I just had a complete brake job done on my 1940 ford pickup. However, when I test drove it, it did not brake smoothly. In particular when braking over 25 mph the truck vibrated and shook before coming to a stop. Below 25 mph it braked smoothly. Anyone have any ideas as to the problem? Thanks for your help.
1940 ford pickup brakes
- Thread starter vetpenny
- Start date
rotorwrench
Well-known member
I would have more questions due to the description of your "brake job" not adding much information. Were drums turned? If so, what is the current ID of the braking surfaces. Were reproduction shoes used with modern type linings or were they restored with older type linings? How was the system purged of air after replacing/rebuilding brake cylinders?
These are just a few that may have an affect on how it functions.
Lockheed type brakes do better if the shoes are pre-fit to the drums using a brake arcing machine. If they happen to fit well out of the box, they may still have to move more than usual if the drums have been turned too far. Adjustment procedure for the Lockheed types has to be followed in order to get properly adjusted fit and braking function. All the air has to be purged and that depends a lot on the procedure used to do that.
These are just a few that may have an affect on how it functions.
Lockheed type brakes do better if the shoes are pre-fit to the drums using a brake arcing machine. If they happen to fit well out of the box, they may still have to move more than usual if the drums have been turned too far. Adjustment procedure for the Lockheed types has to be followed in order to get properly adjusted fit and braking function. All the air has to be purged and that depends a lot on the procedure used to do that.
19Fordy
Well-known member
Double check and make sure you installed the shoes and wheel cylinders correctly and that they face in the proper direction. Longer shoe to the front. Large dia of wheel cylinder faces to the front. Left front and left rear 1940 Ford brakes shown below. Don't forget to adjust parking brake also.
Attachments
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1931 flamingo
Well-known member
Try chamfering the front and trailing edges of the shoes. Also, drive it a while.
Paul in CT
Paul in CT
alanwoodieman
Well-known member
put a few miles on them, use the brakes a lot, pay attention to where the noise is coming from front or rear. remove the the drums a look to see how much of the lining is contacting the drum, if wear is in the middle they need arc grinding or more driving to get the most drum to shoe contact. also flamingo has an excellent idea-chamfer the shoes if the ends are hitting the drums
I would first like to thank all of you for your valuable advice. The brake job on my 1940 ford pickup was to my knowledge the first complete brake job on the truck since it was a low mileage truck. Therefore the components on the truck were most likely the same as supplied by the factory. The obvious things that I noticed was the clattering, vibrating and shaking that occur when braking over 25 mph. Also the brake pedal had to be pushed about 2/3 thirds down before the brake engaged. My impression was that it should have grabbed about 1/4 to 1/2 down. I certainly appreciated the attachments that 19fordy sent and am looking them over carefully. In that regard I saw a manual cover entitled ford v8. Am I correct in assuming that some of the attachments came from that manual? Also is this manual available to purchase? I am basically following the brake service section in a book entitled Ford v8 service bulletins pages 45-96. I also noticed two responses saying to drive the truck a while and maybe some the problems may be minimized. The latter comment was also offered to me by some old timers who worked on ford v8 brakes. Any further input anyone can give me would certainly be appreciated.
19Fordy
Well-known member
Yes, the info. came from the manual shown. It's published by Polyprints and is available on Ebay and other places. I bought it 20 years ago.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/3621841517...V1-ZD96E5NdfEnDd8uCUI0U2e-npooIoaAotMEALw_wcB
Also available here: https://www.faxonautoliterature.com/Search?categoryId=4403&keywords=chassis+manual
https://www.ebay.com/itm/3621841517...V1-ZD96E5NdfEnDd8uCUI0U2e-npooIoaAotMEALw_wcB
Also available here: https://www.faxonautoliterature.com/Search?categoryId=4403&keywords=chassis+manual
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rotorwrench
Well-known member
While the factory type books will get most jobs done, I prefer an original or good reprint of the Shop manual that was based on a Ford of Canada military maintenance manual and published after the war. 1939 through 1948 Service Manual for Ford and Mercury Cars and Trucks. This is a link to flea-pay.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/393413355302?chn=ps&mkevt=1&mkcid=28
https://www.ebay.com/itm/393413355302?chn=ps&mkevt=1&mkcid=28
rotorwrench
Well-known member
1940 has a point that is worth consideration. During braking, the rear drive train goes the opposite direction from the drive push it has under acceleration. This can even affect the condition of the engine mounts. It all moves more than a person might think it would if there is a lot or wear. The concentricity of the drums would still be the most important thing to the operation of the system. This affects the hubs as well as the drums.