Pictures of Parking Brake Clearance and Damage

[Tom Wesenberg]

I've seen pictures of the toggle pins heads facing IN and other pictures showing the pins heads facing OUT.

Today I took some pictures and measurements to see if it really matters. Notice the brake band support has a recessed area where the pins are located. With the toggle pins heads facing IN there is .010" clearance, but with the heads facing OUT, the other end of the pin is .070" to .080" lower than the recess. This would seem to create an interference problem, however, as the band expands to stop the brake drum, the pin never moves outward enough to have a problem. So, I don't see that it matters which way the pins are installed on the ends of the band.

Ignore the wire ring that someone used just to hold the parts together for the swap meet. I show the spring brackets for the 2 short springs that hold the band in place, and the springs must hook in the outside holes, furthest from the band. If the springs are connected to the inside holes, they can snag on the carrier plate.

The first picture shows the forged end for the toggle mount. This was used until May 1929 when the new stamped steel ends came out, as shown in the second picture. Notice the forged end has a tapered side and a flat side, and the flat side MUST be against the carrier plate. The second picture shows the offset on the steel bracket and the offset must be against the carrier plate. So, in both pictures the bottom in the pictures is against the carrier plate.

Originally the stop tab was a single thickness, which often tore and bent when the parking brake was applied while the car was in motion. Later a second thickness was riveted to the original plate, making it a double thickness. As seen in my picture, even the double thickness can tear and bend down from being applied while the car is moving. I had to straighten and weld the tabs on my 1928 Phaeton, and will do the same for this double thickness carrier.

[BudP]

Thanks Tom. Clear description and good photos: will make my Spring-time brake job a little better as I will more closely inspect the stop tabs.

[Tom K.]

Thanks for posting the emergency brake pictures and info. I am in the process of installing the e-brakes on my 29 tudor. There were no e-brakes on the veh. when I bought it and I have been accumulating parts. The installation is almost complete. Thanks again.

[Mikeinnj]

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Tom as you mentioned, many owners do not know that the parking brake is not an emergency and applying the parking brake while the car is in motion can cause some real problems to the carrier and related parts.