Ted's Brake Floater Kit review

Kube

Kube

Super Moderator
Just a quick review of Ted's Brake Floater Kits.
I just installed my third set and as always am amazed at how easy they are to install.
Guys, if you are on the fence about installing one of Ted's kits, well, get off the fence.
The difference in braking performance is night and day.

Ted is always super easy (read: nice guy) to deal with.
Money well spent I say!
 
Kube said:
Just a quick review of Ted's Brake Floater Kits.
I just installed my third set and as always am amazed at how easy they are to install.
Guys, if you are on the fence about installing one of Ted's kits, well, get off the fence.
The difference in braking performance is night and day.

Ted is always super easy (read: nice guy) to deal with.
Money well spent I say!
Click to expand...

didn't the '37 ford brakes come with a factory style of brake floater? are teds brake floaters a better setup? Tom.
 
farmertom said:
didn't the '37 ford brakes come with a factory style of brake floater? are teds brake floaters a better setup? Tom.
Click to expand...

Tom, I'm not certain about the '37. I have installed these kits is a '34 and a couple '36s.
Once again, a HUGE improvement.
 
farmertom said:
anyone here tried Teds brake floaters on a '37? and how do they compare to oe setup? Tom.
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Ford's 37-38 cable operated brakes are technically full floating already. My experience is all the parts on the backing plate need to be in good condition with no observable wear, and the brakes must be adjusted carefully, before they work well.
I have talked to someone at a V8 Club national meet who installed a floating brake kit on their 37 Ford and liked the change. The conversation happened several years ago and unfortunately I don't remember details.
 
Thanks Kube and 38 coupe for responding. i got my '37 a little over 5yrs ago and it just had a complete brake job before i got it. at the time i hadn't heard of teds brake floaters. i have done the brake adjustment my self and for a year or two it didn't seem i was very successful then last time a year ago seemed to do the trick.possibbly they didn't get the shoes arced corectly or not at all and the shoes finally wore in themselves. Tom.
 
38 coupe said:
Ford's 37-38 cable operated brakes are technically full floating already. My experience is all the parts on the backing plate need to be in good condition with no observable wear….
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And therein lies the rub. Pun intended. The wedge, being subjected to constant pressure and friction, is the weak point. The wedge system of adjustment is eliminated with the use of floaters, being replaced with a Bendix type of star adjuster, operated by a brake spoon.
 
ford38v8 said:
And therein lies the rub. Pun intended. The wedge, being subjected to constant pressure and friction, is the weak point. The wedge system of adjustment is eliminated with the use of floaters, being replaced with a Bendix type of star adjuster, operated by a brake spoon.
Click to expand...

with teds brake floaters do the backing plates on my '37 have to be changed to acomadate for these parts? Tom.
 
farmertom said:
with teds brake floaters do the backing plates on my '37 have to be changed to acomadate for these parts? Tom.
Click to expand...

Absolutely not. It is a simple modification of the adjustment system. First, remove the wheel, drum, and shoes. On the rear of the backing plate, turn the square adjuster clockwise all the way in, which by so doing, will push the dust cover off on the other side. Continue to crank it in till it completely falls out. Install the floater assembly, reinstall the dust cover, shoes, and drum. Now use a brake spoon through the original adjuster hole on the backing plate to adjust the star adjuster of the floater. Use a rubber plug as a dust cover for that hole, or better yet, use a cut-off wheel to remove the threaded portion of the original square headed adjuster, to be reinstalled in that hole. Those threads are designed loose, so you’ll need a means of making them tight to prevent vibrating out and falling off. I used a tiny spot of wire weld, but if doing another, I would use teflon tape. This replacement of that threaded portion makes the modification visually correct and undetectable by a concourse judge.
 
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Thanks Pete. A picture is worth a thousand words. In the diagram, the parts to be replaced are adjuster 2108, wedge 2041, and actuators 2042. It is the mushroom head of the 2108 that needs to be cut off if to be reused as a dust cover on the backside. I’m not seeing the interior dust cover on the diagram.
 
As an aside, the original springs for the shoes are of four different tension values. As the conversion is no longer dependent on different values, I replaced the two upper springs with the single spring from a ‘39 hydraulic system. I cannot say with certainty that this spring arrangement is better, as I had not compared both in use. All I can say for sure is I had zero brake issues going forward.
 
all four wheel brakes must be equal wear or fit. I had a hard time on my 34 with pulling on a couple of wheels until everything wore in. Did not have access to a brake arching machine and was using newly relined shoes.
 
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