Reports on Lincoln brakes vs original

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38 Conv

38 Conv

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I am ready to install brakes on my 41 pick-up--looking for someone who has Lincoln brakes--what type drums installed on their car or pick- are they worth the EXTRA money for what you get, over redoing the originals.-Thanks
 
Depends on how comfortable you are adjusting the old style brakes.
I got mine from MT Car Products, included backing plates, everything needed.
Be sure and use Americian made drums. Not cheap, but work great.
 
They are expensive but i found they worked somewhat like power brakes car came with a 1" master cylinder didn't realise this until i had exchanged for a rebuilt one it is 1 1/16" just not as good but the brakes work good. Be sure to fine round drums had to turn them to get a smoth pedal oh the car is a 48 sedan. I would do this again.
 
I have them on the front of my '32 . Stops like a disc brake set up , has original Lincoln drums . Will put some on my '40 Coupe this summer . Even the original brakes , with all new parts on the '40 , it still feels like I'm pushing too hard to stop ............32 BC
 
Have used Lincoln brakes on three cars so far. My '41 pickup came that way from my father who had put it together in the fifties when it was the way to go when used with overheads as was the increasing trend at that time. Being used to the better brakes, used the same brakes on four corners on my '40 coupe, again an olds powered car. Lately I had a pair of rears which I used on the front of my '47. Overall the front only was not as great an improvement as using Bendix brakes on all four. These may mature as they settle in to better contact. I kept a couple of sets for an A roadster that is about to be assembled. All my early applications used the Zephyr drums to simplify the centering process with the slots for feeler gages. Ford drums work nearly as well and are available everywhere. Wide fives are not an exception to this. The Wilton backing plates look light duty,lacking the outer ring, that real Bendix used in the era, but are a great buy and very close in appearance for someone who needs to buy it all anyway. Good Luck: Fred A
 
38Conv said:
I am ready to install brakes on my 41 pick-up--looking for someone who has Lincoln brakes--what type drums installed on their car or pick- are they worth the EXTRA money for what you get, over redoing the originals.-Thanks
Click to expand...

I have Lincoln Brakes on two of my cars and will be putting a set on my '34 Pick-up in a few weeks. Lincolns work MUCH better as they are Self Energizing where both shoes do the stopping and not Fixed Anchor (Ford) where in reality, the front shoe does almost all of the work.

Contact Richard at the Early V-8 Garage. He has Lincoln Brakes, Quality American Made Drums and all the othere parts necessary to do a first class brake installation. He also has a great deal of knowkedge regarding Brakes on Early Fords. (626) 338-2282

Chris
 
38Conv said:
I am ready to install brakes on my 41 pick-up--looking for someone who has Lincoln brakes--what type drums installed on their car or pick- are they worth the EXTRA money for what you get, over redoing the originals.-Thanks
Click to expand...
I used '48-'52 Ford F-2/F-3 brake backing plates and shoes with F100 wheel cylinders on my roadster. I could have retained the original Ford drums but used Finned Buicks instead. These brakes are 12" and work just like the Lincolns because they are Bendix. The big difference is that I paid $30 dollars at a local yard for both backing plates with all the hardware intact., new shoes are available from Napa and several other places and the F100 wheel cylinders are stocked by lots of places too. Just look at what the repop Lincolns are bringing and it becomes obvious that ther is a solution that arrives at the same results for LOTS less bucks if you just shop a little. I got the idea from Don Montgomery of the hot rod history books because he runs the same brake setup with Ford passenger car drums on the front of his '32 3 window. I had a clown pull across 2 lanes and cut me off recently and I stood on the brakes and the cars stopped true and straight right now. Of course it took several minutes to get my heart rate down and be able to think in terms of words that have more than 4 letters, but the brakes did just like they should. PM me if you have any questions.
 
"The Wilton backing plates look light duty,lacking the outer ring, that real Bendix used in the era, but are a great buy and very close in appearance for someone who needs to buy it all anyway. Good Luck: Fred A"

Some of the original Lincoln-Bendix brakes did not have the outer ring, but did
have 3 mysterious "buttons" around the outer backside. Maybe 39-40? The
rings ARE available to be added for those who want them. The new drums have a deep outer groove that the edge of the brake plate fits into, which helps keep dust/water out. Otherwise, the new plates are thick stampings, but lack some of the finer detail of the originals; as with most stuff, the originals are the way to go IF they can be found in decent (not rusted to hell)
condition and $ is no object... since they are usually not cheap!

There are also different versions of original Lincoln-Bendix brake plates and corresponding hubs/drums, whereas the reproductions, which are often advertised as 39-40 are ACTUALLY the scarce, one-year-only 1941 (fronts) that are the same offset as ALL rears 39-48 (shallowest design) and which CAN be used with Ford hubs/drums. The original 41's used Lincoln front hubs (all front hubs are the same 39-48) and the, again one year only, flattest drums, which results in the narrowest front track BUT cannot use Ford or KH wire wheels on the flat drums, or the 42-48 "medium" front drums, without a serious spacer on the flat drums or a half-serious spacer on the medium drums.

The "trickest" Lincoln-Bendix fronts are the actual 39-40, which have the deepest offset and have the smaller bolt pattern that fits 32-34 and 35/36 spindles. A special kingpin/bearing kit must be used on these, and must use the Lincoln hubs BUT the new USA drums fit, which solves the problem that most Lincoln front drums that can be found are machined beyond the limit. The new drums are good for 12.090" so they are also thicker than the originals to start with. These provide the narrow front track, but allow the option of using Ford or KH wire wheels, using only the standard Wire Wheel Support Ring to support the inside of the bolt circle.
 
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"I used '48-'52 Ford F-2/F-3 brake backing plates and shoes with F100 wheel cylinders on my roadster. I could have retained the original Ford drums but used Finned Buicks instead. These brakes are 12" and work just like the Lincolns because they are Bendix. The big difference is that I paid $30 dollars at a local yard for both backing plates with all the hardware intact."

Assuming that the plates fit the Ford spindles and the offset of the plates is
compatible, this would be an excellent option. I would think that finding a yard with derelict F-2/F-3's might be a challenge???
 
If your original system is in perfect condition and proper state of adjustment, adding Bendix brakes to the front will be only slightly better. I spent allot of time and money to determine this fact.
 
Here in the midwest the F2 through '56 F250 backing plates are fairly common. The good F2 backing plates are '51 and up as the older ones still use the bottom anchored brake shoes. The Bendix F2 backing plates must be drilled for the second wheel cylinder mounting bolt as they came original with an oddball single direction acting wheel cylinder. Aside from all that, they work great. Here's a picture of a set I have installed on a current AV8 project. F2 backing plates on '39 spindles using Wilson Welding hubs and Buick aluminum drums. I'm also using newer (late 60's/early 70's)F250 brake hardware internally to get self adjusting brakes. All off the shelf NAPA parts.

IMG_0015.jpg
 
I installed a set of Lincoln brakes on my 40 std coupe in the early 60's and I remember thinking "this is just like power brakes". I used the complete Lincoln set-backing plates and drums.
 
Richard, do the Wiltons have the provisions for centering adjustment or are they like later Bendix with no adjustment at anchor?? Can't find the site for that...used to have it and lost the link.
 
Bruce: Yes, the Wilton/MT Car Products brakes have the proper adjustable anchor. "In the beginning" when Wilson Welding first made Bendix brakes, there was no provision for centering the shoes, and the shoes were about 1/16" too high, with the result that the brakes did not work well at all. (I had put a set on my 34 as sort of a test...) We figured out what needed to happen, and I took the anchors out and machined them in a 3-jaw chuck with a 1/8" spacer on one jaw to make them eccentric, then re-installed them 1/16" lower and everything worked great. I believe that Bob Wilson made a change so his are adjustable, but by that time Dave Wilton of M/T Car Products made his version with the correct slotted adjustment (about 1/8" up/down) and I have been selling only those since.

I have seen more modern versions of Bendix brakes with eccentric anchors
where the anchor is rotated to center the shoes. I prefer the slotted adjuster as they can be adjusted with the drum installed and without rotating... R.
 
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