1936 Vacuum Assisted Brakes

[Farley's34]

Gentlemen,
Back in May of 2019 I bought a 1936 DeLuxe Sedan Delivery that was advertised having optional vacuum assisted mechanical brakes. I thought the seller must have been confused but yes it does have vacuum assisted mechanical brakes. The pedal is very responsive and it feels as if it has power hydraulic brakes. The seller insisted it was a rare 1936 option. Your thoughts ? Jeff

[Kube]

Oh man, I hope Don R. weighs in here.
Seems to me there was an after-market system around that time.
Don, Where are ya when I (we) need your wisdom???

[Tom-MI]

Jeff-

Such a thing did exist. In fact, about a year ago I drove a '36 with this brake system on it and it did brake much better than a well tuned mechanical system. Enclosed is a picture of the components.

Tom

[Tom-MI]

More pictures, but not very good. Sorry.

Tom

[Farley's34]

Thanks for the replies and pictures. Is this a Ford kit or aftermarket ?

[Bob C]

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That looks like the picture of mine.


Bob

[Don Rogers]

Ford did not offer this option in 1935 or 1936. There were, however, many after market companies offering both vacuum and hydraulic kits for the Ford. These kits were supposed to augment the existing mechanical brakes, not replace them.

[Kube]

Originally Posted by Don Rogers

Ford did not offer this option in 1935 or 1936. There were, however, many after market companies offering both vacuum and hydraulic kits for the Ford. These kits were supposed to augment the existing mechanical brakes, not replace them.

Thanks Don. Somehow I knew you'd have the information.

[Graham Freeman]

Looks very similar to my Bendix Power Brake system for 1932/34.
I started a thread on this last year.

[supereal]

Many years ago we installed a vacuum brake booster on a '37 firetruck for a nearby town. It had an onboard water tank and would be very hard to stop. It did the job, but failed to release one time at a brush fire. We got it loose before the fire reached it, but the truck was retired shortly thereafter.

[DavidG]

Standard equipment on big Lincolns starting with the 1932 models. A good thing too, as they weighed nearly twice that of a Ford.

[33rds]

I have this kit that I will try on my 36, anybody who has any experience of such, if it does any good?

[Farley's34]

Thank You for the info! I think if this system is adjusted properly it is a huge improvement.