Brake shoes slanting inward - What about the long spring ?
 

I am installing Flathead Ted's deluxe floater kit on my 1930 Model A.

The instructions, and the tech articles on ocmafc.com say that I don''t need to reinstall the long brake shoe spring.

However, with only the short springs installed (hooked from the back), some of the shoes are pulled so that they are slanting slightly inwards towards the centre of the car. When the brakes are applied, the first thing that happens to those shoes is that they move sideways - straightening up before they start to expand. I see no way of knowing whether they have straightened up at the point when they start squeezing againt the drum, or if they meet the drum contacting the drum by the edge only.

When the long spring is connected, however, the shoes that are slanting inward straighten up.

So, do I need to follow the instructions and leave the long spring out ?

I have detected that with the long spring in place, more force is needed to move the floating shoes

What is the consequence for the brakes of some of the shoes slanting inward ?

Is there any way of making all shoes stand straight without installing the long spring ?

I have installed new spings, rollers pins, wedges, wedge axles and bushings bought from Snyders about 15 years ago.

The adjustment pins have been dressed well with emery cloth and the angle of the tip is as close to 30 degrees as I can measure. The fork end has been squeezed to fit well to the shoes.

Re: Brake shoes slanting inward - What about the long spring ?
 

I have installed the floaters with (by accident) and without (as instructed) the long spring.

With the long spring:

braking took more force (or so it seemed)
brakes are less 'grabby'
shoes return as soon as brake pedal is released.

Without the long spring -

braking takes less force (or so it seems)
during hard braking the shoes tend to grab quickly
shoes tend to 'lock' momentarily after forceful braking

When I returned the car to 'pure' mechanical I found that adjusting was more difficult and took a bit more time to get them set just right. I think this was a result of not making sure EVERYTHING was perfect.

I have since gone back to the floaters without the long spring and I like the braking - feels very sure and even.

Your results will vary and this is not meant to be an all inclusive response. I like the ease of adjustment with the floaters and I think they work well for my application.

Mike in NRN IN

Re: Brake shoes slanting inward - What about the long spring ?
 

Some of the suppliers are carrying brake shoe springs that are incorrect for the Model A. I had the same problem with the shoes being pulled at an angle on a club members car. The springs were too strong and the hooks at the ends were oriented incorrectly. Bratton's brake springs are corrrect.

Tom Endy