MTFCA Forum

I am replacing my brake shoes with the one piece with modern lining, because going is fun but stopping can be nice too.

These old shoes don't look familiar to me, are they correct? Anyway they are getting replaced.
My brake cams don't look too bad to me, but I assume they are pretty old as they both have Ford script.

Ted, those are after market brake shoes. They are prone to bending at the cam. The can action drives one side towards the drum and pulls the other inwards somewhat. I have seen more than one where the shoe has been bent in at the cam and they have been in-operative.
The new cast iron one piece lined shoes are much better.

Allan from down under.

Allan wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 03, 2021 8:55 am

Ted, those are after market brake shoes. They are prone to bending at the cam. The can action drives one side towards the drum and pulls the other inwards somewhat. I have seen more than one where the shoe has been bent in at the cam and they have been in-operative.
The new cast iron one piece lined shoes are much better.

Allan from down under.

They do require a lot of fitting for enough clearance. I do have similar after market shoes. Seem to work fine, but with small outside band also, cant swear to it. If not for Allan's experience, I would reline these. Not a fan of the hard lined shoes available. Better than unlined or nothing.
Where's your perch cotter pin?

Since I have bought the car, I have been adding cotter pins as I work.

The car was restored, but pins were mostly never reinstalled anywhere.

Thanks for the helpful information!

Tad, just keep in mind those brakes were primarily designed as a "parking brake", not a service brake. Sure, they can be used
as a service brake, and of course, your choice as to how often. But most of us only use it "in case of emergency"...and once in a while we all need to reach for the lever! Just sayin. The best way to really make her stop, is to add auxiliary rear brakes like A/C's or Rockies. I have Rockies on all mine, and even though they take a "punch" by a lot of the critics about their lack of reverse stopping, I really like mine. I've never had any reverse problems, but then, I don't back up on steep inclines. Or would that be DEcline in reverse?

Thank you Tim, that's good to keep in mind.
I have a somewhat long and steep gravel driveway. As the car sits, the ride down is thrilling to say the least.

I just installed new Kevlar transmission bands, and I have been afraid to ride the pedals whilst going down.
The parking brake along with a tight grip in low is what I had been using to go down at a reasonable speed, although making a full stop on my driveway is not presently possible, I thought new brake shoes could help.
If anyone has any pointers, they would be appreciated. Although at the moment I am not planning on aftermarket braking systems, if this is as good as it gets with Ford parts then that's OK.

While you are in that area do whatever possible to keep grease from the bearings from coming out and in the drum area. Even the best brake shoes will not work properly with grease or oil on the linings.

MichaelPawelek wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 03, 2021 10:41 am

While you are in that area do whatever possible to keep grease from the bearings from coming out and in the drum area. Even the best brake shoes will not work properly with grease or oil on the linings.

You have an issue of the hub rubbing the seal cup. That cup has to be pounded on hard & there is always the issue of hub/axle taper wear..

Tadpole wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 03, 2021 9:48 am

I have a somewhat long and steep gravel driveway. As the car sits, the ride down is thrilling to say the least.

I just installed new Kevlar transmission bands, and I have been afraid to ride the pedals whilst going down.
The parking brake along with a tight grip in low is what I had been using to go down at a reasonable speed, although making a full stop on my driveway is not presently possible...

Going down in low is good idea. It's okay to give the foot brake an occasional "stab", (maybe for 1 or 2 seconds), on the way down as well, even while you're still in low. You are wise however to not ride the foot brake. (Also, unless you're about to hit something, never use reverse as a brake.)

It's a good idea to set your idle speed as low as is practical. Doing so will give you a little more braking action when going downhill in low gear.

Many thanks to you all for lending me some of your experience, the new brakes have helped a great deal and so have you.

I have old stock lined shoes in all of my cars. Keep in mind, more than one company made them. I like the flanged type the best.