I have torn down and cleaned everything. The intention is to rebuild the mechanical brakes and run them with a mild banger for now. Almost everything has wear and needs to be replaced from the rods to the linings. I think I can just get the drums turned as they look pretty good and Ok by measurement. The parts list got fairly expensive and it got me thinking about the cost of a hydraulic conversion. I've seen the boling broskits for about $3500 and all new and clean parts sounds like fun but is out of range. Can anyone give me a realistic cost estimate for a hydraulic set up or am I for sure in that $3000 range? Also the rear drums had a little oil in them, from what I've found online it should just be a result of over filling the rear end. I read on the ford barn that the rear end seals are to keep grease out not to keep oil in. I would love to not tear down the rear end at the moment but definitely don't want any oil getting in to freshly rebuilt brakes, if anyone has any thoughts on this as well I'd love to hear them. Thanks
Reach out to @RICH B he sells complete sets of loaded Bendix brakes and you will be able to peice together the rest much cheaper than the ones you mentioned. @IronTrap Garage on Youtube plus many others go through fitting these and the mastercylinder etc. Old Yankee sell brackets etc if you need them.
If you can find good used drums, you're miles ahead...."if" is the big thing. I can generally get brakes on a car in the 1000-1500 range depending on what master cylinder kit is used and drum condition.
I saw this on FB Flathead Era Engines & Parts "1939-948 Ford Hydraulic brakes backing plates and drums. If you need one backing plate, a pair, or complete set with everything on then- I have what you need. Call 303-293-3673 or email parts@modelastore.com" I don't know if this helps. Sure looks like it.
If you intend to run wire wheels; you are pretty much limited to early Ford Lockheed or repop Lincoln brakes. Unless you like thick spacers and odd looks. While there is more work and expense involved it would be a good move to go with later model spindles at this time.
I'm doing about the same thing as you in putting hydraulic brakes on a stock Model A. A neighbor gave me a 40 Ford rear end with the brakes on it and I bought a 46-48 front end for $100.00 off of craigslist. Using the squareback spindles and brakes up front and 40 brakes off the rear end. Also using Posie reversed springs in the front and back along with an Okie Joe 4" dropped axle.The easiest for the brake pedal is to buy the Boling Bros. battery box which bolts in and comes with a master cylinder and uses the stock brake pedal. 550x16 & 700x16 Firestones on 16" wires. Going to look like a hotrod and sound like a lawn mower with the stock engine.
I don't know how fast you're trying to get it done but @1946caddy hit the nail on the head. Cruise your local cl***ifieds for whole components, they're usually cheaper than doing it piecemeal. A lot of time people just want to "clear the heavy stuff out".
Went through the same thought process and ended up sticking with the mechanical brakes. Refurbished what was needed and i am happy with the performance. I also like the quirkyness of the stock system.
Does anyone know if Richard Lacy still sells the conversion kits? We did a '37 years ago,(He also did Model A versions) it had everything ya need, and fit perfectly.
Well the drums looked ok by the ID but I put a caliper on them today and they are at best .09 thick so i guess that seals the deal on hydraulic. Time for me to get learnin'.
Original '40-'48 brakes easily adapt to a Model A. Get the Vern Tardel "Let Me Help You" booklet on Ford brakes. Lots of good information there. Not sure about the rears but the front backing plates easily adapt to the original spindles with a common adapter kit (widely available) that is a spacer for the spindle and a piston ring for the backing plate. The front backing plates will need to have the holes in the backing plate elongated to fit or better to weld them up and re-drill to fit. Use the Model A grease shields as the '40-'48 grease shields will not fit. Good original drums are hard to come by. Swap meets are your friend on this. I looked a long time for mine. If they measure out within specs try NOT to cut them if you can get away with it, unless they are out of round or deeply scored. They will often clean up with a little sandpaper and elbow grease. Cling's Aftermarket makes a really nifty setup/conversion for the master cylinder/pedal setup that uses your existing Model A pedals. Definitely use that. Important to "arc" the shoes to match the drums before install. Nobody really does this anymore, but relatively easy to do by yourself with a belt sander mounted firmly upside down on your bench. Time consuming process but matching each set of shoes to each individual drum by arcing them correctly will make your brakes work MUCH better. Use new shoes, not old NOS shoes and wear a mask. Andy
Hi I converted my model B drums that are in my A ch***is with a T body. I used off topic vw beetle wheel cylinders and master cylinder. I flipped the backing plates upside down and fitted the wheel cylinders a little bit of filing gets them to fit. You have to add a piece of metal to the back of the break shoes to get them to reach the wheel cylinder. It cost me about 100euros. I'll see if I can find a photo. Unfortunately I can't test them because the babbitts are gone in my engine. But have a great brake pedal and they grab the wheels. Tried to send ya a P.M but was unable to
Here is a good article with lots of detail by a person that converted his Model A to hydraulic brakes with reasonably common parts. https://www.lainefamily.com/ModelAFiles/ModelABrakeUpgrade.htm There is a few good model A upgrades articles with good detail including his work to install a T-5 transmission. https://www.lainefamily.com/ModelA.htm
I pieced my together for about $1000. Back Plates $200 Wheel Cylinders $200 Master cylinder $150 Shoes Shoes $200 Brake line and fittings $200 H.A.M.B. Help I already had pedals. Time spent doing this with my son.... Priceless!
Remember the '28-'35 wire wheels were designed to be supported at two levels and you need an adapter if running the '40-'48 drums. See: https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/40-ford-wheels-on-a-model-a.750368/#post-8330045 Charlie Stephens
We were intending on mechanical brakes so we picked up a nice set of '35 wires, now that we're going to juice it we may have to find a set of steel wheels instead.
Thanks for the article,there's been a lot of good info in this thread. I came across the spacers in my research when we were going to run mech brakes because we really wanted steel wheels, my dad especially but couldn't. We found a good deal on the wires and snagged them up. But now the debate is back on the table.
Just don’t forget that the original mechanical brakes work amazingly well if in good condition and properly adjusted. More than adequate for your typical banger, I think. Just my 2 cents…
Mechanical brakes were the original plan until the cost got out of hand. We were going to wait on juice brakes until we were ready to put flathead in it.
I'm in this boat right now...body is off... the whole ch***is is fresh restored.. the drums are on to make it a roller... all the brake parts are in a pile...I got the Les Andrews book,,.. got a headache reading and looking at pics... I wanna keep the stock brakes, as it would be cheeper to just buy another ch***is.then convert the brakes. I wanna put my 26 roadster on the A ch***is.. trog style fender less... I think I have all the stuff...but there's a lot to the stock brakes...wish I knew some one in vegas thats done this... the A guys sware by the stockers... keep em adjusted and they work fine...what to do???
@ALLDONE If you stick with mechanical brakes; put some '32-'34 brakes on the front and add some cast iron drums when you go thru the Model A rears. If you go with juice brakes; '42-'48 Ford Lockheed on the rear with reproduction Lincoln on the front would work pretty good.
I’ve done this a couple times. I put 32-34 brakes on a model A coupe I’ve got right now. I also am using the 33-36 axle for a drop too. I’m sure the added surface area is an advantage but I think the largest improvement is the more modern brake lining and cast drum. This could be accomplished with model A brakes as well but I also like the look. Aesthetically they look less stock but still ancient making the car look more modified, less entry level. Here’s a pic of mine In process from a couple weekends ago. Cheap easy upgrade. here’s one I did with a 32 axle, 32-34 mechanical brakes front and rear and a21 stud flathead. Drove it down the highway every day in the spring summer and fall
Here’s a slick way to use existing A parts for the master cylinder. This car has a T-5 and there is a plate that bolts on the x-member to maintain strength. I used the brake drums made in Brazil from Speedway. A quick p*** in the lathe and they were ready to use.
I had a model a built in Argentina it was rh drive and it had hyd brakes on it very common. I sold this about 5 years ago in san jose. they are quite common in other countries . Model A made in south America - The Ford Barn Ford Barn https://fordbarn.com › forum › showthread Apr 27, 2022 — Yes, Model A was produced in Argentina, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Motor_Argentina To avoid confusion, let's define terms.
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