Bogus

[Y-Blockhead]

Originally Posted by Bob C

If you use Henry's adjustment instructions you don't need no stinking board.

Bob

Originally Posted by Purdy Swoft

If you would like I will post how I do mine sometime tomorrow...

Purdy, I will save you the trouble...
From my archives;

Purdy’s Brake adjustment

Here is what works for me, even if there is wear in the system. Disconnect all of the service brake rods at the clevis end. Adjust the brake pedal rod so that the brake switch plunger is 1/16 inch from the inside back of the center cross member with the brake pedal at the top of its travel. This is where the pedal rod plunger contacts the brake light switch on the 30-31 models. In extreme cases, to give more threads at the clevises it may be necessary to adjust the pedal rod all the way back to the center crossmember without the 1/16 gap. Because there will nearly always be some wear in rear wheel bearings and axle housing bearing races, I first adjust the rear brakes. With any wear, rear brake adjustments made with the rear wheels off the ground will be TOO tight with the wheels on the ground. With the tires properly inflated for easy roll, I adjust the rear brakes with the tires on the shop floor. You only want very slight drag if any or the brakes will quickly overheat. Unless something is too tight, wheel bearings, brakes or the tires are low, a man should be able to slightly push the car back and forth by hand while making adjustments at the rear wedges to determine brake drag. You don't want much drag. After the rear brake adjustments at the rear wedges have been made Move to the front. With jack stands under the front axle, adjust the front brakes at the wedges until the brakes lock and back off as needed .You can check brake action by spinning the wheel and moving the brake lever by hand before connecting the brake rods. After the front wedges are adjusted, its time to move on to the brake rod connections. If you want good brakes, BELIEVE me, forget about any exact measurement here!!!!!!! The brake rods need to all be adjusted at the clevis ends so that the clevis pins will just enter the pinholes with ALL slack removed. This setup will have the pedal at the top of its travel and ready to put the lining to the drum. There is no need to concern yourself about whether the rear brakes engage first, its built in. I guarantee that if the brakes are right or even have some wear this setup will give very good brakes. Anything less will not. In testing and as new parts wear in, adjustments will need to be monitored I usually make panic stops in sand or dirt to gauge skid marks and adjust as needed.

Follow Purdy's procedure and your car will stop. Burn your board!!

[wingski]

Well, I’m back from shopping. It’s just about a 75 mile round trip, and it was foggy most of the way. Fun, fun, and more fun. I’m being sarcastic just like I was trying to be in my original “bogus”.

I’ve got to give you guys a lot of credit. I thought that when I got home and turned on my laptop, it was going to explode or at least be too hot to handle.

Again, I thank you for all your comments and when a really good suggestion comes along, I always check it out. That’s how this whole brake thing started. A simple “your levers are upside-down” led me to discover a big screw-up that I had nothing to do with.

Now, the brakes are as they were intended to be, but nothing is adjusted correctly. It’s almost like I have to take the thing back to the factory, and have them set it up the way it was originally intended. However, there is no factory or oiginal brake assemblers left.

I’ll eventually get them adjusted. I hope. However, now that it is Winter I seem to be spending a lot of time indoors where it’s warm, and I’m typing instead of wrenching.

Mike

[Dollar Bill]

There are several methods for adjusting your brakes - Try Purdy's first.

[Tom Wesenberg]

The mechanical brakes are good, and never leak. The SERVICE BULLETINS tell how to adjust them, and it is really easy to do. Once adjusted, I brake hard on sand or gravel and check for equal length of skid marks, or on pavement just brake somewhat hard and see if the car pulls left or right, then adjust the brakes accordingly.

Follow the SERVICE BULLETINS, and it likely won't pull to either side.

[slammin]

Mike,
I assume by your Barn join date that you like me are new at this Model A hobby. Unlike modern autos where if your lucky you can change the oil, Model As are a participation car. They need a lot of owner involvement. Open the gas valve, turn the GAV, retard the spark, etc. Prior to acquiring my 29 I believed I needed juice brakes too. These old cars are easy and sometimes fun to work on. Its part of the experience.

[KGBnut]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Yes, lots of components and adjustments to mechanical brakes. When I first got mine it had been sitting in a garage neglected for fifty years. I went through the whole braking system and, yes, it seemed overwhelming.

After I did that once, I now adjust the brakes about twice a year. It takes maybe twenty minutes.

I think if she had hydraulics (with fifty years of neglect) it would have been much the same except with dry rotted seals and lines instead of rusted bolts and adjusters.

Both are valid systems with strengths and weaknesses, it is really just a case of what you are comfortable with. My car is very much a conversation piece, so I like to keep it pretty original. Mechanical brakes are a great conversation starter.

Ken

[WHN]

Originally Posted by Y-Blockhead

Purdy, I will save you the trouble...
From my archives;

Purdy’s Brake adjustment

Here is what works for me, even if there is wear in the system. Disconnect all of the service brake rods at the clevis end. Adjust the brake pedal rod so that the brake switch plunger is 1/16 inch from the inside back of the center cross member with the brake pedal at the top of its travel. This is where the pedal rod plunger contacts the brake light switch on the 30-31 models. In extreme cases, to give more threads at the clevises it may be necessary to adjust the pedal rod all the way back to the center crossmember without the 1/16 gap. Because there will nearly always be some wear in rear wheel bearings and axle housing bearing races, I first adjust the rear brakes. With any wear, rear brake adjustments made with the rear wheels off the ground will be TOO tight with the wheels on the ground. With the tires properly inflated for easy roll, I adjust the rear brakes with the tires on the shop floor. You only want very slight drag if any or the brakes will quickly overheat. Unless something is too tight, wheel bearings, brakes or the tires are low, a man should be able to slightly push the car back and forth by hand while making adjustments at the rear wedges to determine brake drag. You don't want much drag. After the rear brake adjustments at the rear wedges have been made Move to the front. With jack stands under the front axle, adjust the front brakes at the wedges until the brakes lock and back off as needed .You can check brake action by spinning the wheel and moving the brake lever by hand before connecting the brake rods. After the front wedges are adjusted, its time to move on to the brake rod connections. If you want good brakes, BELIEVE me, forget about any exact measurement here!!!!!!! The brake rods need to all be adjusted at the clevis ends so that the clevis pins will just enter the pinholes with ALL slack removed. This setup will have the pedal at the top of its travel and ready to put the lining to the drum. There is no need to concern yourself about whether the rear brakes engage first, its built in. I guarantee that if the brakes are right or even have some wear this setup will give very good brakes. Anything less will not. In testing and as new parts wear in, adjustments will need to be monitored I usually make panic stops in sand or dirt to gauge skid marks and adjust as needed.

Follow Purdy's procedure and your car will stop. Burn your board!!

Great information, made copy for future reference.

I would like to add that if brake system is worn out, no matter what you do, it will not work well. REBUILD complete system. Don’t overlook anything. You will be rewarded with a car that stops, and you will feel comfortable driving it. Enjoy.

[2manycars]

Originally Posted by denis4x4

Fake news!

I understand the desire to keep the Model A as it was built from 1928-1931. By the same token, a whole host of other manufacturers were touting the benefits of hydraulic brakes in the 1930's. The "all steel from the pedal to the wheel" guys need to give it a rest.

Well if you like hot rods, then good for you. Most of us are happy with the original equipment. Maybe the HAMB would be a better place.

[burner31]

If you think the brakes are to much to handle...I can't wait for you to get to the really fun stuff.

[700rpm]

Originally Posted by wingski

OK, here we go again. I just found out that to accurately adjust the brakes on a model A you must use a brake board according to Les Andrews. Come on guys, some of you have let me know how great you think mechanical brakes are compared to hydraulics. What planet are you guys living on? Apparently one without asphalt roads so you don’t wear your tires out when testing them after adjustment.

I don’t know about you, but the idea of skidding my rear tires to see if the brakes are correctly adjusted is bogus.

I have come to the conclusion that the brakes on a model A are the most complicated part of the whole car. I’ve tried to find something else that requires you to kneel down, bend over, stick your head under a fender four times and do it over and over and over. And wait, you have to use a board that you have to make for the correct pedal adjustment. You’ve got to be kidding me! It’s like a mini marathon to work on the brakes on an A.

I hate to say it, but you guys that think mechanical brakes are great have been hit in the head with a big wrench or a brake drum too many times.

Mike

Comments like this are why I stopped coming here last year and now seldom come here any more.

[California Travieso]

Originally Posted by 700rpm

Comments like this are why I stopped coming here last year and now seldom come here any more.

I agree with you. Too many of the new guys are very opinionated and come on too strong. Fortunately, many lose interest quickly and stop posting.

I'm old school. I believe if you're new to a board like the Barn, you should show some respect. I think it's best to read the posts, research old threads, and learn something before challenging someone on a topic you know very little about.

David Serrano

[History]

He said he was being sarcastic. Remember it's the internet, we can't see facial expressions or the tone of his voice to know he was just joking. Lighten up you two Frances's.

[mike657894]

this is the video on adjusting the brakes that I watched. But as I said when I got to checking them out I chose to leave them where they were. They had probably not had that many miles since their last adjustment.

I dont think you need to skid the car to adjust the brakes. You should be able to tell by turning the wheels by hand and feeling drag and if the car pulls way too much with braking.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMizfaKHXVQ

[JDupuis]

As I've stated in the past: "Wish I lived closer!"
Jeff

[BillCNC]

Originally Posted by California Travieso

I believe if you're new to a board like the Barn, you should show some respect.

David Serrano

I would say that holds true whether your an old member or just came on board today, Heck, In ANY forum. They don't come here to start crap, it's just the personality that they were given.

10:1 Their life on the Internet resembles their life without the Internet.

That's my 2¢ worth

Regards
Bill

[BillCNC]

Originally Posted by History

He said he was being sarcastic. Remember it's the internet, we can't see facial expressions or the tone of his voice to know he was just joking. Lighten up you two Frances's.

If one is being intentionally Snarky on the web and doesn't feel like putting on a Flame Suit, one should add the Snark abbreviation. <s/>

Regards
Bill

[burner31]

Originally Posted by 700rpm

Comments like this are why I stopped coming here last year and now seldom come here any more.

A hot kitchen is where the best cooks can be found.

[aermotor]

I believe the stopping power of well maintained mechanical brakes is limited by the rubber to road footprint, ergo the same for juice brakes w/o anti-skid and who is willing to go there?

John

[Cool Hand Lurker]

C'mon guys, knock it off before Ryan needs to get involved. It is getting a lot easier to be banned from the site.

I learned a lot about brake adjustment from the positive comments on this thread.
Thanks Purdy!

[Purdy Swoft]

Thanks Cool Hand and other kind people on this thread ,especially my friend Y Blockhead for your post # 21 . I was already wishing that I hadn't made the offer in the first place !!! Wingskis posts wasn't a direct insult to me . If he isn't interested in being able to set up and adjust his brakes , so be it .