MTFCA Forum

I'd like some information on these band's. I have 2, pictured in the photos, that appear to have a cloth with brass or bronze type wire woven into them. I was thinking of re using these two and replacing the one not pictured, that has a ragged cotton band. Can anyone tell me who made this material and what a modern replacement equivalent might be? Thanks in advance.

Jim

From your photo, my best guess is that is made out of treated asbestos. One manufacturer of this type of band material was Raybestos.

If indeed the material is woven asbestos, then you should handle them with extreme caution. Even better, buy some new modern bands that are made of a material which is not carcinogenic.

Respectfully submitted,

Trent Boggess

Appear to me to be drum brake lining, think rear wheels! Too hard for Model T transmissions. Might wear a long time at the expense of the drums, not a good tradeoff.
By the way, whoever installed them did not know how to orient split rivets.

Asbestos is a carcinogen when dry and in a "friable " condition (pulverized / dust). If these bands are in fact asbestos, they can't be disposed of in your normal trash.

DO NOT USE THEM. Little pieces of the brass wires eventually get loose and embed in your babbitt bearings. Also a possibility of shorting out your field coil. I’ve seen them in a couple engines, but whatever they are, they were never meant to be used inside an engine.

yep, that's blue asbestos, the most dangerous kind, do not use them.
the material was never designed for trans bands, probably for use in an industrial machine as a external brake of some sort.
but be sure to get rid of it the right way, or if you can't ; bag it up good in plastic bags and store it somewhere safe with a written warning on it.

My kid's engine had what looks the same bands. They were highly oil soaked and two of them were basically falling apart.

I was not sure if they were asbestos or not. I treated them with respect, bagged them up and tossed them in my trash (legal for a home owner here).

Dry asbestos dust is harmful to the lungs. Make sure they stay "wet" and there will be no danger to you or others.

If you are thinking of getting rid of them I will take them.

Thank you all for the quick answers.

There were bits of wire from these things scattered in the sludge in the clutch when I disassembled it. I didn't connect them to these band's until someone mentioned it in this post. It's interesting that the drums these were on looked good, it was the reverse drum that was cracked and it had a cotton band on it that had come loose. These were on the 27 trans I'm rebuilding now. Guess it time to start hunting some Kevlar.

I did get some emails from folks wanting these but I think I'll hang on to them for a bit to show and talk to dad to see if he remembers putting them on. They look new. As for the asbestos, I'm not to worried. After spending the last year taking every piece of metal on this thing down to steel I think I've been exposed to more toxic substances from the rust and paint. LOL

Any asbestos that may be in those is largely encapsulated, bonded and soaked in whatever the black "binder" material is. I wouldn't worry too much about it. However, I would probably not be wild about grinding it or cutting it by abrasive means.

All that being said, they have no use in a Model T transmission.