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Posted By Discussion Topic: 37 brake springs     1937sedandelivery 04-22-2017 @ 8:36 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 501 Joined: Jul 2014 Hello, Does anyone know where I can buy the set of four (colored) springs for the original mechanical brake setup? Thanks, Gregg ford38v8 04-22-2017 @ 11:35 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 2764 Joined: Oct 2009 Gregg, Offhand I do not, although I have seen them advertised. I do have a bit of advice, however: Consider installing a set of floaters, which replaces the wedge (Hotchkiss) with a star (Bendix) adjuster. This installation can be made invisible if the original square head adjuster is cut off and reinserted as a dust cover, removable for adjustment with a brake spoon. In this installation, the top two springs are replaced with a single 1939 top spring, the 1937-38 bottom two springs are continued in use. If you intend to drive this car further than on and off a trailer, you'll greatly appreciate the floater (star), as it does make your brakes self energizing as Henry intended, while requiring very little in the way of readjustments after installation. With the wedge, you'll experience erratic braking, as the wedge will locate differently each time you hit the brakes, causing the brakes to pull left or right. Alan 1937sedandelivery 04-23-2017 @ 7:57 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 501 Joined: Jul 2014 Hey Alan, Thanks for the advice. Where can the "floating" parts be purchased? Are they from a 39 setup? Right now I know zero about early Ford braking systems, but need to come up the steep slope quickly so I can get this beast on the road. Gregg ford38v8 04-23-2017 @ 10:35 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 2764 Joined: Oct 2009 Gregg, They used to be available from many suppliers, but I only see them at Vintage Auto Parts now. Check the link below, and look at the 1935-1938 set pictured. In the picture, you'll see the installation on the backing plate, the yellow part is original to your car, with the inner dust cap removed. Inside that, you'll get a glimpse of the installation. The parts themselves are shown on the box cover in the other picture. http://www.vapinc.com Scroll and click on Ford V8! Click on 1935 - 1948 Click on Brake Floater Kit Scroll to 1935 - 38 Ford Installation procedure as follows: With shoes removed, crank the square adjuster on the backside of the backing plate clockwise, which forces the inner dust cover off. Continue cranking inward to remove the adjuster itself. Save it for later, as you will be cutting it at the threaded portion to allow it to be scr*w*d in from the rear to appear as original and act as a dust cover. Install the floater, the shoes, and 1939 brake shoe spring on the top, and original 1937-38 springs on the bottom. Reinstall the inner dust cover. The Star adjuster is now accessible from the rear with a brake spoon, after which the original adjuster (cut off) is replaced as an outer dust cover. Alan This message was edited by ford38v8 on 4-23-17 @ 10:41 AM 1937sedandelivery 04-23-2017 @ 10:51 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 501 Joined: Jul 2014 Alan, Excellent! Thanks for the loads of help. This should be fun, gulp... Gregg ford38v8 04-23-2017 @ 11:40 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 2764 Joined: Oct 2009 Gregg, I assume that you have made yourself familiar with the need to refresh and lubricate cables and adjust clevises. You will find that you have two settings on your brake cross shaft, one for soft, the other for hard. Use the hard, as the soft is way too spongy. When making your initial brake adjustment, put the car up on jack stands, so you can spin the wheels by hand to get the feel of your adjustment. This operation is made easy with the use of the parking brake, one click at a time, comparing drag at each wheel. After this initial adjustment, your first road test will have you skid the rear wheels, showing that you must relax the rear adjustments slightly. The whole process of adjustment should take you from morning coffee to beer for lunch, with minor adjustments until the shoes are broken in. ...Oh, the shoes! Ford stopped using woven shoes when the cable brakes proved themselves so well. That said, bonded brake shoe material these days contain less asbestos by law, and more soft metal inclusion for longevity. Good luck with that. You might be able to find good vintage shoe material from a place like this: http://brakematerialsandparts.webs.com/brakerelining.htm Alan 1937sedandelivery 04-24-2017 @ 10:17 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 501 Joined: Jul 2014 I just talked with Vintage Auto. They don't have any of the brake floaters and no plans to have them in the future. Overall, they were not very helpful/pleasant. Any ideas where else to find these floaters??? Thanks, Gregg ford38v8 04-24-2017 @ 11:09 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 2764 Joined: Oct 2009 Try C&G. They used to carry them. Or, they may direct you to where you might find them. Alan trjford8 04-24-2017 @ 2:42 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 4218 Joined: Oct 2009 Also try All Ford Parts in Campbell, California or the Early Ford Store in San Dimas, California.. 1937sedandelivery 04-24-2017 @ 4:19 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 501 Joined: Jul 2014 Thanks Guys, I will give them a call. Gregg

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