AC brake question

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Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2013: AC brake question
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Stephen D Heatherly on Sunday, September 29, 2013 - 12:33 pm:

I have a friend who would like to install AC brakes on one of his T's. Has anybody ever used the brake equalizer sold by Lang's and rods to operate the brakes rather than a cable and pulley? How did it work out?

Thanks,
Stephen


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jack Daron - Brownsburg IN on Sunday, September 29, 2013 - 12:37 pm:

I have a set of originals,with rods,and an equalizer that I made. They work well.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mark Strange on Sunday, September 29, 2013 - 12:52 pm:

Jack, can you post some pics of your linkage? AC brakes are on my long-term wish list for my 1923 touring/pickup.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Stephen D Heatherly on Sunday, September 29, 2013 - 12:56 pm:

Jack, I would really like to see pictures also.

Thank you,
Stephen


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Val Soupios on Sunday, September 29, 2013 - 01:11 pm:

I used the equalizer that is sold by the vendors for use with the large drum parking brake and modified a pair of standard brake rods to use with the equalizer. The other alternative was to use another hand brake cross shaft but I do not like to make any more holes in my chassis and the one the vendors sell attaches to the existing cross shaft and operates from the brake pedal. It worked well enough but required quite a bit of tinkering. As I recall, in addition to a lot of grinding and fitting the rods needed to be shortened and threaded. I was putting AC brakes on my '14 Runabout and there were some clearance issues with the equalizer and brake rods but it does work. I like the AC brakes and they are adequate for the lighter Runabout but I think that the Rocky Mtn. Brakes with the large drum are much better and worth the extra cost. That is what I have on all my other cars


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mark Gregush Portland Oregon on Sunday, September 29, 2013 - 03:45 pm:

I like the redundancy of the cable setup. I still have the original parking brakes, the outside AC brakes and if I press real hard, the transmission brake. Unless I did something wrong or did not spend enough time, I found that using the equalizer I could not set or use the Ford parking brakes with the Rockies (AC would be the same I think). Using the equalizer seems to make the outside brakes into parking brakes when you pull back on the parking brake lever. If you do use the equalizer and it doesn't come with the sliding clevis;
http://www.modeltford.com/item/RMB-EZ.aspx
think about getting one, other wise when you pull back on the parking brake to put the car in neutral to drive in low for any distance you will be putting on the transmission brake.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jack Daron - Brownsburg IN on Sunday, September 29, 2013 - 04:12 pm:

Mine attaches to the cross shaft,pivots on it and doesn't affect parking brakes. A short shaft from bottom of brake pedal activates it,thus you retain your transmission brake. The rods are 5/16 threaded,and fitted with clevis on both ends.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jack Daron - Brownsburg IN on Sunday, September 29, 2013 - 04:16 pm:

Trying to post pictures..


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mark Gregush Portland Oregon on Sunday, September 29, 2013 - 06:50 pm:

Jack did you make it? Looks simple and less work to set up then the current equalizer.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jack Daron - Brownsburg IN on Sunday, September 29, 2013 - 07:17 pm:

i made three of them. They aren't difficult.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bob Bishop, San Diego on Sunday, September 29, 2013 - 08:22 pm:

Mark,
I thought I liked the redundancy of a cable also. That is until the cable snapped, the pedal continued on to the trans brake, where the band broke, and I had to turn into oncoming traffic to miss running into another T on a tour. Luckily the oncoming traffic swerved out of the way, I missed the T in front of me, and I got it stopped using the parking brake. It all happened in less time than it took me to type this.
I ordered a pair of Rocky Mtns that are sitting in a friends garage waiting to be put on! No more AC brakes!!!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Val Soupios on Sunday, September 29, 2013 - 09:03 pm:

With my set up the transmission brake, AC brakes and the parking brake are all functioning but the parking brake only works with the brake lever while the transmission and AC brakes work off the brake pedal. Mild pressure activates the AC brakes and more pressure activates the transmission brake. I rarely need to apply enough pressure for the transmission brake to engage so the AC brakes do almost all the stopping.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jack Daron - Brownsburg IN on Sunday, September 29, 2013 - 09:15 pm:

That's the way mine works. I just don't care for the look of large drum Rockies on a small drum car.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Stephen D Heatherly on Sunday, September 29, 2013 - 09:59 pm:

Thanks for your responses. I think we will go with a cable set up.

Stephen


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mark Gregush Portland Oregon on Monday, September 30, 2013 - 12:05 am:

The AC's I have are made for cable. Each lever has a built in cable clamp. If mine were made differently I might try that equalizer.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Gary Tillstrom on Monday, September 30, 2013 - 11:30 am:

Jack

Very nice set up! Quick question, for the U bolts are those modern U-joint clamps or something else. Thanks, Gary


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Seth from NC on Monday, September 30, 2013 - 11:52 am:

I got some reproduction AC brakes from Mr. Sidmore out in California. After much googling of this very topic I decided too many people had mentioned how their cable either snapped or slipped, so I made a linkage to use with brake rods. I will try and take pictures tonight.

What I like about my setup is that I can completely remove the whole thing (except for the tab on the bottom of the brake pedal). I have two brackets that are bolted to the hogs head. Those brackets each hold a bearing, and I have a square frame that bolts in the middle on either side of the bearings. It basically makes a small square around the end of my transmission. The linkage from the bottom of the brake pedal pushes the top of the square back, and thus the bottom of the square forward. I have an equalizer on the bottom of the square that is hooked up to the brake rods.

The beauty of it is that it allows me full adjustment of the brakes so that I can lock the rear wheels without excessive pedal pressure. I also have my transmission brake band adjusted so that even if the ACs start to fade the transmission band is engaging. I rarely stop hard enough to get there, but the two different brakes overlap nicely. 95% of the time (when I'm not doing a panic stop) I never press hard enough to get to the transmission actually engaging. AND, even with all of that, I still have my handbrake with lined shoes that can lock the rear wheels all by itself. All of it still clears my Warford transmission, floor boards, and required no modification to my brake light switch.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Stephen D Heatherly on Monday, September 30, 2013 - 01:21 pm:

Seth, do you have pictures of your set up?

Thanks,
Stephen


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Seth from NC on Monday, September 30, 2013 - 02:04 pm:

I don't have any good ones of the brake linkage specifically. I'm planning on taking some when I get home tonight. As long as I don't get too distracted working on other stuff, I should be able to post some on this thread later.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jack Daron - Brownsburg IN on Monday, September 30, 2013 - 03:04 pm:

Gary,the small U-bolts are for conduit,and are rubber coated.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Seth from NC on Monday, September 30, 2013 - 09:23 pm:

Hey, here are the pictures I was talking about. You may not be able to see it very well but the top of the square is open, I just bolted a bar across it to close it. That way the whole thing can be removed.




Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Seth from NC on Monday, September 30, 2013 - 09:23 pm:

And some more





Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Seth from NC on Monday, September 30, 2013 - 09:26 pm:

Please ignore the oil, 99% of it is from my Warford transmission that likes to spew oil from the shifter throws. My hogshead is sealed really well.

Also, last picture is of a bracket that I had to make in order to get better contact with the brake bands. They were centered on the rear but wanted to ride over towards the center of the car, so the little bracket (that is way too big at the moment and needs to be painted) holds it so I get good contact.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Tyrone Thomas - Topeka KS on Monday, October 14, 2013 - 10:56 am:

bump


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ricks - Surf City on Monday, October 14, 2013 - 11:18 am:

If those are oak spokes, Seth, I would trade at least the fronts out for new hickory. I would have contacted you privately on this, but it is a safety item that needs reminding.


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