Brake Shoes

[Vic in E-TN]

I am planning a brake job for fall and I have a few questions. I will be installing cast iron drums all around. I will be getting my shoes relined with moulded and bonded material. I have had good experience with this in the past on other Model A's.

In the front I will be installing floaters, probably not Flathead Ted's, but Brattons or similar. I have had good experience with this in the past also.

Back in the 60's I did drum brake jobs on 50's and 60's cars and the shoes were primary and secondary shoes. The primary shoes were there to actuate the secondaries and had a shorter lining. Has anyone done this on a Model A and if so what were the results?

Thanks,
Vic

 

[Ron in Quincy]

Vic,

Been in the hobby 47 years; myself have never seen or heard of someone building secondary shoes for the A; with your experience, if you develop a method that improves the brakes please share it with all of us.

I also have cast drums on the rear of my 30 and old style floaters in the front. My brakes work fine. Have always felt that brakes and tires are the cheapest safety feature we can have on our A's.

Thanks,

Ron

 

[Rich in Tucson]

Ted's floaters make the shoes interacting, so one is then a "secondary" and the other the "primary" and one actuates the other. There is nothing to gain on a Model A by having a shorter lining on either shoe and that feature was not universal for all self-actuating drum brakes.

I have used FTFs to make the bad system on my car (worn rollers, worn tracks, worn pins, worn everything else, unevenly worn shoes) into an excellently functioning brake system until I can restore it properly but since that cannot be done according to most, don't even consider it! You did not hear that here or from me!

 

[marc hildebrant]

Group,

FYI....my 1933 Chev. coupe had different size brake shoes.....one short and the other full size.

As a teenager, I asked my father why the size difference, and then he explained to me the way that the "servo action" worked with the brakes at the time.

I quess that the standard Model A doesn't use the "servo action".

Marc