The Ford Barn

cliffpatience · 04-22-2013, 02:07 PM

Hi,
This is my first visit to this system.
My 31 Ford (mechanical brakes) pulls to the right all the time. I have tried lots of "fixes" but no Sucess.
I have new lignings. cast iron drums, fully restored car.
the car will start and run fine until I make a rapid stop. The right front wheel will "drag" and pull the car to the right.
Does any one have an idea or a vidio about how to fix this problem?
Cliff S.

Patrick L. · 04-22-2013, 03:04 PM

What condition are the brakes in other than the new linings ? A good service manual may be in order.
How are the brakes adjusted ? Did you use the 'brake board' method ? If you remove the RF service/pull rod and manually work that brake arm, does it work freely and return ?

700rpm · 04-22-2013, 03:09 PM

"Fully restored" can mean a lot of things, depending on who did it. Likewise, there are several things that can cause brakes to pull. Knowing what you have already done will help in a diagnosis.

The easiest first step would be jack up the front end and adjust the brakes so you have equal drag on each wheel. Then take it for a test drive and after a few stops, feel the drums left and right. If one is hot and the other isn't, back off the hot one a couple notches and repeat the drive/stop exercise until you get equal heat and no pull. This won't be a full brake adjustment; that's a whole different drill.

James Rogers · 04-22-2013, 09:19 PM

Be aware, if the right rear wheel locks up first it will pull the car to the right. My left rear locks up first and will pull the car sharply to the left.

montanafordman · 04-22-2013, 10:40 PM

One major factor in stopping power that will make a wheel that is set up properly grab a lot harder (or faster) than one that isn't is centering the brakes. This could be causing your pull to either side. Spend some extra time getting the brakes centered on all 4 wheels - get someone to mentor you or help you with this step if you are not sure. Get a centering tool and use a crescent wrench to bend the tracks up or down to center the shoes or use a hammer and punch to bend the tracks to where the shoes are centered. Also make sure your operating pins on the front are not worn, or you have some "pills" so that your have a (I think?) 15 degree forward lean on your front brake levers. This way they will have optimum leverage when the brakes are holding.

There are many components in the mechanical brakes that wear and will decrease effectiveness. Unfortunately when they have years of wear you need to address many things in the chain not just shoes and drums. Good luck!

larrys40 · 04-22-2013, 10:49 PM

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Cliff,

Not knowing the real condition of your brakes and components inside each drum, you could have a multitude of things going on. My suggestion would be to do a 4-wheel brake adjustment from scratch.. and get them dialed in together..... If you have someone in a local Model A club who is schooled at brakes I would first suggest getting some assistance from them... as adjusting brakes can be a 2-person job. There are mechanical aids like the brake adjust sticks ( holds pedal down at intervals) that help.... The old movie by Lloyd Kerr " stopping on a dime" gives great insight as to how they work. You really need to learn that to understand how to adjust them and solve problems within the system.

4-wheel adjustment involves unhooking the brake rod at the adjustable clevis and adjusting the wedges till they just start to drag, then back off a notch or two. Clevises are adjusted for even brake feel at the wheels rear (left to right) should be equal and front. Remember the front wheels need to roll to steer, even under hard brake. Even a turn on the clevis can make a difference. This is all where the experience and knowledge comes in... so my suggestion is to watch the movie, read Les Andrews books on brake adjustments... If someone local is schooled on them then that should help. Done right Model A mechanical brakes are great. Done wrong they are an accident waiting to happen. Please don't look at some of the bad advice on you tube on adjusting brakes. Some of the procedures are horribly bad.

Ensure that all arms, levers, shafts are moving, all clevis pins in, cotter keyed.. etc.
Once your brakes are working properly, and adjusted properly, you can drive in total confidence. Broke in you should be able to lock up the rear wheels on a hard brake.

Larry Shepard

04-22-2013, 02:07 PM	#1
cliffpatience Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: florida Posts: 5	31 Ford pulls to the right Hi, This is my first visit to this system. My 31 Ford (mechanical brakes) pulls to the right all the time. I have tried lots of "fixes" but no Sucess. I have new lignings. cast iron drums, fully restored car. the car will start and run fine until I make a rapid stop. The right front wheel will "drag" and pull the car to the right. Does any one have an idea or a vidio about how to fix this problem? Cliff S.

04-22-2013, 03:04 PM	#2
Patrick L. Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Largo Florida Posts: 7,225	Re: 31 Ford pulls to the right What condition are the brakes in other than the new linings ? A good service manual may be in order. How are the brakes adjusted ? Did you use the 'brake board' method ? If you remove the RF service/pull rod and manually work that brake arm, does it work freely and return ?

04-22-2013, 03:09 PM	#3
700rpm Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 5,906	Re: 31 Ford pulls to the right "Fully restored" can mean a lot of things, depending on who did it. Likewise, there are several things that can cause brakes to pull. Knowing what you have already done will help in a diagnosis. The easiest first step would be jack up the front end and adjust the brakes so you have equal drag on each wheel. Then take it for a test drive and after a few stops, feel the drums left and right. If one is hot and the other isn't, back off the hot one a couple notches and repeat the drive/stop exercise until you get equal heat and no pull. This won't be a full brake adjustment; that's a whole different drill. __________________ Ray Horton, Portland, OR As you go through life, keep your eye on the donut, not the hole.

04-22-2013, 09:19 PM	#4
James Rogers Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Asheville,NC Posts: 3,104	Re: 31 Ford pulls to the right Be aware, if the right rear wheel locks up first it will pull the car to the right. My left rear locks up first and will pull the car sharply to the left. __________________ http://www.model-a-ford-4bangers.com/

04-22-2013, 10:40 PM	#5
montanafordman Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Meridian, ID Posts: 568	Re: 31 Ford pulls to the right One major factor in stopping power that will make a wheel that is set up properly grab a lot harder (or faster) than one that isn't is centering the brakes. This could be causing your pull to either side. Spend some extra time getting the brakes centered on all 4 wheels - get someone to mentor you or help you with this step if you are not sure. Get a centering tool and use a crescent wrench to bend the tracks up or down to center the shoes or use a hammer and punch to bend the tracks to where the shoes are centered. Also make sure your operating pins on the front are not worn, or you have some "pills" so that your have a (I think?) 15 degree forward lean on your front brake levers. This way they will have optimum leverage when the brakes are holding. There are many components in the mechanical brakes that wear and will decrease effectiveness. Unfortunately when they have years of wear you need to address many things in the chain not just shoes and drums. Good luck!

04-22-2013, 10:49 PM	#6
larrys40 Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: St Charles , Missouri Posts: 1,998	Re: 31 Ford pulls to the right Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) Cliff, Not knowing the real condition of your brakes and components inside each drum, you could have a multitude of things going on. My suggestion would be to do a 4-wheel brake adjustment from scratch.. and get them dialed in together..... If you have someone in a local Model A club who is schooled at brakes I would first suggest getting some assistance from them... as adjusting brakes can be a 2-person job. There are mechanical aids like the brake adjust sticks ( holds pedal down at intervals) that help.... The old movie by Lloyd Kerr " stopping on a dime" gives great insight as to how they work. You really need to learn that to understand how to adjust them and solve problems within the system. 4-wheel adjustment involves unhooking the brake rod at the adjustable clevis and adjusting the wedges till they just start to drag, then back off a notch or two. Clevises are adjusted for even brake feel at the wheels rear (left to right) should be equal and front. Remember the front wheels need to roll to steer, even under hard brake. Even a turn on the clevis can make a difference. This is all where the experience and knowledge comes in... so my suggestion is to watch the movie, read Les Andrews books on brake adjustments... If someone local is schooled on them then that should help. Done right Model A mechanical brakes are great. Done wrong they are an accident waiting to happen. Please don't look at some of the bad advice on you tube on adjusting brakes. Some of the procedures are horribly bad. Ensure that all arms, levers, shafts are moving, all clevis pins in, cotter keyed.. etc. Once your brakes are working properly, and adjusted properly, you can drive in total confidence. Broke in you should be able to lock up the rear wheels on a hard brake. Larry Shepard