Is it necessary to bend new brake roller track "ears"

[Pat Martone]

I have rebuilt backing plates with new roller tracks performed by one of the major suppliers, and for shoe alignment with the drums, Andrews' book recommends bending the "ears". Is this necessary and easy to do? I am not looking forward to bending new roller tracks and I wonder if they might be difficult to bend and I wonder if they are hardened steel. Your opinions are appreciated. Thanks.

[Tom Wesenberg]

I wouldn't bend them, as you want the tracks to be in a straight line. I've welded and filed my wear spots on the tracks.

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Pat, if you find yourself needing to bend them, then something else is out of specification.

[Ed Northrop]

Tom how do you align your brakes with the drums. I used self stick sand paper and lined my drums and sanded the brake shows to match. I bought one of the alignment tools and when I bent the tap to align brake shoes it broke. I bought them from one of the suppliers. I am not sure what I did wrong.

[Tom Wesenberg]

Ed, I haven't assembled my rebuild backing plates and brakes yet. I'm driving with a good used axle assembly to keep the car on the road. I need to finish some generators before I can get back to my own Model A parts.

[Joe K]

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Originally Posted by Ed Northrop

Tom how do you align your brakes with the drums. I used self stick sand paper and lined my drums and sanded the brake shows to match. I bought one of the alignment tools and when I bent the tap to align brake shoes it broke. I bought them from one of the suppliers. I am not sure what I did wrong.

Don't the alignment tools just "center" the shoes? This for application of the drum on a non-adjusted brake shoe pair?

You by matching your drums are already past the centering issue. Well, you have to remove the sandpaper on the drum and this requires small additional final adjustment to bring the shoes closer into play (you removed the thickness of the sandpaper which has to be made up with the brake adjuster.)

Lateral position of the shoes is set by the "ears" mentioned. Bending would be an effort to get the shoe to "track" to the drum? (and an imperfect one at that since bending them makes them non-parallel to the action of the shoe)

To answer to the question originally - no I don't see bending the ears either, any more than you relocate the cam (rear) or the pin/traveler (front) or the adjustment wedge clevises in the housing (other end of shoe) All these are by original Ford design relative to each other.

Well, how I see it in my mind's eye.

Joe K

[Pat Martone]

As a result of installing new cast iron drums, new shoes, and rebuilt backing plates and roller tracks, my brakes work quite well, and I can lock-up all four wheels without too much effort. I was just wondering why Les Andrews' book indicates the roller track ears should be bent during the adjustment process. From the replies here, it seems I do not have to perform that task. Thank you for your comments.

[Tom Wesenberg]

Originally Posted by Pat Martone

As a result of installing new cast iron drums, new shoes, and rebuilt backing plates and roller tracks, my brakes work quite well, and I can lock-up all four wheels without too much effort. I was just wondering why Les Andrews' book indicates the roller track ears should be bent during the adjustment process. From the replies here, it seems I do not have to perform that task. Thank you for your comments.

Sometimes bad information and "old wives tales" get repeated so often they become gospel.

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Originally Posted by Tom Wesenberg

Sometimes bad information and "old wives tales" get repeated so often they become gospel.

AMEN to that!!! There truly seems to be a lot of that nonsense that gets spread here huh?

[Mitch//pa]

what makes it confusing to some its stated in the les andrews red book to bend them for brake shoe centering..

[Purdy Swoft]

Installing new brake tracks doesn't center the shoes within the drum. The centering tool doesn't actually center anything, it only shows where you're at and which way you need to go. Some of the repro rear tracks are of different material and will break before they will bend. There is no track adjustment, front or rear. I build my worn tracks up with weld and grind as needed to center. The old mechanics ( mostly all dead by now) told me that they bent the tracks to center. The tracks need to be level and may require more welding and grinding if bending is done. Its mostly just common sense. Many say not to bend the tracks but offer no suggestion of what to do.

[jkeesey]

The tracks need to be bent of the weld build up is not the factory spec moving the shoes higher or lower, or in the case of replacing the tracks the track can be installed crooked. I've only had to bend 1 track and it was due to improper weld done by the owner. I use an Ammco Brake Gauge and check every track I work on and have never had to bend a new one.

[Bob C]

The Barrett Brake Manual tells to bend the tracks.
See link https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showth...hlight=barrett

Bob