Can anyone please assist with installation and adjustment instructions for AC external brakes?
Much appreciated,
Adrian Whiteman
(yes I am still around :-) )
If you have the reproduction brakes from Larry Sidmore, I would suggest contacting him regarding installation and adjustment.
Here's a link to an earlier thread with instructions:
http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/257047/302257.html?1343282726
Here's another old thread that has a discussion about brakes, and contact information for Larry Sidmore:
http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/411944/426198.html?1393362524
Mostly I have found that it's trial and error. Make sure the bands are round and fit the drums. Jack the car up and turn the adjustment nut till the brake band on the side you are working on starts to drag when you turn the wheel, then back it off some. Do the same on the other side. Take the car for a drive. After a few miles stop and feel the bands, don't burn yourself on them. If one or both are very hot back the adjustment nut off, if one or both are cold, turn it down. If they feel just a bit warm you are about right.
If I recall for pedal adjustment, the activating arms on the brakes should just be starting to move when the brake pedal is pushed down about 3-4 inches.
Good excuse for taking the T for a drive and as you might need to let the band cool down you could conveniently stop at your local watering hole for a short pint.
In a perfect world, I think you are looking for about .020 to .030 clearance between the band and drum all the way around. The setup instructions put out in the 20's also showed the bands being bent out just a bit at the ends but that was for larger bands. You could accomplish the same thing buy beveling the ends just a bit.
I set mine up without an equalizer bar and by using Mark's suggestions above, I have them operating just great. I also found that if U get them both about the same temperature, they are set just fine. I used rods the same as the rear brake rods and a cross bar on our 14 runabout.
I did the same thing on my '14 Runabout but I found that the results were disappointing initially, no matter what I did. The good news is that with use they seemed to settle in and are now working fine.
Correction, the pedal should be about 4 inches from the floor when the activating arms start to move.
What vehicle do you have? A picture of the brake would be helpful. I have a 26 with a set of brakes which say AC but are identical to the repro Rocky Mountain brakes. They would be adjusted the same way as Rockys.
If you have the small drum type brakes and they are applied with cables, the adjustment would be different. Please show some pictures and describe the brakes.
Adrian-
I was thinking about you a while back, but I don't remember why now...
I have a set of AC brakes on my 1911, but had to hook them up to the parking brake because the "wrap around" part on the brake pedal did not clear the floorboards : ^ (
I have since purchased one of Larry's AC brake pedals, but have not had the opportunity to work on it. It looks like there will still be very little room for the mechanism to clear the floorboards. I might have to weld a tab on a stock pedal. I would also appreciate some input from anyone who has these on an early car.
: ^ )
Keith
Put your brakedrum on your bench and then slip each of the brake shoes over it one at a time and make sure they fit the drum closely. I found mine needed to be "adjusted" to fit. Adjust like Mark says, it seems close but that's the way it is, Don.
Hello Keith:
I have Jess Bonar built small drum brakes on both 12's...these are nearly identical to Larry's product. Had similar issue with the brake connection coupling and linkage hitting the floorboard. The coupling was 2.00",so I reduced this to 1.00. This creates a dogleg shaped coupling, where I still had to grind a bit on the back of the floorboard, but it does work. Hope this of use to you.
Regards,
Scott
Scott-
Do you have any pics?
-Keith
Not yet Keith, but will get them and will post here directly.
Regards,
Scott
Will send to your email Keith.
Scott
Thanks all,
The car is a 1915 (ish - 1922/1926/1918 etc) speedster.
We adjusted the brakes by trial and error in the end and attached only to the parking lever (instead of standard drum shoes). They work very well.
As a note, we had to shorten the ends of the bands by about 1/4" as they were hitting casting preventing them from applying properly. We also used rods instead of cable since we attached to the parking lever.
I have no idea where these brakes came from as the car is a "restoration" passed through several hands already. It belongs to a local chap and we were kind of dragged in from "Can you start it for me please" to "Can you fix the important bits for me please" :-)
In any case, it runs and stops and steers safely now.
Cheers
Adrian
(Keith - nice to be thought of :-) )