Comprehesive howto for brakes?

Ruth said:
I think nkaminar was saying it opposite. I think you have to set the 15° before you set the rod length. You don't set the lever 15° by adjusting the rod length, you do that with the pill(s).
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I re-read his post and I'm not sure. But I understand what you're saying and I agree with it.
 
Y-Blockhead said:
Purdy's Brake adjustment procedure has always works for me. And yes, the 15° lever position must be correct before you start. Add pills or replace parts as needed to reach 15°.

Not, Purdy does not use the "Brake Board".


Purdy’s Brake adjustment
[snip]
.
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This is good info thanks!
 
If you want a comprehensive howto,you need to take apart all brake parts and inspect Les A ndrews first book will explain step by steo what you need to do to to have good brakes. The last thing you do is adjust them.
Good luck
John
 
freak said:
I was under the impression that Paul Shinn's video was the go to for brake adjustment.
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Personally I would not follow his videos for anything. I have watched a few and there was glaring misinformation in every one. He is selling advertising. Not promoting good repairs.
 
whirnot said:
I have watched a few and there was glaring misinformation in every one.
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I think this would be a more powerful critique if you could get two guys on this board to agree about anything. Even the restoration shop owners I've talked to have poor opinions of each other's practices. Just saying "this guy says things that are wrong" doesn't carry much weight for me.
 
whirnot said:
Personally I would not follow his videos for anything. I have watched a few and there was glaring misinformation in every one. He is selling advertising. Not promoting good repairs.
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Would you care to elaborate? "Every one"? Not sure what set you off or triggered so much hate, but a blanket statement like that about someone trying to be of help to Model A owners deserves a bit of explanation.


I don't know why there is so much hate here for my videos, but for those of you who wonder why I seldom come here or participate on FordBarn, now you know.


Paul
 
Not to hijack this thread, but in the service bulletins, Ford specifically stated that the brake rods are set at the factory and are not to be adjusted when adjusting brakes. They even bold typed it.
 
whirnot said:
Not to hijack this thread, but in the service bulletins, Ford specifically stated that the brake rods are set at the factory and are not to be adjusted when adjusting brakes. They even bold typed it.
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It's not hijacking, this fact was mentioned in the very first response.
 
we need a consensus about adjusting the length of brake rods.

weren't the earliest brake rods non-adjustable?

if no adjustment was ever deemed desirable, why were the brake rods threaded?
 
After all the work that I just did on my front brakes I'll have to say that adjusting them may be necessary but you should use the wedges as a first resort. I had to install pills on each side to get to the recommended 15 degrees. Then I had to adjust the rods to fit the new arm position. If I replaced the operating rods (mine were .020 under 7.25) and every other piece that could have been worn with parts that equaled exact tolerance OEM parts then the pill may not have been necessary. Impossible to tell what has been adjusted in the last 90 years. I don't think that adjusting the rods right from the start is the correct way to get the brakes dialed in.
 
ericr said:
we need a consensus about adjusting the length of brake rods.

weren't the earliest brake rods non-adjustable?

if no adjustment was ever deemed desirable, why were the brake rods threaded?
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You would also want to adjust them after a brake onerhaul, making sure everything else was correct. They are not to be adjusted as part of the normal service adjustment, which in the youtube video eluded to was exactly what was being done.
 
Bob Bidonde said:
Do not mess around with your brakes if know not how they work and how to restore them. Take your Model "A" to a knowledgeable club member or restoration shop and have the brakes done right and safe.
All of the above advice is well intended, but unless you have knowledge and experience, the advice is like a foreign language - strange!
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This is very sound advice. I couldn’t agree more! Wayne
 
nkaminar said:
Others will chime in and help. Here is my input.

Ford adjusted the lengths of the rods at the factory and advised in the service bulletins that they were not to be changed in length by the dealer or owner. If needed they could be adjusted to a specific length by then not touched again. This is contrary to a lot of instructions found on the web and other places. All brake adjustments were to be made by the brake adjusters.
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Assuming your Model A is 100% factory fresh original, then that is correct. However, as others have pointed out, if any one component or more in the brake system has any wear (like the actuators for example), then you can either replace them, or adjust the rods to compensate.

The video I made on brakes was done on a car with a recently replaced brake system. Since every component was replaced, mostly using reproduction parts, brake rods must be adjusted to equalize the braking force to each wheel.

As mentioned in the video, once the rods are set, you do not touch them again until another component in the system is replaced. Brake pad wear is adjusted out solely with the adjusters.

Let the "experts" say what they want. It's your car and your safety.
 
P.S. said:
Assuming your Model A is 100% factory fresh original, then that is correct. However, as others have pointed out, if any one component or more in the brake system has any wear (like the actuators for example), then you can either replace them, or adjust the rods to compensate.

The video I made on brakes was done on a car with a recently replaced brake system. Since every component was replaced, mostly using reproduction parts, brake rods must be adjusted to equalize the braking force to each wheel.

As mentioned in the video, once the rods are set, you do not touch them again until another component in the system is replaced. Brake pad wear is adjusted out solely with the adjusters.

Let the "experts" say what they want. It's your car and your safety.
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Well said. Thanks Paul.
 
whirnot said:
Not to hijack this thread, but in the service bulletins, Ford specifically stated that the brake rods are set at the factory and are not to be adjusted when adjusting brakes. They even bold typed it.
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It also says in the Service Bulletins not to turn the brake drums but how many people have done that?

I can think of a lot of reasons for the need to adjust the brake rods after 90 years besides worn parts. How about a slightly tweaked front axle for one. Bent frame?
 
I commented once before that with all the comments contained in the Service Bulletins on minor issues, it puzzles me that brakes are not discussed more often. Perhaps the contemporary availability of factory replacement drums solved many of our modern issues.

Anyway it would be nice if somebody had some kind of non-Company repair manual from that era addressing Ford brake jobs in detail.
 
whirnot said:
Not to hijack this thread, but in the service bulletins, Ford specifically stated that the brake rods are set at the factory and are not to be adjusted when adjusting brakes. They even bold typed it.
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And I would probably do just that, if my car were fresh from the factory and hadn't been owned by 40 different people before I bought it and if it wasn't 90+ years old.

I have no idea what prior owners have done with it, so I'll start fresh and set it up correctly, then probably not move them like the service bulletins say.

Might want to point out, in a constructive manner, what in Paul's videos could be improved or what he may have gotten wrong that he can correct. I believe that may be more helpful.

Thanks,
Kevin
 
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