VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1929-1932 Braking with 1929 stock mechanical brakes.

Adjusted brake system and inspected shoes and bands. They do not pull and stop straight. All dry and in great condition. They appear to have never had oil on them. I cannot say how old the shoes and bands are, but supposedly the car had not been driven for 30+ years.

Question I have is: How much should I expect from this system?
I am running 2.45/5.00/20 old hard tires.
Should I be able to lock up the brakes?
I get major brake fade when I panic stop from 45-50 mph. Normal?
Are there better brand shoes/bands?
Thanks,
Dale

Even though your car has mechanical brakes, with everything adjusted correctly the wheels should lock up in a panic stop. The car should also stop normally and in a straight line.

The first thing to check would be the brake linings. For mechanical brakes, the brake linings are of a woven material. If your brake system has moulded linings then they should be replaced with woven linings.

The brake linings should be high friction woven linings. Oil or grease though not seen may be present. Rapid brake fade is a sign that the linings are not as they should be. Also check the thickness of the brake drums. Thin drums heat much faster and result in fade. Yes brakes will fade on prolonged use but should not noticeably fade during a single stop from 45 mph.

Thanks gentlemen. I will check them out. Since I didn't install the brake system, I'll also check to see that the shoes are concentric with the drums.
Dale

"A panic stop from 50mph" in a '29? I only ever drive my '31 between 35-40 mph, and keep plenty of distance between me and any car up front, approach stop signs with plenty of slow down distance and drive very defensively. While brakes are working perfectly and would likely do well in a "panic" stop, I'm not planning on testing them for that. When I have tried a hard break from 20mph, they do not lock up uniformly, one rear tends to lock up first, and it seems no amount of tinkering balances them perfectly like one gets with hydraulic brakes. So you may just want to adjust them best you can and drive accordingly.

I think That brakes should be at their best no matter what speed a person drives.
It seems there are three types of drivers up here. Those that pull out in front of you thinking that you are going to hold up traffic.
Those that sit there and wait so they can get a better look--then pull out in front of you.
And those that are playing with their phones or gps or coffee or makeup or.......
Then there are the moose that step out of the bushes....

All of this happens at any speed
Respectfully,
Dale

Hello akdale,
Set your brakes up on the Moose Setting and disregard everything else. I did not say disrespect everything else, that would be road rage. I am of a trucker mentality with my driving attitude and believe from the cradlers to the gravers, we drive amongst them all.

This is interesting as you know I am also redoing my brakes on my 1929. I have the rear all set according to the Service News & Repair/ Owners Manual.

I still need to set the cross shaft & linkages with the tool, but need to replace the trunnions up front first.

Once this is complete I will be interested in seeing how MINE stops or does NOT stop.

I do have new linings all the way around, including emergency brakes.

Questions is once you set them up and drive around for a few miles or so, should you go back and check them and readjust them as needed ?? Do they set in or such once they are driven on and braked on ??

More than likely you'll want to adjust them again. There are always linkages or places that "tighten up" after you've pressed them a couple of times... It's no big deal - but don't feel bad that it needs a second adjustment. Just plan on it.

My brakes are all of woven linings. I need new front shoes, but the back bands still have 1/4" of material left on them.
I adjusted the front brakes where they each just started to drag.
One was 3/4 turn on the adjusting nut, and the other was 1/4 turn.
Had to tighten all 4 bands on the rears. 1 was about 4 turns, and the other 3 were 2+-.
Brakes now stop the car about 50% better than before, but still will not lock up on dry pavement. They are almost Moose worthy....
I think they will get better yet when I replace the front shoes.
Who has the best deal going on them?
Thanks for the input!!

Unlike modern cars, which run so quiet, the moose can hear these old girls coming from 1/2 mile away and have plenty of time to get out of the way!

Anybody out there have these shoes/linings for sale?

The woven linings are sold by the foot and the linings should be available through your local clutch and brake shop supplier. Check the Internet as well.

I get my linings from McMaster-Carr.

McMaster-Carr is a great source!

This is a link to the brake lining at McMaster.
Which lining and what sizes do we need for the front and rear shoes, and the rear bands?
Also, what rivets, and how many do we need to get?
My car is assembled so I cant get the dimensions right now.
Thanks for the help.

Brake lining material at McMaster

I use the woven high strength material and have found it works well. Will need to check the rivet size to be sure. You will need a bit to countersink the rivet heads. I order the rivets and tools to install the linings from Snyder Antique Auto Parts www.snydersantiqueauto.com . They are the same as used on Model A Fords.

Thank you all for the previous responses. ----And for the future ones too!!

Is this the lining to get for the service brakes and the emergency brake?

What is the Ideal thickness and width of each?

How many linear ft. will be needed for the job?

I have posted links to the rivet tool and rivets for those that will also be looking to do their brakes.
Thanks.

http://www.mcmaster.com/#brake-lining/=ta0jk0

http://www.snydersantiqueauto.com/130

http://www.snydersantiqueauto.com/131

Good Day Everyone,
Brake fade-Could be the shoes aren't centered. If not centered correctly only a small portion of the shoe hits the drum.
I recently finished a brake job on my 32 and found it to stop quickly from 35mph. I didn't try to lock them up. I found the following to be key to proper operation.
1. Woven brake lining-I got mine from the filling station.
2. The system has lots of links and joints. Every one must operate freely and smoothly. Take each one apart and oil and grease them well.
3. CENTER THE LININGS. A must do.
4. Adjust the rods per the instructions that come with the brake adjustment tool. (
fillingstation).
5. lastly adjust the drag. I tightened each down till it locked the wheel and then backed off just enough to turn the wheel by hand. Do this with the wheel on, not just the brake drum.
This worked for me and I am quite satisfied with them.

akdale,the dimensions for your 1929 Chev service brake linings are as follows:

Front: 4 pieces 9" long X 1 1/2" wide X 5/32" thick
(same as 1928 National AB front brake lining)

Rear: 2 pieces 13 61/64" long X 2" wide X 3/16" thick

2 pieces 16 13/32" long X 2" wide X 3/16" thick

Handbrake lining sizes:1 piece 56 7/8" long X 1 1/4" wide
X 5/32" thick(same as '27 & '28)

Thanks very much for that info! I am sure it will help others too.
Dale

Assuming Since there is NO 5/32" Thick material in the McMaster Carr Catalog you are Using 3/16" or 1/8" ??

The 5/32" thickness lining for the front brakes was the original thickness.With time & wear in the front drum bores it may be possible to use 3/16" thick lining,as 1/8" thick lining would not give you proper drum to lining contact and be extremely hard to rivet.Even 5/32" lining is difficult enough to rivet,you've just got to be very careful when doing the countersinking for the rivet heads.

We have used the 3/16" thick friction material on '28 brakes without a problem. They are essentially the same as '29 brakes.

Thanks !!
good reference info for the next Brake go round

Chipper...
in reference to the "Woven High Strength" from McMaster Carr one would assume that is the High Strength listed under the Strips Section in the link above ? As you can buy various widths and then CUT to length, anything special used to Cut the material ??