The Ford Barn

cliffpatience · 05-24-2018, 03:17 PM

Hi, I have a restored 31 Ford (53 years) and the right front break locks up when I step on the brake.
It has new wedges. rollers, shoes. cast iron drums. new bearings, etc.
It did work OK for a years, but now I can not figure out what is wrong.
Could it be the cross shaft? could it be the ?????
Thank you for your indulgence.
Cliffpatience (fl)

JBill · 05-24-2018, 04:13 PM

If it's just the right front I don't think it would be the cross shaft. You're just going to have to take it apart and see what's binding. You say it worked OK for years, but also say there is all that new stuff. So some kind of brake work has apparently been done very recently. I'd suspect something didn't get put back together correctly or there was a faulty part, but I'm just grasping at straws here.

WHN · 05-24-2018, 04:34 PM

What does the inside of the brake drum look like.

We had a problem with our left front brake. Drum was scored. Shoes had plenty of life left but drum had a problem. Enjoy.

Curtis in MA · 05-24-2018, 07:54 PM

Any pills used? If the cup is full the pin could be out of the cup keeping the wedge down.

Tom Wesenberg · 05-24-2018, 08:57 PM

If the drums were recently painted, and overspray got on the braking surface, they will grab.

RandyinUtah · 05-24-2018, 11:33 PM

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You might check to see if the bolts holding the packing plate are tight to the spindle. If the backing plate is rotating when the brake is applied it can jam the actuating rod inside the king pin and wedge causing the front brake to lock up.

Tom Endy · 05-25-2018, 12:39 AM

When you did the overhaul did you insert the front backing plate mounting bolts correctly. The head of the bolts face outside (inside the drum). The nuts go on the outside facing inboard. It is common to reverse this order as the rear backing plate mounting bolts mount that way. If the nuts are on the inside of the drum they can contact rotating hardware.

Tom Endy

Will N · 05-25-2018, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RandyinUtah

You might check to see if the bolts holding the packing plate are tight to the spindle. If the backing plate is rotating when the brake is applied it can jam the actuating rod inside the king pin and wedge causing the front brake to lock up.

times two

bettlesr · 06-08-2018, 08:37 PM

Tom Endy:
You hit the nail on the head. I talked with cliffpatience and he said the mounting bolts on the right side were in backwards.
He turned them around and all is good with the world!!
Thanks
Dick

Purdy Swoft · 06-09-2018, 10:38 AM

If the old , old style front brake floaters were used, that could be the problem . With the old lever style floaters the brake adjustment needs to be closely monitored or the floater can go past the point of return and lock up the wheel . .

05-24-2018, 03:17 PM	#1
cliffpatience Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: florida Posts: 5	31 ford front brake locks up Hi, I have a restored 31 Ford (53 years) and the right front break locks up when I step on the brake. It has new wedges. rollers, shoes. cast iron drums. new bearings, etc. It did work OK for a years, but now I can not figure out what is wrong. Could it be the cross shaft? could it be the ????? Thank you for your indulgence. Cliffpatience (fl)

05-24-2018, 04:13 PM	#2
JBill Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 702	Re: 31 ford front brake locks up If it's just the right front I don't think it would be the cross shaft. You're just going to have to take it apart and see what's binding. You say it worked OK for years, but also say there is all that new stuff. So some kind of brake work has apparently been done very recently. I'd suspect something didn't get put back together correctly or there was a faulty part, but I'm just grasping at straws here.

05-24-2018, 04:34 PM	#3
WHN Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2017 Location: Connecticut Shoreline Posts: 1,820	Re: 31 ford front brake locks up What does the inside of the brake drum look like. We had a problem with our left front brake. Drum was scored. Shoes had plenty of life left but drum had a problem. Enjoy.

05-24-2018, 07:54 PM	#4
Curtis in MA Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2017 Location: Leicester, MA Posts: 296	Re: 31 ford front brake locks up Any pills used? If the cup is full the pin could be out of the cup keeping the wedge down.

05-24-2018, 08:57 PM	#5
Tom Wesenberg Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Mpls, MN Posts: 27,582	Re: 31 ford front brake locks up If the drums were recently painted, and overspray got on the braking surface, they will grab.

05-24-2018, 11:33 PM	#6
RandyinUtah Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Ogden Utah Posts: 242	Re: 31 ford front brake locks up Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) You might check to see if the bolts holding the packing plate are tight to the spindle. If the backing plate is rotating when the brake is applied it can jam the actuating rod inside the king pin and wedge causing the front brake to lock up.

05-25-2018, 12:39 AM	#7
Tom Endy Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Southern California Posts: 3,131	Re: 31 ford front brake locks up When you did the overhaul did you insert the front backing plate mounting bolts correctly. The head of the bolts face outside (inside the drum). The nuts go on the outside facing inboard. It is common to reverse this order as the rear backing plate mounting bolts mount that way. If the nuts are on the inside of the drum they can contact rotating hardware. Tom Endy

06-08-2018, 08:37 PM	#9
bettlesr Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Florham Park, NJ Posts: 396	Re: 31 ford front brake locks up Tom Endy: You hit the nail on the head. I talked with cliffpatience and he said the mounting bolts on the right side were in backwards. He turned them around and all is good with the world!! Thanks Dick __________________ 1965 Lotus Elan S2 1930 Model A Sport Coupe

06-09-2018, 10:38 AM	#10
Purdy Swoft Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Alabama Posts: 8,099	Re: 31 ford front brake locks up If the old , old style front brake floaters were used, that could be the problem . With the old lever style floaters the brake adjustment needs to be closely monitored or the floater can go past the point of return and lock up the wheel . .