Comprehesive howto for brakes?

[nkaminar]

Freak,

Adjust the lengths of the rods first to get the 15 degrees from vertical in front. I forget what is is at the back but the principle is to get the best leverage. If the levers are not near vertical when applying hard braking then you are not getting the best mechanical advantage.

After that, and assuming you have completed all the repairs as needed, try adjusting the brakes starting with the adjusters all the way out. If you cannot get them to adjust then add a pill, but do not change the length of the rods.

If you are a mechanic then you should be able to get the brakes working well enough to lock up the wheels. As in any mechanical system just make sure everything works freely, that no parts are excessively worn, and that the shoes fit to the drums.

And, as blockhead said, use cast iron drums.

[freak]

Originally Posted by nkaminar

Freak,

Adjust the lengths of the rods first to get the 15 degrees from vertical in front. I forget what is is at the back but the principle is to get the best leverage. If the levers are not near vertical when applying hard braking then you are not getting the best mechanical advantage.

That's part of what I'm having trouble with. With the rod disconnected, the lever (or arm) on the backing plate stands straight up with no force applied. Only when moving past straight up will the brakes start being applied. So to adjust the lever to 15 (without even dealing with the rod yet) is where I am confused.

[Ruth]

Originally Posted by freak

That's part of what I'm having trouble with. With the rod disconnected, the lever (or arm) on the backing plate stands straight up with no force applied. Only when moving past straight up will the brakes start being applied. So to adjust the lever to 15 (without even dealing with the rod yet) is where I am confused.

You need to add a pill(s) to the actuating rod to get it 15° forward, then reconnect the rods.

or replace the operating pins if they are worn excessive. Should be 7¼" long. I actually had a bent one that was causing me heartburn.

Purdy Swoft had a good brake setup procedure that I always follow with great success.

[freak]

Ok thanks. I think that's what nkaminar was saying too.

[Ruth]

Originally Posted by nkaminar

Freak,

To answer your question, after setting my rods for 15 degrees lever position, I had to add a spacer (pill) to be able to adjust the brakes.

Originally Posted by freak

Ok thanks. I think that's what nkaminar was saying too.

I think nkaminar was saying it opposite. I think you have to set the 15° before you set the rod length. You don't set the lever 15° by adjusting the rod length, you do that with the pill(s).

[freak]

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Originally Posted by Ruth

I think nkaminar was saying it opposite. I think you have to set the 15° before you set the rod length. You don't set the lever 15° by adjusting the rod length, you do that with the pill(s).

I re-read his post and I'm not sure. But I understand what you're saying and I agree with it.

[Y-Blockhead]

Purdy's Brake adjustment procedure has always worked for me. And yes, the 15° lever position must be correct before you start. Add pills or replace parts as needed to reach 15°.

No, Purdy does not use the "Brake Board".


Purdy’s Brake adjustment

Here is what works for me, even if there is wear in the system. Disconnect all of the service brake rods at the clevis end. Adjust the brake pedal rod so that the brake switch plunger is 1/16 inch from the inside back of the center cross member with the brake pedal at the top of its travel. This is where the pedal rod plunger contacts the brake light switch on the 30-31 models. In extreme cases, to give more threads at the clevises it may be necessary to adjust the pedal rod all the way back to the center crossmember without the 1/16 gap. Because there will nearly always be some wear in rear wheel bearings and axle housing bearing races, I first adjust the rear brakes. With any wear, rear brake adjustments made with the rear wheels off the ground will be TOO tight with the wheels on the ground. With the tires properly inflated for easy roll, I adjust the rear brakes with the tires on the shop floor. You only want very slight drag if any or the brakes will quickly overheat. Unless something is too tight, wheel bearings, brakes or the tires are low, a man should be able to slightly push the car back and forth by hand while making adjustments at the rear wedges to determine brake drag. You don't want much drag. After the rear brake adjustments at the rear wedges have been made Move to the front. With jack stands under the front axle, adjust the front brakes at the wedges until the brakes lock and back off as needed .You can check brake action by spinning the wheel and moving the brake lever by hand before connecting the brake rods. After the front wedges are adjusted, its time to move on to the brake rod connections. If you want good brakes, BELIEVE me, forget about any exact measurement here!!!!!!! The brake rods need to all be adjusted at the clevis ends so that the clevis pins will just enter the pinholes with ALL slack removed. This setup will have the pedal at the top of its travel and ready to put the lining to the drum. There is no need to concern yourself about whether the rear brakes engage first, its built in. I guarantee that if the brakes are right or even have some wear this setup will give very good brakes. anything less will not. In testing and as new parts wear in, adjustments will need to be monitored I usually make panic stops in sand or dirt to gauge skid marks and adjust as needed.

[freak]

Originally Posted by Y-Blockhead

Purdy's Brake adjustment procedure has always works for me. And yes, the 15° lever position must be correct before you start. Add pills or replace parts as needed to reach 15°.

Not, Purdy does not use the "Brake Board".


Purdy’s Brake adjustment
[snip]
.

This is good info thanks!

[john in illinois]

If you want a comprehensive howto,you need to take apart all brake parts and inspect Les A ndrews first book will explain step by steo what you need to do to to have good brakes. The last thing you do is adjust them.
Good luck
John

[whirnot]

Not to hijack this thread, but in the service bulletins, Ford specifically stated that the brake rods are set at the factory and are not to be adjusted when adjusting brakes. They even bold typed it.

[alexiskai]

Originally Posted by whirnot

Not to hijack this thread, but in the service bulletins, Ford specifically stated that the brake rods are set at the factory and are not to be adjusted when adjusting brakes. They even bold typed it.

It's not hijacking, this fact was mentioned in the very first response.

[Y-Blockhead]

Originally Posted by whirnot

Not to hijack this thread, but in the service bulletins, Ford specifically stated that the brake rods are set at the factory and are not to be adjusted when adjusting brakes. They even bold typed it.

It also says in the Service Bulletins not to turn the brake drums but how many people have done that?

I can think of a lot of reasons for the need to adjust the brake rods after 90 years besides worn parts. How about a slightly tweaked front axle for one. Bent frame?

[JKY]

Originally Posted by whirnot

Not to hijack this thread, but in the service bulletins, Ford specifically stated that the brake rods are set at the factory and are not to be adjusted when adjusting brakes. They even bold typed it.

And I would probably do just that, if my car were fresh from the factory and hadn't been owned by 40 different people before I bought it and if it wasn't 90+ years old.

I have no idea what prior owners have done with it, so I'll start fresh and set it up correctly, then probably not move them like the service bulletins say.

Might want to point out, in a constructive manner, what in Paul's videos could be improved or what he may have gotten wrong that he can correct. I believe that may be more helpful.

Thanks,
Kevin

[ericr]

we need a consensus about adjusting the length of brake rods.

weren't the earliest brake rods non-adjustable?

if no adjustment was ever deemed desirable, why were the brake rods threaded?

[freak]

After all the work that I just did on my front brakes I'll have to say that adjusting them may be necessary but you should use the wedges as a first resort. I had to install pills on each side to get to the recommended 15 degrees. Then I had to adjust the rods to fit the new arm position. If I replaced the operating rods (mine were .020 under 7.25) and every other piece that could have been worn with parts that equaled exact tolerance OEM parts then the pill may not have been necessary. Impossible to tell what has been adjusted in the last 90 years. I don't think that adjusting the rods right from the start is the correct way to get the brakes dialed in.

[alexiskai]

Originally Posted by ericr

if no adjustment was ever deemed desirable, why were the brake rods threaded?

I assume because there were variations in overall distance from the cross shaft to the brake levers even at the factory.

[whirnot]

Originally Posted by ericr

we need a consensus about adjusting the length of brake rods.

weren't the earliest brake rods non-adjustable?

if no adjustment was ever deemed desirable, why were the brake rods threaded?

You would also want to adjust them after a brake onerhaul, making sure everything else was correct. They are not to be adjusted as part of the normal service adjustment, which in the youtube video eluded to was exactly what was being done.

[ericr]

I commented once before that with all the comments contained in the Service Bulletins on minor issues, it puzzles me that brakes are not discussed more often. Perhaps the contemporary availability of factory replacement drums solved many of our modern issues.

Anyway it would be nice if somebody had some kind of non-Company repair manual from that era addressing Ford brake jobs in detail.

[Chuck Sea/Tac]

Originally Posted by ericr

Anyway it would be nice if somebody had some kind of non-Company repair manual from that era addressing Ford brake jobs in detail.

I don’t think the information would be any different then what you just saw posted here!