I don't want to make one...Who sells?

[spdway1]

I am looking to see who sells the brake pedal adjustment contraption with the notches cut out and the other end resting on the bottom of the seat.

My normal vendors don't seem to list it. And I don't want to make one.

[alexiskai]

https://www.harborfreight.com/hand-t...der-64153.html

$7 plus the five minutes it takes to scribe lines on the bar for the distances you need.

[Randy in ca]

Mike's has them for about $30. Also have 2 page instructions shown at
the link below:

https://www.mikes-afordable.com/product/T2499.html

[spdway1]

Do I really need it?

[Bruce of MN]

I don't see how you could do it solo without the stick or equivalent. I also use mine for this:

[johnbuckley]

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Originally Posted by spdway1

Do I really need it?

I couldn't manage without it !

[nkaminar]

Speedway, I am just curious. Why don't you want to make one?

The tool that Alexiskai had the link to can be modified by turning the movable part around so that it pushes apart rather than clamping. There is a roll spring that needs to be pressed out at the end and then the movable part can be removed and put back on backwards. It is a little hard to align up all the internal parts, but it can be done.

[WHN]

Ford would have offered one if it were really the right way to go.

If your brakes are done properly, you don’t need.

Also, properly rebuilt Model A brakes can be adjusted by one person. The secret is PROPERLY.

[Y-Blockhead]

I adjust my brakes with a bias for the front brakes. That tool is basically useless to me. It adjusts the brakes with a bias on the rear, the old way of thinking.

[wrndln]

Does anyone have the dimensions for making the adjustment tool. It seems pretty simple to make if you have a saw.
Rusty Nelson

[alexiskai]

Originally Posted by nkaminar

The tool that Alexiskai had the link to can be modified by turning the movable part around so that it pushes apart rather than clamping. There is a roll spring that needs to be pressed out at the end and then the movable part can be removed and put back on backwards. It is a little hard to align up all the internal parts, but it can be done.

Actually that one you only need to turn the knob on the fixed end. It detaches and then you swap it to the other end to turn the tool into a spreader. Place one end of the spreader against the brake pedal and the other against the front of the seat. Works great.

[nkaminar]

Alexiskai, Good idea. That sounds simpler than my way. I always have a problem getting the sliding parts back on.

[Sunny the Model A]

Originally Posted by Y-Blockhead

I adjust my brakes with a bias for the front brakes. That tool is basically useless to me. It adjusts the brakes with a bias on the rear, the old way of thinking.

the rear biased way makes the car stop far quicker. if the rears lock first you can still steer while coming to a stop. I've had my butt saved that way. if my A had been front biased it would have rear ended the Toyota that cut me off. i had to brake hard and pull to the right. I've done extensive testing and the way Henry did it gives the shortest stopping distance. and for the record the brake buddy only applies pressure, it doesn't care what bias you are putting on the car. but page 202 in the ford service bulletin is the best way to adjust the brakes by far. I will only drive model A's and only if they are set up the way it was intended

[jb-ob]

Sunny, I don't know enough about any mechanical differences but by 1932 the Service Bulletins then where having mechanics adjust all four brakes the same. (Musta poured a lot of concrete between 1928 to 1932.)

Just adding to the discussion, not a criticism. When an owner boasts about how fast, I ask about what he has for brakes. Conversation quickly changes.

[Sunny the Model A]

Originally Posted by jb-ob

Sunny, I don't know enough about any mechanical differences but by 1932 the Service Bulletins then where having mechanics adjust all four brakes the same. (Musta poured a lot of concrete between 1928 to 1932.)

Just adding to the discussion, not a criticism. When an owner boasts about how fast, I ask about what he has for brakes. Conversation quickly changes.

I am willing to drive my a 50 mph no problem since the engine is intended to drive 50 mph at 2200 rpm. i cruise around 45 most of the time. i know my A will stop from 30 mph in 35 feet when doing braking tests. i run stock woven linings and cast iron drums. i set my brakes 60% in the rear and 40% up front. i can stop on a dime and get 9 cents change. the A is the only car i trust to stop fast enough. i won't touch hydraulic brakes of any sort and wish they kept mechanicals. they work great. every single vehicle i've ever owned or worked on that had hydraulic brakes had leaks, bad cylinders etc. my A has always stopped perfectly every time. this is why I will only drive A's or T's since i don't trust anything else

[jb-ob]

Sunny, With what I see on the highway, I'm not comfortable driving my modern car ! 'Be safe out there'

[Sunny the Model A]

Originally Posted by jb-ob

Sunny, With what I see on the highway, I'm not comfortable driving my modern car ! 'Be safe out there'

i stopped driving on the interstate since everyone is driving 70+ mph, and i'm not in a hurry. i prefer taking the old highways, often it takes less time with no traffic jams. I worked for Enterprise as a detailer and had to drive jelly beans on the highway. I hate how modern cars handle and felt wildly unsafe in them. I now am only trusting my A since i'm in control not some computer

[Ruth]

Originally Posted by Sunny the Model A

the rear biased way makes the car stop far quicker.

In your dreams.

[Sunny the Model A]

Originally Posted by Ruth

In your dreams.

I set up a test on an abandoned road with a friend. we set up a line and did brake tests. he flashed a light when i touched the line and i would slam on the brakes and we'd measure the distance and record it. we waited 10 minutes between tests to ensure reliable results and did each test 3 times and took the average. with 50/50 bias 20 mph took 26 feet, 30 mph 39 feet, 50 mph took 103 feet. 60% bias to the front 20 mph 29 feet, 30 mph 46 feet, 50 mph 118 feet. 60% bias to the rear 20 mph 20 feet, 30 mph 31 feet, 50 mph 82 feet. the car tested was a 31 widebed pickup with cast drums and stock woven linings. i also tested the brakes while steering. we set up a lane change test and while braking we could steer it to the side while the rears were dragging the car to a stop. if the brakes were set up 50/50 or front biased the front wheels lock and the car loses steering. if for no other reason i highly recommend that all A's be set up with slight bias to the rear, if not 60/40, at least 55/45 to allow steering while stopping. the rear bias saved my butt on the road and I'm absolutely certain my A would have rear ended the toyota that had darted in front of me had i not been able to lock the rears and move over to the side.

[nkaminar]

There is more to this story. If, as you say, the front wheels were locking, that means that you have lost traction to the road. The sliding friction is less that static friction. That means that for good braking the tires should not skid. You also state that when set up for rear bias that the front wheels were not skidding. That means that they were getting good traction on the pavement and the brakes were doing their job. You might try the test again with the front bias and not lock up the brakes in the front. You want to brake just to the point where the tires would start to skid if you applied more pressure on the brake pedal.

By the way, this test is usually done with a 22 cartridge that puts a mark on the road when the brakes are applied. I have no idea how that works, but it was a common test in the 50's.