Flathead Teds Reproduction

[Steve Rinaldo]

I put Ted's kit on my car and could never get them to work correctly. I talked to him[nice and helpful] bought the video and could never get them to work. So I took them off and invested in the standard floater kit, cast drums with real brake shoes and followed the Wiley Higgins brake adjustment method and the brakes work super. Remember that if you can lock-up the wheels that all you can ask. Steve

 

[jerry shook]

As i said in an earlier post, teds kit is not a fix for bad brakes. they make good brakes work like modern disk brakes. if you needed new drums and shoes, that could have been your problem. (Remember if your wheels are locked-up you are sliding, you are not stopping.) with teds kit you stop like today"s cars without sliding.

 

[ctvpa]

Snyders has the real thing with 'Flathead Ted' logo. I don't see that he patented his idea. If he does have a patent, he needs a lawyer. He is losing money he earned, every time a knock-off is sold.

Of all the catalogs I checked only Snyders has the Flathead Ted name (sorry if I missed one). So I believe the others to be knock-off's.

I think that Ted should get the money he earned by his hard work, thought and time to develop and market his idea.

 

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

As i said in an earlier post, teds kit is not a fix for bad brakes. they make good brakes work like modern disk brakes. if you needed new drums and shoes, that could have been your problem. (Remember if your wheels are locked-up you are sliding, you are not stopping.) with teds kit you stop like today"s cars without sliding.

In your opinion, what do you feel is actually making the difference where the tires don't slide with Ted's kit?

 

[ctvpa]

My goal is to get my car to stop within an inch of the bumper on the car in front of me.
I don't tailgate, but more and more people don't respect older cars on the road, and pass on the left to make a right turn.
I got the "How to stop on a dime" and I did everything. But when the brakes get hot, it's like I don't have any brakes at all.
I have a 2 28's and I am hopeful, from all the positive comments, I hope this works. At $175 a set, I hope it works.
Model A times did 2 articles on them, with many helpful tips.
I will keep you informed.

 

[Tom Wesenberg]

My goal is to get my car to stop within an inch of the bumper on the car in front of me.
I don't tailgate, but more and more people don't respect older cars on the road, and pass on the left to make a right turn.
I got the "How to stop on a dime" and I did everything. But when the brakes get hot, it's like I don't have any brakes at all.
I have a 2 28's and I am hopeful, from all the positive comments, I hope this works. At $175 a set, I hope it works.
Model A times did 2 articles on them, with many helpful tips.
I will keep you informed.

It sounds like your original steel drums have been turned too thin. If so, my first investment would be in a new set of cast iron drums, or a mint set of orignal drums.

 

[Keith True]

With the problem you have the brakes are still going to heat up and fade.They are just going to do it faster than before.You need to cure that fade before you install the floaters.They have to be right before you start,and yours are not.The floaters are not a magic fix.I've put a few in,but have refused to put in far more.When I tell people they need to replace their drums first,they kind of back off,saying I bought these floaters because I didn't want to spend the real big money on the drums.I put some in a 29 pickup for an old fellow,he had no strength to push on the pedal.With the floaters he drove the truck until two weeks before he passed away.The truck didn't NEED them before,it had new tracks,centered woven shoes,new cast drums,it stopped great.I have two new sets sitting here I thought I might install in my own cars but I never bother.I have a fairly low mile 30 roadster with perfect original pressed steel drums.It also has molded,hard composite shoes,not woven,and it stops on a dime.I also have a 31 Tudor with nice woven shoes,nice tracks,centered shoes,but slightly thinned out drums.That one stops good on a panic stop,but the brakes fade fast after 10 seconds.I do have a good set of cast drums I thought I would use on it,but in the condition the ones on it are in I may just band them.Just using the floaters without fixing the drums would just be a waste of time.

 

[Barney]

I agree with TomW.
Good Cast-drums, woven shoes and everything else in order and well-adjusted = excellent braking performance with moderate brake pedal pressure. Nobody needs Floater-Teds Break-Floating-Floaters.
I think even when the brakes are at the end, this improvement can not develop. In my opinion it can correct only slight variations. But it's actually a good idea.
I would not buy it myself, because it slows down enough for me. And here in the SwissAlps is still running down often.
Greetings Barney

 

[Marcus]

Great Response!! Thank you!!!!



Now if someone would chime in and tell of their experiences if these units are even needed! That would settle it all!!

.

Brent - I had Allen Danner, in Petal, MS install a set of Ted's Floaters (that I ordered from TED!) on my '31 S/W: he also installed brand new brake linings, cast iron drums, new rods, etc: in short, a complete brake system overhaul. This was probably overkill, but I use the car for touring and parades - with no intention of ever selling. SO, I opted to spend all the money up front and be done with it. The car now stops with minimal effort, and actually feels like a power brake unit was installed. Before the installation, even with good linings, more pedal pressure was required than I was comfortable having...........hope this helps to answer your question.

 

[Four Lazy C Boss]

I think ted would be the first to say the brakes need to be working good before installing his kit. They don"t repair worn out brakes, the make good brakes work like modern ones. If you have never used them you don"t know the difference. (try um youl like um).

I looked at the instructions from Snyder's at didn't think they were clear at all. Can anyone tell me where each of the parts are installed. Thanks.

Never mind my question. I'm way into this now and have it figured out.

 

[JBill]

It has always been my belief that the Model A is an American car and represents American culture and ethics at their near best. The thought of an asian part on a Model A is, to me, unthinkable, regardless of how cheap the part might be.

I agree with you in principle, but if it weren't for these "cheap" Asian parts there'd be a lot fewer Model As on the road. Not all of us have the time or the resources to seek out original parts, even though we'd no doubt prefer to have them