MTFCA Forum

Has anyone ever had a new modern drum crack?
I have taken a couple of them out of customer cars that were black from heat but have not seen a cracked one.
Has anyone? Thanks Dan.

I did some rework on a guys "fresh" rebuild. There were some transmission issues. One was chattering bands. Bands were wood.
Looking @ the low drum, it looked like it had not been cleaned up.
During the resurface I noticed the drums were all new & quite a bit softer than original. Carbide cutting wouldnt make for a clean smooth surface. I used a tool post grinder. The difference was like cutting T0 vs T6 aluminum.
Using the wood bands damaged/wore the drums in very short order. I posted here & got a response from another member with the same wear damage from wood bands on new drums. The answer was to go to kevlar - no wear or chatter issues since. Go figure.
(This is not a condemnation of wood, just a factual report.)
I contacted the manufacturer & did some research. The hardness rating for cast iron ranges wide. Ford drums are @ the higher end of the scale. From time & heat cycle?? I did look @ a NOS drum & found it @ the higher end of the hardness scale like old, used drums.

The question you ask crossed my mind.
I expect the softer drums are less prone to cracking being a softer material. Much more forgiving with kevlar bands.

Back to the top

Dan Hatch wrote: ↑

Sun Jun 23, 2024 11:02 am

Has anyone ever had a new modern drum crack?
I have taken a couple of them out of customer cars that were black from heat but have not seen a cracked one.
Has anyone? Thanks Dan.

Please report cracked drums (new/old, modern/original) with the bands (wood, cotton, Kevlar) that were present when found. The combination is important to determine a cause.

I have only seen cracked low drums with kevlar.
None cracked running cotton or wood.

New drums or old drums?
I have seen buckets ful of cracked old drums. Have seen any cracked new drums, just ones that hot so hot they turned black.

When I referred to cracked drums & linings, I meant across the face.
Yes, web cracks are common in low & especially reverse drums with little or no evidence of excess heating.
I have not found web or face cracks in brake drums........... yet.
I have not seen face or web cracks on any new drums, but being a relatively new item & relatively few in service or their soft nature may be the reason. Since the low availability of cotton or scandia lining there is more kevlar being used. Maybe we will see some cracked new low drum faces, unless my (soft) theory holds.
Makes your question interesting.
We'll see what the masses have to say.

Original reverse drum cracked across the face on mine and a friends Model T's. Kevlar bands in both cases. I replaced mine with new from Dave Nolting and so far so good.

Aren’t the new drums made of a better material than the originals? I was thinking Dave Noltings were a little better material wise than the originals. I might be wrong and nothing against his drums. We need to be glad that they are being made.

Just received my new drums from Dave Nolting. They are pretty sweet.

Andy

I almost made a big mistake of buying new high priced drums when I learned of Dave Nolting drums. Took a big hit cancelling my oreder and switching over but sure glad I did.
Great drums and great value providing great performance for the last 3 years with Kevlar bands. Thank you Dave!

One thing I do when at a signal. I pull the parking lever into the neutral position and then start out in low after the light changes and release the lever all the way to shift into high. I have Kevlar bands and it is hard to keep the left foot in exactly the right position for neutral for a long wait. The lever holds it in the correct position. Therefore neither slipping the band nor the clutch disks. My one car with wood bands tends to chatter.
Norm

In the process of putting together a complete transmission from Dave. All new parts from the Scat crank flange, to the u joint. Changing to needle bearings nine gears and new pins. This is the second set of drums from Dave in another car and the quality is superior. I highly recommend his drums and also the main trans shaft he produces. Good price as well!

Yep, I went with Dave's percision made Trans shaft as well and very pleased with performance and value. Don't waste your money on over priced alternatives in MHO.

MKossor wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 27, 2024 10:51 am

Don't waste your money on over priced alternatives in MHO.

Do you perhaps mean to say, "higher priced" alternatives? Those other alternatives are high quality items, produced by a very reputable source. To call them over priced suggests that the Model T community is being taken advantage of.

Dave Nolting offers an excellent product, as does J&M. The two different suppliers manufacture their drums by different methods, each method dictating its own pricing. The buyer choses what they think to be the best for them.