Ford A brakes

[TomIII]

I'm working on the '31 brakes: front actuating arms are straight up vs 15 deg fwd. I have Ford A Mechanics Vol. 1. Do I need Vol 2 to shed light on the way to adjust this??

thanks in advance
Tom Allan

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Originally Posted by TomIII

I'm working on the '31 brakes: front actuating arms are straight up vs 15 deg fwd. I have Ford A Mechanics Vol. 1. Do I need Vol 2 to shed light on the way to adjust this??

thanks in advance
Tom Allan

Tom, in a nutshell you need more than what will be in Volume 1 or 2. What you need to determine is if the operating pin (A-2075) is the correct length (7.250"), -or whether the operating wedge (A-2050) is to factory spec, or if the shoe rollers (A-2023) are worn. There is a 0.002" tolerance on the roller and it should be 1.250" in diameter with a 0.4390" hole. For most people, these braking systems are more complicated to return them to factory specifications than what is realized.

[Dennis Pereira]

There's some recent post on this very subject. Search this thread function top of page.

[nkaminar]

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Brent has the correct approach but you can do some things first that may help. The pull rods lengths were set at the factory and Ford recommended that they do not get changed. Adjust the length of the pull rods for the 15 degrees angle at the front and then do not change their length. If you cannot adjust the brakes in front then either replace the push rod or put one or two pills in the top of the wedge. The wedge has to be in good condition as well as the brake shoes and drums. And everything else. The roller tracks must not be worn. They can be welded up and filed flat but, as Brent said, the tolerance on the roller tracks is tight. The roller pins have to be in good shape. I used new ones as they are not very expensive.

When you are done the car should stop in 25 feet or less at 20 mph and not pull to one side or the other. Some people use Flat Head Ted kits in the front as they provide a floating action, but if the stock brakes are 100% they will stop the car well.