Brake question. Can't stop too quickly without squeaking.

GregLast

GregLast

Member
I've done some reading on the forum and I can't seem to find my particular situation.

When driving, I can stop if I plan ahead, and start slowing down pretty early. I'm not expecting it to stop like a modern car.

When it becomes trouble is if I'm going down a hill, or if I'm going a little fast. I feel the cars brakes grab and squeal intermittently until stopped. If I pump the brakes and don't press down all the way, it will stop without doing this, but I'm being conservative.

I just don't know where to start on this one. Can someone point me in the right direction?
 
Have you done a complete safety inspection of the entire brake system yet?
a properly restored mechanical brake system will stop on a dime..
 
I haven't really inspected much at all other than noting the behavior when I'm driving it. I'm not driving it much further that a couple blocks in the neighborhood until I get this stopping the way it's supposed to.

Much like anything else with this car, my grandfather was a knowledgeable Model A mechanic for decades, and I expect that things have been assembled correctly. I also expect them to need a little adjustment as this car has been around the family for a long time. I also wouldn't be surprised if it was time for a few replacements.

I have a pretty limited set of tools, but I have some people I can reach out to for help. What would you look at first?

Thanks
 
It is a late 31. I believe it has steel drums. It is a mechanical system. No juice brakes. Looking to keep it that way.
 
So more information. I haven't had a chance to look at the wheels and get the drums off to look, hopefully doing that tomorrow.

When I stop, there is a point where if I push down hard enough on the pedal, I can feel something shift in the braking system and It's braking really hard (squeaking) and doing so at an interval (so not a constant squeak).

Until I get the brake drums off, I won't really know...but it's fun to guess! Plus, it lets me get thinking in one direction or another.

Thanks everyone
 
Gregg,
You DIDN'T give us COMPLETE symptoms in your original post ! ALWAYS look for OBVIOUS things, before asking questions, if not, we're just GUESSING, along with you & GUESSING DON'T CUT IT! Sometimes we go through 3 or 4 pages & THEN find out it was just an OLD WORN OUT SYSTEM!!
Do it your way, I'M THROUGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ----(I DELETED MY PREVIOUS POST)
Bill W.
 
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Well, to be fair, I really just clarified what was in the original post, Bill. Bill, I appreciated your original post, and appreciate the message. When I figure out the problem, it's all going to get a good lubrication per your recommendation. Thanks either way.

I didn't mean to frustrate anyone. I have owned this car for about 6 weeks now, and I just don't know about these things. I figured the best thing I can do is ask questions before I just go about taking things apart without having any real idea of where to look. Especially with the braking system, given that it's so many damn parts.

Sorry If I'm wasting you guys time.
 
Ok. Here's where I'm at so far.

Put the car up on 4 jack stands. All wheels are in the air. I started it up and put it in first, and let the car idle, spinning the back wheels. When I apply the foot brake, the wheels in the rear do not stop. This is my first red flag. Before I go attempting to remove the drums, I'm thinking I should check the adjusting wedges for the rear first. Does this sound like a good first move?
 
Will I need a special tool to get the drums off? Car is in the air, and I can do it now as long as I don't need a special tool!
 
GregLast said:
Will I need a special tool to get the drums off? Car is in the air, and I can do it now as long as I don't need a special tool!
Click to expand...

yes a puller for the rear drums...the suppliers sell the tool if need be
just a channel locks for the front or an adjustable
 
make sure your brake rods are connected to the rear and moving when you push the brake pedal ... there are 4 in total
2 for the e brake and 2 for the service brake

2 rods go to the front also
 
yes , you will need a big heavy hub puller, some use the puller that goes on the snout of the rear hub, in my opinion its not tough enough , I use the heavy 3 arm puller, but check out them both and then choose the one that you like, you will be needing a heavy hammer, a 4 or 5 pound one
 
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this is what i use which also work for many other uses....
 

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