Emergency Brake Lining

R

Roland/Pittsburgh

Member
What have you Fordbarner's found to be the easiest and most accurate way to locate and drill rivet holes in the emergency brake lining to match the brake band? :)

Roland / Pittsburgh
 
I cut the lining to the correct length then clamp it to the band. Get a drill bit the same size as the rivet shaft and drill a couple holes (from the band side) in the center of the lining. Get another drill bit the size of the rivet head, or a hair larger. I used my Dremel to grind the end of this drill bit to the rivet shaft size. This will act as a pilot. This smaller diameter will now fit in the just drilled holes, and the larger diameter of the drill bit will make the counterbore for the rivet head. I grind the larger bit angle to match the angle on the underside of the rivet head. I use a drill stop to limit how far the counterbore goes, which is about 2/3 the thickness of the lining. Now, go ahead and rivet those couple holes in the center, then expand the band some and reclamp the ends. By expanding the band and reclamping, this will insure the lining is tight to the band when it's in the correct mounted position. I alternate from side to side working my way out from the center. To speed things up I use a drill for each of the 2 drill bits, otherwise you're doing a lot of bit changing (2 changes for each rivet).

When you're done riveting, bevel the ends of the lining a little.
 
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That's a lot Tom, how long does it take you to rivet 2 brake bands? (just curious) I have been using Bonded linings on the E-brakes for over 2 years for my customers and not a single complaint yet. By the time you figure the cost of the linings and rivets, and the tooling and labor to do it, my way is cheaper. Jim
 
Roland/Pittsburgh said:
Tom

Do you use a right angle drill so that you can drill through the band from the inside and insure being perpendicular to the band?
Click to expand...

I don't have a right angle drill, but I have an old short drill that will fit inside the band. Found it at a swap meet for a buck.

I never kept track of my time, but it goes OK using 2 drills. Parking brake lining should last a lifetime. So, why are they so often worn out?
 
I installed my brake linings (both service and emergency) the same way Tom described. The only thing I would add is that I start at one end and progress to the other to keep the material tight to the band and/or shoe. I don’t remember it taking very long to do this little task, but can fully appreciate a professional view that “Time is Money” and saving 30 min. of time these days means something.
 
Tom Wesenberg said:
I don't have a right angle drill, but I have an old short drill that will fit inside the band. Found it at a swap meet for a buck.

I never kept track of my time, but it goes OK using 2 drills. Parking brake lining should last a lifetime. So, why are they so often worn out?
Click to expand...

I don't know why they wear out either, they should last the lifetime of the car, or until the material deteriorates. They really should not be doing any work except holding the car from rolling. I know that when using rivets, you loose 2/3 of the lining material due to the rivets and they way they are applied. So, using only 1/3 for service, (for both the service and e-brake), and not only really that much, because you would want to change them before you score the drum, does not seem very cost effective to me! A set of service brake linings are over $100 and then you have to put them on. Add to that the cost of the tooling, and your time. I really feel that bonded is the way to go! Watch where you get them from though, if the holes in the shoes are worn where the adjuster and roller pins go, they are not worth having! The rollers should not wobble at all, and there should be no free play in the adjuster hole.
 
I have a 62 Corvair that I bought years ago for $25. I cut the top off to make a convertable, then a few months later used it for a field car in S.D. After a year I parked it and used it for a parts car. When I removed the brake drums I found the brake linings laying loose inside the drums, because the bonding had let go. Never could figure out why that happened, but it seems more common for cars that set without being used.

As long as we're on the subject of "mysteries" why is it that the paint on a car that sets unused wears away quicker than my daily driver?
 
Mine were oil soaked from bad axle seals and likely too thin of oil or overfilled rear axle. Possibly bad seal at the U-joint may have contributed. I tried several things to dry them up, but still had a slick feel to them. I bought a new set off of e-bay for $5. when I got them I noticed they were two different thicknesses I hope this does not cause much of a problem. Having the new drums put on, going to have the shop turn one to the stock size and use the thin lining with it and have the other about .020 larger should compensate for the thicker lining so both will set. Rod
 
Thanks guys for the good information. I have decided to try bonding since I don't have a good setup for accurate drilling. Today, I took the bands and lining to Keystone Spring Service for the bonding service.
 
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