VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1929-1932 31 rear brake sticking

Hello all,

Time to address a problem I've had for a while. Soon I'll be tearing into the rear brakes on my '31 coach. The brakes would always kind of stick a little, but easily come free. Now they're sticking harder.

I'm going to read all the information I can on this issue before I attempt to dig in. Are there any typical causes to this problem or known issues to look out for. Sometimes someone's knowledge ahead of time can save a lot of problems.

Thanks,
Brandon

On my 1930 the left rear brake would lock up when I applied the brakes and then release when the car stopped moving. The problem was a leaking grease seal. Grease on the brake linings cause them to grab.

Thanks for the response. I hope this isn't the case because a while back I replaced the bearings with sealed bearings and drilled the top of the axle for a valve but I'll keep an eye out for that.

The Pins could be Dry ?? When I rebuild my front & Rear brakes I made sure I used a Brake Grease on the pivot Pins, one made for High Temps. I also replaced all the Springs with New ones !! Bought the Spring Kit from TFS made by C&P Automotive.

I also cleaned up all the pins, made sure all the brakes moved freely and easily.

Check the movement of the rear brake linkage 'idler arms'. (They are mounted on both side of the frame) These connect the two rear brake rods. On my 31 phaeton, these were almost 'frozen' due to neglect by the previous owners. Check to see that they are moving freely. VCCA 18184

They are COMPLETELY Mechanical Brakes, so check ALL Moving points, joints, pivots, etc. you know the main cross shaft wis NOT sticking, if it stuck all FOUR Brakes would stick. so has to be a linkage or something on that Leg.

Actually depending on the adjustment of brakes on each wheel it is likely that one will stick or drag before the other three. Same thing can happen with hydraulic brakes. In that case the next tightest will drag second. Not 100% the same on a '31 but close as the cross shaft can move forward and back to compensate.

Thanks for the responses. It's good to have an idea of what the problem areas could be ahead of time. I've never worked on a mechanical brake setup before, so I have no idea what to expect (I've had the wheels off and axle out, but never really got in depth with the brakes).