1932 Brake Housing Plate Centering Bracket question...

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

I am working on a customer's '32 rear end that we noticed one of the ears on the centering bracket (a/k/a Brake Track) is missing. A couple of vendors are showing the replacement Roller Brack Tracks for the front & rear brake on a Model-A carried thru for use on the '32 brakes. We have compared them, and they appear to be very close in shape, we're not sure if they are exactly the same. Can anyone confirm these A units are interchangeable?

Thanks!!

[deuce lover]

Here are pics of rear brakes of a 33 I once had.Hope this helps.Upper spring missing in these pics

[petehoovie]

Originally Posted by deuce lover

Here are pics of rear brakes of a 33 I once had.Hope this helps.Upper spring missing in these pics

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Thanks guys. We have the correct Brake Housing (Backing) Plates to reference however we (me) is a little apprehensive about removing the existing bracket that is there until we know that a suitable replacement centering bracket is available. If we know the Model-A track assembly can be substituted (-maybe even with a little modification work), we will install those.

[jimTN]

If its the wedge that the rollers run on, part B2850, my 28-36 Ford parts book says 28 to 34.

[Terry,OH]

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If the part that is broken is riveted to the backing plate I suggest getting another backing plate and replace!

[deuce lover]

I suggest you Contact Third Generation Automotive in McMinnville ,TN .He deals in these early Ford parts and is a member here.

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Originally Posted by Terry,OH

If the part that is broken is riveted to the backing plate I suggest getting another backing plate and replace!

Thank you for your advice but honestly, I don't see the logic. What am I missing? Why not repair/restore instead of replacing it with another Plate with potentially the same worn part?? At that point, would we really gain anything?


And for the others, thank you for trying to assist us. For some who are still curious what I am referring to, I have included some pictures. As I commented on above, while the description states they should work, the Model-A units are not exactly the same. We can modify those if need be, but I just wanted to make sure that replacement units for the '32 Plates were not available. I also included the factory drawing of the front Centering Plate that does appear to be the same as the Model-A units.

.

[petehoovie]

Originally Posted by BRENT in 10-uh-C

Thank you for your advice but honestly, I don't see the logic. What am I missing? Why not repair/restore instead of replacing it with another Plate with potentially the same worn part?? At that point, would we really gain anything?


And for the others, thank you for trying to assist us. For some who are still curious what I am referring to, I have included some pictures. As I commented on above, while the description states they should work, the Model-A units are not exactly the same. We can modify those if need be, but I just wanted to make sure that replacement units for the '32 Plates were not available. I also included the factory drawing of the front Centering Plate that does appear to be the same as the Model-A units.

.

[Bruce_MO]

It was 1983 when I did the brakes on my ‘32, but it seems to me from your photos that the raised boss for the camshaft and the significant bend/step in the roller track of the original ‘32 part would mean that use of a replacement Model A track would put the roller tracks a lot closer to the surface of the backing plate. In other words, the shoes would be misaligned to the drum and it wouldn’t work. Maybe chop off a hardened track from the A part and carefully weld it to what’s left of the broken ear? If so, best to . that task, though. Good luck.

[Bruce_MO]

… best to remove the track to ensure a good weld. Sorry- typing on my phone and fat fingering things.

[cas3]

I've removed the track, weld it up, grind it to size. Not a big deal, and you get a hard surface from the weld.

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Originally Posted by Bruce_MO

It was 1983 when I did the brakes on my ‘32, but it seems to me from your photos that the raised boss for the camshaft and the significant bend/step in the roller track of the original ‘32 part would mean that use of a replacement Model A track would put the roller tracks a lot closer to the surface of the backing plate. In other words, the shoes would be misaligned to the drum and it wouldn’t work. Maybe chop off a hardened track from the A part and carefully weld it to what’s left of the broken ear? If so, best to . that task, though. Good luck.

Thank you for the suggestion about using a portion of the A track. We have considered this too however it may not be necessary. In the above pictures (-4th picture from the top), we have overlayed the Model-A Centering Bracket Assy over the broken 1932 Bracket, and you can see the 2 different year Tracks are very close to each other's location. I think that is an optical illusion that the Model-A Track would be closer to the Plate. Remember, what we are viewing is the Model-A Track being inverted. When the Model-A Track is mounted onto the '32 Plate and the Camshaft Tube is inserted thru the Plate, the ears will be offset away from the Plate surface.

I think what I am going to try to do is machine a shaft out of bar stock that I can use in both of the Rear Brake Camshaft tubes simultaneously to get an accurate center alignment to verify the Tracks are indeed on the same plane. One other thought we have talked about is to use the Flathead Ted's square-head Roller Pins instead of the stock pins since the head on the FH Ted units are thicker. I guess if those are still too short, we can add some weld to the Plate-side of the stock Roller Pins and then machine that to OD size and face the backside. One thing that definitely plays into our favor is since these are rear Brakes, having the shoes perfectly centered is not as critical since the Rear Cams help center the shoes when the shoes contact the Drum. The only other hurdle is the '32 Bracket Mounting Rivets are longer than the Model-A Rivets. I'll probably just order some 0.375" A2 bar and machine new rivets that match the '32 rivet length.

Originally Posted by Bruce_MO

… best to remove the track to ensure a good weld. Sorry- typing on my phone and fat fingering things.

Originally Posted by cas3

I've removed the track, weld it up, grind it to size. Not a big deal, and you get a hard surface from the weld.

Please forgive my ignorance on this guys, ...but weld 'what' up? I too have welded worn Tracks when replacements were unavailable however look closely again and I think you will see that part of the original ear is missing (i.e.: gone ) on the '32 plate

[The Art Doctor]

Could save a lot of time......https://www.ebay.com/itm/226989148010

[petehoovie]

Originally Posted by The Art Doctor

Could save a lot of time......https://www.ebay.com/itm/226989148010

[Bob C]

Here's a pair for $100. https://www.ebay.com/itm/20575397955...Bk9SR-C70IjsZg

[petehoovie]

Originally Posted by Bob C

Here's a pair for $100. https://www.ebay.com/itm/20575397955...Bk9SR-C70IjsZg

[Terry,OH]

You appear to be in business, when you work on brakes your taking on liability exposure. Suggested replacing backing plate to reduce your exposure to problems.

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Originally Posted by Terry,OH

You appear to be in business, when you work on brakes your taking on liability exposure. Suggested replacing backing plate to reduce your exposure to problems.

Yes, I am in business. Thank you.

FWIW, -in all of the suggested eBay listings posted above, look at how much those Brake Track are severely worn on each plate. So, in essence, the customer really would not be getting anything better than what he has now if all we did was install one of those. Since the late '90s when we started, we have always been an advocate to 'Restore' over 'Replace'. That mindset has served us well. Thanks again.