Brake Rod questions??

[Vanspeed]

Ok guys, I need your opinion here. I bought a pack of original brake rods and today I started in on putting them in. I very soon ran into a problem, not one was the same length. I am not talking about the clevis and rod here, I am saying that every threaded rod was a different length. These are all original. Have some been stretched?? I took off all the original clevis's and wonder if I should buy new brake rods and use the old clevis. What is the length of the front brake rods/rear brake rods without the clevis?? Are new brake rods ok to use? I like american made stuff that works. These are the clevis's I took off today. Can someone I.D. them as to where they go, front, rear, parking? There were some extras. Should I restore and use the original rods by making them all the correct length?? Help...........

[jkeesey]

The first 2 are e-brake clevis' the rest should all be the same. I use the new rods all the time and have never had a problem with them and snyders sells made in us rods. Service brake rods are 50 1/2" and e brake are 40 7/8". A complete set of all new ones is $74

[Craig Lewis]

I think you really need to get a copy of the Judging standards & restoration guidelines my friend.
It would answer all your questions & has hundreds of pages of line drawings and actual photos.

Think of it like instructions for a plastic model kit, except you got one big ass model with way more parts!

I say wing it on the barbeque
....but if restoration is your goal with the Model A, treat yourself to some instructions cuz there's FAR too much time & money at stake to be selecting the wrong parts, colours, finishes, fasteners, etc.

[Colorado Greg]

I ran into the same problem when working on my brakes. The story that I believed.... was that back in the day, a person would cut the length of the rods to get more use out of the brakes instead of fixing the brakes correctly.

[Tom Wesenberg]

I agree with Greg that in the past someone most likely cut and rethreaded the rods. When you buy the new rods you may have to make the eye a bit thinner to get the antirattler springs on, and may want to turn the upset a little to make it more like the original.

[Kevin in NJ]

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It is important to understand that you do not use a tap and die to clean the threads.

Ford threads are tighter tolerance threads then what common tap and die sets have. If you clean the threads by hand you will find a very snug fit. If you use a tap and die you will not be happy with the amount of looseness you have just created.

Anymore I wire brush the male threads and hand clean with a right angle pick the female threads. When you learn how snugger the factory threads are you will be hesitant to ever use a tap and die on original Ford threads.

This applies even to hood rods and who knows what else.

I found that some of my brake rods were cut shorter. The originals had a pretty long threading. If you do any repairs you will find that the heated area bends much easier then the rest. If you do any splicing I suggest that you make an overlap weld area.

[Vanspeed]

These are not going on a judged car, so I do not care about standards or buying books. JKEESEY, are those lengths you gave me the rod itself without the clevis? Are you measuring from the center of the eyelet to the end of the thread? Thanks.

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Originally Posted by Vanspeed

These are not going on a judged car, so I do not care about standards or buying books. JKEESEY, are those lengths you gave me the rod itself without the clevis? Are you measuring from the center of the eyelet to the end of the thread? Thanks.

Maybe I am taking this out of context but with all due respect, then why do you even care if the rods are of different lengths or which clevis' you use? Choose a length that seems workabe, cut the others to match, re-thread/chase however best suits your desires, use whatever clevis will do the job ....and go for it! Like you said, no one will judge your car or your "efforts".

And, --this may not the case here, but so often it seems to me like no one is willing to spend the money or effort to learn on their own accord when it is much easier to ask someone else who HAS spent the time, effort, and money to learn the same information.

.

[jkeesey]

The rod length is from the center of the eyelit to the end of the threaded shaft. The actual length of the clevis' you picture shouldn't matter much

[Gary/IA]

And, --this may not the case here, but so often it seems to me like no one is willing to spend the money or effort to learn on their own accord when it is much easier to ask someone else who HAS spent the time, effort, and money to learn the same information.

.[/QUOTE]

And just exactly where is that line between learning on your own or asking on Fordbarn? Inquiring need to know.

[Gary/IA]

And, --this may not the case here, but so often it seems to me like no one is willing to spend the money or effort to learn on their own accord when it is much easier to ask someone else who HAS spent the time, effort, and money to learn the same information.

.[/QUOTE]

And just exactly where is that line between learning on your own or asking on Fordbarn? Inquiring minds need to know.

[J Franklin]

I think that line is when a person will not open their eyes or wallet to finding easy answers to common questions and save the hard questions for the forum.

[JD Miller]

Why would anyone spend their valuable time doing a little research when it's so easy to jump on Ford Barn? There's always someone here to answer the most basic of questions. And the person asking the question then has no time invested to increase their knowledge of the Model "A" Ford.

I have to agree with Brent on this one. Heaven forbid that anyone spend a few bucks for some basic reference material.

[J Franklin]

Even if you buy reference books you might read them cover to cover and find out answers to help someone else or to save doing something disastrous.

[Model A Fan]

Originally Posted by BRENT in 10-uh-C

And, --this may not the case here, but so often it seems to me like no one is willing to spend the money or effort to learn on their own accord when it is much easier to ask someone else who HAS spent the time, effort, and money to learn the same information.

.

I am guilty of this, but I am of the opinion, why not learn from others' mistakes and absorb their knowledge? I personally don't have the funds or time really to screw up a few times, and if asking a question saves me money, that is time I don't have to spend at work earning the money and time that can be spent working on my project.

Part of the reason I even post here is to ask questions that don't really seem to have an answer that a book can answer. I ended up grinding my distributor shaft and oil pump shaft out of the valve chamber because there was no other way to do it. I consulted the "Les Andrew's Book" (AKA everyone's bible it seems) and it was useless when it comes to an engine that is not perfect.

SO, most of the time we do try. Sometimes it might not seem like it, but I believe most people ENJOY working on their projects and enjoy taking the time to figure it out. If we didn't, we would have bought an already restored car...

[Model A Fan]

Originally Posted by Gary/IA

And just exactly where is that line between learning on your own or asking on Fordbarn? Inquiring minds need to know.

Don't ask questions!

[buyitsmart]

Vanspeed took photos and even asked if he should rebuild the current rods. It doesn't sound like he is afraid to put some effort into doing things right...

Also, FYI, I just opened my copy of the Model A Restoration Guidelines and Judging Standards and went to Area 7: Brakes and read all 9 pages and can't find the answer to his question....but it is a great book and well worth the money!

JMHO...I'm just a rookie here and I hope that it is the kind of place that I can get answers to questions that I am struggling with....it is that attitude that brought me here.

[700rpm]

Having your car judged (or not) should not be the criteria for doing a job right. I don't want the next guy who owns my car to think I was a bad mechanic or didn't know enough or care enough to do it correctly.

My father had a sign on his shop wall: "The honor of a mechanic is that he works just as well when the boss is away as he does when the boss is with him."

[pick]

I agree with posts above that many of us "rookies" ARE willing to learn/spend$ on reference materails/etc., but as buyitsmart alludes, often the answers that many of you who have been at this hobby for a while or even make your living at this restoration thing, may not be apparent. If some of you feel your knowledge is too valuable to share, then don't. If some of you are willing to help enlighten the newbies, Thank You! The gentleman I purchased my "A" from would always repsond to my inquiries with the comment that he could not fix it, but was willing to show me how. I learned a lot from him and am always willing to pass the information/knowledge along as that is what will help keep this hobby alive and well.

[Richard/Ca]

To do a job big or small do it right or not at all. Something I was told along time ago and have never forgotten. You could have a 100 books and there will always be a questions that can not be answered with out asking someones help.Maybe thats why there are so many books. And so many knowledgeable people willing to help.JMHO! Richard/Ca