| BF41Woody | -- 01-05-2023 @ 12:52 PM |
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Recently installed a 4 wheel Bendix brake kit, self adjuisting, on my stock 41 Ford wagon My logic was that the Bendix system would allow full contact of the brake shoes with the drums, as opposed to the partial contact with the stock system. Unfortunately I do not have the significant increase in braking power that I anticipated. Next thing to try is a master cyclinder with a different diameter piston. Stock piston size is 1" Question: will a master cylinder with a 3/4" piston give me better pedal pressure? Any other suggestions greatly appreciated. Thanks! BF41Woody
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| carcrazy | -- 01-05-2023 @ 4:01 PM |
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Are you sure you have the brakes properly adjusted and all the air bled out of the system? The first step is to get every last bit of air out of the brake system. Bleed the brakes several times by starting at the brake furthest from the master cylinder, the right rear brake, next the left rear brake, then the right front brake and finally the left front brake. Once you are totally convinced that you have all of the air out of the system, adjust the brakes. Before you begin adjusting the brakes, raise the car and put jack stands under the front and rear axles so you will be able to rotate each wheel by hand. Make sure the parking brake cables are fully loose so that they will not apply any pressure while you are adjusting the brakes. Rotate the wheel by hand in the direction of forward motion of the vehicle while adjusting each brake. Adjust each brake to the point where the brake shoes are tight enough on the drum so that you can't rotate the wheel with the full force of your hands. Back off the adjustment by 12 to 14 notches to free up the brakes. Adjust them so there is just a little drag when you rotate the wheels by hand. After adjusting all the brakes, you should have a firm pedal above the 1/2 way point of pedal travel. If you have a spongy pedal, bleed the brakes again to get out any remaining air. If the pedal is too low, adjust the brakes so the shoes drag a little more on the drums. Test drive the vehicle to make sure all of the brakes are applying equal force to the braking effort. If you notice the vehicle pulling to one side while braking, adjust the brakes on that side of the vehicle to apply a little less effort. Good luck. Please let us know if this information was of any help.
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| BF41Woody | -- 01-05-2023 @ 5:55 PM |
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Great advice, thank you! I will do this and let you know how it works! BF41Woody
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| 51woodie | -- 01-06-2023 @ 3:41 AM |
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I installed Bendix brake kits as well on my '46 Super Deluxe, and had a similar problem. After driving a few hundred miles, I pulled the drums to check the shoe/drum contact. I found that the shoes were not making good contact with the drums, because the radius of the shoe lining did not match the drum diameter. I measured my drums and they were all stock diameter, +/- a few thou. There are no shops in the area to arc shoes, so I made a tool out of wood, stuck on some sandpaper, and sanded off the high spots. Drove the car another few hundred miles and repeated. I can now make the tires chirp on a hard stop and they don't cause the car to pull off straight. Going to a 3/4" piston master, will give you more force at the wheel cylinder, but more travel at the brake pedal. Check all the items that carcrazy listed, check the shoe contact and correct if needed, then you should be good.
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| BF41Woody | -- 01-06-2023 @ 4:51 PM |
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More good advice! Thanks! BF41Woody
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