Does anyone know what size and where to buy brake shoe rivets for the Wagner brakes that were used on Fords from '39 to '48? The best I can measure is, Shank 5/32 or about .156" , Head 5/16" or about .315" , Length under head to end 9/32 or about .279" , Hole in the end 3/16" or about .188" deep. Now these measurements may be off just a little as I'm using a vernier caliper and my eyes aint what they used to be. But you know what the shoes are, '39 to '48 Ford.
looks like it but the heads do look a little large, wish they gave dimensions on the site. Thanks for the help as always!
Some ebay listing give options on sizes Also some web sites https://www.rivetsonline.com/rivets/brake-lining-rivets-clutch-facing-rivets
I didn't check to see if they sell retail but if they just wholesale, ask who you should buy from in your region. Brake Lining Rivets | Clutch Facing Rivets | Automotive | Jay-Cee Sales & Rivet, Inc. (rivetsonline.com)
The ones that the local rebuilder here used, when he was still in the business were brass, which is much better in case they touch the drums.
I've never seen anything except brass rivets for relining shoes. We had the equipment to reline brake shoes in the high school autoshop that I was a student in and later taught for 13 years when I was a student. I used them some when I was a student to replace the lining on shoes but think that the instructor ahead of me got rid of those tools or they were stuck in the storage area when I took over. The bus garage may have ended up with them though. There was the stand that had a drill to dril the rivets and the other stand with a foot operated press to press in the rivets. Once you learned how to use the tools it didn't take very long to replace the lining on a set of shoes.
Yes, I would like to see brass but the ones I have are steel, aluminium would be ok also. I have looked at a bunch of websites that list dimensions but have not found any that match what I have. And this may be the problem, the few rivets I have along with some linings came from Mac's a few years ago, now it looks like they don't sell them anymore. Not that I would suggest ordering anything from them now days. I'm starting to think they used some type of proprietary sized rivet so if you screwed up a few you would have to buy a complete new set of linings just to get the rivets. but then of course, that would leave you with more linings that you don't have rivets for.... I'm going to send an email to the company that Anthony linked me to and see what size thoes are.
Did any of the “Big 3” use brass rivets on anything? Seems to me the extra few pennies over the course of millions of cars it’d add up. Good thought from an aftermarket supplier for sure, even make a good selling point.
I have used bonded shoes ever since I had to "panic stop" my '40 coupe due to a moron running a red light at a main intersection........the steel rivets in the front shoes sheared off, leaving the shoes to float......avoided T-boning the moron, but not a fun stop! I then converted to disc front brakes.....on all my hot rods......and feel a lot safer......still use bonded rear brakes though.
The closest ones that match the dimensions are size 4-4.5 (head 5/16, shaft 9/64 or 4.5/32 and length under head 9/32
Ok, Anthony's place did not respond and after receiving kls50's help I got out my dial calibers and remeasured one of the rivets I have. The above measurements are correct, I see that the 4-4.5 rivet has a smaller head and a smaller shank. The head being smaller may not be a problem but I would think the shank should be a tight fit. The 4-4.5 rivet has a shank that is 0.015" smaller, that may not be good. thoughts?
Ideally rivets should be a close fit in the holes. In metal the shank is supposed to expand to completely fill the hole when the rivet is peened down, but I don't know if it's the same for brake shoe linings.
I have a set of rivets that were supplied with the linings for my 40 I bought from Joblot back in the 70's. I measure them, head is .295 od, shank .143 od, shank under head .275 long, hole .133 deep. They are steel and worked on my shoes. That are still on the car. Here is a picture of them in the cloth folder they came in. If they will work for you PM me your address, I'll send them to you.
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