Brakes..has anyone tried?

Wick

Wick

Well-known member
I adjusted the brakes on the 31 coupe the Les Andrews way. Rear work first. Car stops like it should.....just wondering

Has anyone ever set the brakes where the Front start to work first?
 
I have my front brakes working first, been that way since I got the car restored in 2000 and 20,000 miles. They work very well that way.
 
With hydraulic brake systems that have an adjustable proportioning valve between the front and the rear, it is always stressed for safety reasons to adjust the valve so that the front brakes begin to grab just before the rear ones. Can't think of any reason why mechanical brakes should be done any different.
 
Randy in ca said:
With hydraulic brake systems that have an adjustable proportioning valve between the front and the rear, it is always stressed for safety reasons to adjust the valve so that the front brakes begin to grab just before the rear ones. Can't think of any reason why mechanical brakes should be done any different.
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Hey Randy,
I'm with you on your thinking. However, I was told that Ford did say to have the rear come on slightly ahead of front brakes. Personally, I do as most here subscribe to. I think that I understand Fords thinking/practice of rears coming on first.
 
I believe that Ford suggested that rears grab first because almost all of the roads were gravel, dirt or mud. I've driven a Model "A" on gravel roads quite a bit and when the fronts lock first you have less control over which way the car is going to go than when the rears lock first. You don't want the fronts to lock just before starting over one of those forest service flat bridges at any speed. (Yes, I was a bit foolish in my youth - but I did pretty good at "dirt tracking" in a Model "A".) Remember - almost all vehicles except Cord were rear wheel drive back then and with gravel roads you want oversteer, not understeer..everyone was used to slightly twitchy handling.
 
IMHO Ford designed the rears to lock first with more pressure on the rear shoes due to the action of longer levers in a pulling action as opposed to the fronts where there is a pushing pin action with shorter levers.
Pete
 
Randy,
The proportioning valve does NOT cause the front brakes to come on first. It ONLY controls the total pressure that can be applied to the REAR brakes, so they don't lock up & come, "*** AROUND" Chief "ASSED AROUND" 3 times, in his '62 Ford short bed P.U. & later, added a proportioning valve, problem solved. Before the valves were available, he carried 2 bags of sand in the rear of the box, to prevent lock-up & SCREEEEEEEEEECHING!---Bill W.
 
BILL WILLIAMSON said:
Randy,
The proportioning valve does NOT cause the front brakes to come on first. It ONLY controls the total pressure that can be applied to the REAR brakes, so they don't lock up & come, "*** AROUND" Chief "ASSED AROUND" 3 times, in his '62 Ford short bed P.U. & later, added a proportioning valve, problem solved. Before the valves were available, he carried 2 bags of sand in the rear of the box, to prevent lock-up & SCREEEEEEEEEECHING!---Bill W.
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Not quite sure exactly what your point is Bill, but it seems you've taken what I said out of context somehow.

The following is a direct quote from the installation instructions of a Summit Racing adjustable proportioning valve:

"Front-to-rear brake balance should be adjusted so that the front wheels lockup slightly before the rear wheels".

Other than my use of "grab" where they used "lockup" did we not say the same thing??
 
As I discovered while riding my Lambretta motor scooter back in '62, and just before I hit the lady who pulled out in front of me, the front brakes have the most braking power. Dynamics determine that. On modern cars the front shoes are therefore larger than the back, and wear out later. I'm just about to adjust the brakes on my '29 pickup and was wondering the same thing. Why does he specify that the back brakes lock up first? On the surface it doesn't make sense. Before I adjust them I'll take the drums off to see what kind of condition they're in and maybe determine the answer to this puzzle.
Ned
 
Randy in ca said:
Not quite sure exactly what your point is Bill, but it seems you've taken what I said out of context somehow.

The following is a direct quote from the installation instructions of a Summit Racing adjustable proportioning valve:

"Front-to-rear brake balance should be adjusted so that the front wheels lockup slightly before the rear wheels".

Other than my use of "grab" where they used "lockup" did we not say the same thing??
Click to expand...
Sorry if I offended you, Randy, Buddy, The Dog:cool: jist re-read it to me. I was refering to factory valves that are not adjustable. I've never dealt with the adjustable ones that you can "tune in" depending on what brakes you have & how you want them to function. Just thinking, "maybe" the factory non-adjustable ones DO let the front apply just before the rears??---What do I know???? I jist wurk here!----Bill W.
 
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