1936 Ford 4dr (survivor) new f\brakes no pedal

[flatfoota37]

I just had a complete brake job on my '36 Ford fordor touring sedan. The brakes are up against the hubs and I don't have very much pedal(1-2 inches) when I apply them. Almost to the floor.
Anybody have a suggestion to correct this problem. The rods are in good shape not bent. clovis pins are new. cables are good. Just have to almost floor the pedal to make everything work???

Thank you for any ideas you may suggest.

[Lawson Cox]

What do you mean, cables in good shape, kemosabe? What about the cleviss themselves?

[VeryTangled]

Greetings flatfoota37 (even though you've been registered for several years). While the STOCK '36 brake system seems pretty simple there are many opportunities for its performance to degrade. Most of them relate to very minor areas of excess play/movement.

Brake rods must be arrow straight (you mentioned that) and have circular not oval clevice mounting points at both ends and able to be adjusted properly. Every single pin has to be round, there may be about a dozen.

I had a chance to pick through about fifteen or twenty of JM35's brake rods and found a few that were usable. Some had already been welded back to round holes. Check with Michael, he may have minty brake rods and had all the other bits and bobs when I needed them several years ago. https://thirdgenauto.com/

The arms on the backing plates need to be similar, not worn. The cups on the back of the arms have to fit snugly into part 2050 in the drawing grabbed from vanpeltsales.com. VanPelt's will be helpful.

The cross-shaft could have worn bushings, many do. They are bronze and not as easy to repair as roller bearings.

The shoes may be fresh but not connecting the drums firmly.


There are a few springs in the pedal system that are often replaced with inferior parts.

Even after getting all this set-up, expect to monitor and adjust frequently.

Check some stuff out and send photos for more advice.

How to post photos here, where you find a 7-minute video to help. https://youtu.be/CGijbl1bfnI

[Kube]

Originally Posted by flatfoota37

I just had a complete brake job on my '36 Ford fordor touring sedan. The brakes are up against the hubs and I don't have very much pedal(1-2 inches) when I apply them. Almost to the floor.
Anybody have a suggestion to correct this problem. The rods are in good shape not bent. clovis pins are new. cables are good. Just have to almost floor the pedal to make everything work???

Thank you for any ideas you may suggest.

Okay, the clevis pins are new... what is the condition of the mating holes in the rods? If the pins were worn out, the holes are most likely elongated. A slight elongation equates to an exponential amount of pedal travel.
Also, check the equalizer at the crossmember. Worn out?
There is also an adjustment between the pedal and the equalizer to be made.

[DavidG]

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Also, you mention cables, but there were no cables in a stock '36 brake system. Please clarify.