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#11 |
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Join Date: Sep 2018
Posts: 88
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Here is my 2 cents. Replace the "equalizer" system on the front brakes with the currently available wedge system Make sure both left and right have the same type of activation.
Bevel the leading edge of each shoe liner. This helps prevent brake chatter. Just so we are sure and clear. Shoes are the metal part. Lining is the fabric/friction part. The linings are riveted to the shoe. Other than needing bevel your linings look good - very good. The extra wear at the bottom is normal.. Shoes/linings contact at the bottom first. Using a caliper reach it around the edge of the brake drum and measure the thickness. Measure around in three or four places. The measure should be within one to three thousands. More than three would indicate warped drums. Anything less than .120 thousand would be queationable to use. The thinner the durums get the more apt they are to expand and warp as the heat up during braking. Heating and expansion equals brake fade. The "emergency" is actually a "parking" brake. Not intended to be a emergency. |
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#12 | |
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Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Connecticut Shoreline
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Sounds like you should be good to go with a little adjusting. You will always have fading under hard or long distance stopping. Be careful on long hills. Parking brake? Do both rear wheels hold when brake is pulled up? If not, it also will need minor adjustment. Enjoy |
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#13 |
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Join Date: Dec 2023
Location: Rhode Island
Posts: 66
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Okay, so based on the above I'm going to:
A) lubricate all the moving parts with white lithium grease B) Bevel the end of each shoe liner, and check for consistent thickness C) Check the drums for thickness D) Adjust the parking brake and ensure it grabs both rear wheels evenly E) Adjust the main brakes Do you think it's really necessary to change the old equalizer/floater to the new style?
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Early 1931 Coupe Member of the Little Rhody Model A Club (MAFCA & MARC) |
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#14 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Redondo Beach, CA
Posts: 5,849
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I would change out those floaters with a stock type set up. They were an aftermarket part. They have been known to go "over center" and lock up your front brakes when your brakes become worn.
Not a good thing because you can't get the drum off to unlock your brakes. Not fun while out and about... ![]() |
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#15 |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Oregon
Posts: 5,963
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I don't think it is really necessary to change the floaters if you are willing to keep thing adjusted. They look like they were doing a good job keeping the shoes centered. Maybe after a full brake job with new linings and drums it might be time to try another type if you felt like it.
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#16 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Redondo Beach, CA
Posts: 5,849
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![]() Quote:
![]() Last edited by Y-Blockhead; 01-09-2024 at 05:24 PM. |
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#17 |
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Join Date: May 2010
Location: Oregon
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#18 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Western North Carolina
Posts: 3,900
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The lever actuators should be changed out with the wedges.
After you get things back together, adjust the brakes for bias towards the front. The car will stop better. The instructions say to adjust the brakes so that the rears start to drag before the fronts. Just reverse that. Adjust so that the fronts start to drag before the rears. When hard braking there is a "weight shift" to the front and even with the bias to the front, the rears may skid before the fronts.
__________________
A is for apple, green as the sky. Step on the gas, for tomorrow I die. Forget the brakes, they really don't work. The clutch always sticks, and starts with a jerk. My car grows red hair, and flies through the air. Driving's a blast, a blast from the past. |
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#19 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Connecticut Shoreline
Posts: 1,824
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My favorite Model A saying after 62 years of owning them is, “Don’t try to fix something that’s not broken”. Clean it up, grease it, put it back together and adjust. You will be good to go. Don’t forget to torque the rear axel nuts to 100. Enjoy your car. |
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#20 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Red Deer, Alberta
Posts: 5,046
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Also, make sure that the tapered part of the axle and hub are absolutely clean, no grease or oil.
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