VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1937-1945 Brake Shoe Adjustment

On my 39..when I put the brake on the car wants to move to the left. I jacked up the front of the car and check the brakes for rub noise. I notice on the left side the brake rub noise was very very light..but on the right side the rub noise was more noticeably. Should I increase the rub on the left side?

I`d be pulling the drum off the wheel to see if there is a wheel cylinder leak or ?? could have a broken return spring...need to dig into it ....

New Brake Cyl. I just redid everything..it use to pull to the right..

The Huck brakes can be a bit of a challenge to adjust. If you put new cylinders on and it's pulling you can back off adjustment on the side it's pulling to or tighten up the opposite side. If you have real good pedal I'd back of the pulling side. If you don't have good pedal I'd tighten up the opposite side. The manual for my '38 says to tighten until the brake drags then back it off four clicks.

If I tighten up the opposite wheel anymore it will be pretty tight..I could back off the side that pulls but there will be no brake shoe rub noise..it's pretty light now..

If there's no drag on that side and it's still pulling you likely have some contamination of the shoes or drum surface.

Kind of strange..I had everything pretty clean and it happen about 200ft down the driveway..even put in new bearing seals.

Are you sure that the wheel cylinders are both working? Or you have the internal brake parts assembled correctly? Like primary and secondary shoes wrong on one wheel.

Did you replace the fluid soaked brake shoes when you installed the new wheel cylinder?

My '41 Coupe sits from December to April in a clean uninsulated dry single garage with concrete floor. I restored my car in 1999. New brake linings,cylinders, hoses , rebuilt master cylinder, etc. Every year until this year the brakes work just fine. I had my son in law pump the brakes during the winter every 2-3 weeks. This year when I started it in April the right front wheel grabs real bad. After applying the brakes a few times it is better but still grabs a little. I have not taken the hub off yet but nothing shows on the outside of the hub. I have plenty of pedal . In fact lots of pedal. The car rolls easy and no rubbing noise. I know I need to take the hub off and check it out but would like a few ideas as to what might cause the right front wheel to grab. Thanks JIM

JAR41 I think you will find with the hard pedal that the left front wheel cylinder is stuck. I would check all of them.

Jim,
My '39 always did that. The cure was to remove the drum and sand the linings and the drum surface. Never could actually see anything wrong.

Remembering that to tighten you face the end of the wheel cylinder and turn the adjuster clockwise. This works for all the wheel cylinders. The opposite direction (counterclockwise) loosens the wheel.

Now lock down the wheel by adjusting back and forty from front to rear of the wheel cylinder a little at the time until you lock it down. Don't adjust tightening beyond when it first locks down.

When it locks down to where you can't turn it any more with arm and hand strength, back off five notches on the adjusters. It should then be free enough to turn but with slight drag and/or scrubbing sound. Do both wheels per axle like this.

If you have the grabbing after such adjustment, look internally by taking the drum off. Something is screwed up.

Charlie

Yep...Grabbing after adjusting, usually means the wheel cylinders are not working properly...Some sides are not expanding as should...Probably a while since they've been replaced...In other words, some are stuck...Tell tale signs are poor/hard braking, and dangerous on wet pavement...Will pull to one side is another in indication...One side of the cylinder may work...But, that's only braking with one shoe on that drum...Another sign is you start stripping the adjustment nubs in trying to adjust a shot wheel cylinder...If you can get the drums off without to much trouble just junk them or have them re-sleeved...Been there, done that...good luck...

Bearing seals have nothing to do with it...Tightening one side to match the "drag" on the other will only create more heat...Drum could be warped...I doubt it...I think you need wheel cylinder work...

I've heard Gene say he has to do this drum/shoe sanding...What..once a year or so...If the wheel cylinders appear to be okay...give it a try...Can't hurt...saves $...