Changed my 1940 Ford drums for Buick drums on Ford hubs. Since the change I seem to not have as good brakes as before. Everything is the same other than the drums. The Buick drums are much heavier than the early Ford drums. Is this the problem--sort of like a heavy flywheel effect. Thanks for any info.
My friend runs buick drums on his car with '40 backing plates, and internals. Never had a problem with them. Did you readjust the 4 adjustments on each side after you put everything back together? If you did, Id check the shoes to see if they fit the "new" Buick drums correctly. They may be worn into the '40 drums. Usually '40 brake problems are due to being out of adjustment. Once theyre adjusted in correctly you shouldnt have any problems.
**** Are the brake shoes sized to the diameter of the brake drums. Sometimes NEW shoes only touch in the center of the shoes ... because the shoes need to be trimmed to the same diameter as the drums. Drums are ofter turned and larger. Lay a dime inside a penny and you can see what I am talking about. Randy
Randy:I will check tomorrow. My 3W just doesn't stop nearly as well as it did before changing to the Buick drums. They look cool but stop poorly. Thanks for the come back.
I believe the MAX cut for the Buick drums is .090 ( ninty thousands ). If the brake shoes are NEW ... they MAY need to be adjusted out and then trimmed down. In the old days, it was common to re-arc brake shoes to match the arc within brake drums. This practice, however, has been controversial as it removed friction material from the brakes and caused a reduction in the life of the shoes as well as created hazardous asbestos dust ... but the brakes worked better. I think I saw a brake Ammco shoe grinder like the one in the photo @ Modifiedriver's place ... when I was visiting last time. Maybe he could be of some ***istance. PM him He has a BUNCH of old Fords and Ford pieces. I have found him to be helpful when asked Here is his info. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/member.php?u=4575
Did you use the '40 hubs? If so, a lot of shoe is outside the drums. Did you cut just aluminum when the drums were relieved for the backing plates? If you cut the lining away, the shoes will hang over the edge.
My friend used the Wilson Welding Hubs on his roadster. I have seen the '48 style hubs used, but never had any experience with them myself.
Photos of the installation might be in order. My best guess is that you don't have full contact between the lining and drums. When they use the shoe arcing machine shown in the photo that Deuce Roadster posted they match each shoe to the drum it is going to work with. Be careful around them damned things though as there are a lot of guys in the world with lung cancer from using them and not having the proper vacuum system to catch the dust off the shoes.
Sorry, but I gotta ask..............what's the point of this swap. You are apparently using the original shoes/wheel cylinders etc. So, there is no improvement in performance in the offing. If its a '40 Ford one would presume you can't see the drums..........I don't get it. Ray
I would imagine ... the conversion is on his 32 3W coupe ( shown below ) You can see the Buick drums on a 32 Ford ... His all steel 32 3W coupe with lots of real patina I took this photo 6 or 7 years ago @ Shades of the Past DEUCE SHOW . I was ( and still am ) in love with this coupe. I tried and tried to BUY IT ... but never could get him to even give me a price. I offered a TON of cash ( even for today's market ) and it was always the same ... " NOT FOR SALE " I finally gave up ... And found a old coupe to buy and then build. By looking at my coupe ... you can clearly see the influence of his coupe on my build. Turbo****ie Hope you do not mind me showing the photo of your coupe ... But I know you are photo challenged on the HAMB.
Take the drum off and a shoe, put the shoe in the drum if you can "SEE-SAW the shoe inside the drum, it don't fit right. You've drove it, so you should see glazing on one part on the shoe not the whole shoe.
As said it's a 32. And probably because buick drums are pretty. Pretty and awesome... Which makes them pretty awesome.
Somebody told me a long time ago, "If you have to ask, you wouldnt understand it anyways." I'll be puttin 45 fin Buick drums on my coupe when it goes on the deuce ch***is. Got all the parts to do it gathered up.
Did the height of the pedal change after the swap? As in, does the pedal go farther down when you apply the brakes? If it did, they aren't adjusted right. Just a thought.
Maybe that's what they told you.........just sounds like a smart *** comeback by somebody who doesn't have a good explanation for what they are doing. Thought maybe I was missing something there, but apparently not. My point was simply this; if you are going to the trouble and expense to swap the drums, which are designed for shoes 2 1/4" or 2 1/2" wide, why would you not take advantage of the opportunity to upgrade the brakes in reality, not just in appearance. Lord knows, stock '40 Ford brakes are nothing to write home about. Couldn't have cost THAT much more to get a real, not just a perceived, benefit from the operation. Ray
Youre right, youre right. Actually if you look back into the reasoning behind doing the brake swap it all goes back to stock car racing, and sprint cars. The finned aluminum drums dissipate the heat at a much faster rate then the cast iron/steel originals. Thus reducing brake fade. Plus the 45 fin drums look MUCH more appealing then said cast pieces. There, I did had an answer! The '40 backing plates are also a beautiful piece to look at, and when paired with 45 fin drums makes for a stunning setup. If you really want them to stop, pair the drums with a set of Lincoln self energizing brakes. More stopping power there then you'll ever need on a light car like a deuce, or an A.
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