MTFCA Forum

I am installing Rocky Mountain brakes on my car. I am planning to paint them black before installation and I was wondering how hot the brakes may get during normal use? I have read that most brakes don't get above 400 degrees. If I use some Rustolium paint that can handle 350-400 degrees, will the paint hold up during normal use?

I installed the RM's on my 26 pickup late winter. Rattle can black enamel paint. I have a couple hundred miles on it and no issues with paint yet. They should not get too hot under normal driving conditions if adjusted correctly.. I do not live in an area with big hills either.

The generic spray can enamel on my AC brake drums seems to be holding up fine after 7 years of driving.

Unless you're in a lot of stop and go city driving they barely get hot. I would say just fairly warm to the touch. The paint on mine has been there since I got the cars with them and look good

Thanks for the replies....I guess I just worry a little too much.
My father was an engineer at Bosch braking systems and he used to tell me stories of disc and drum brakes glowing red on heavy vehicles and performance cars. I guess I don't have to worry about that on a 1500 pound Model T with a 20hp engine.

I drive mine like it has no brakes anyway.

If you continue to drive your T like a "T" meaning going DOWN the hill in the same gear you'd have to go UP in, then you'll be fine. If, however, now that you have spiffy new brakes, someone thinks that they can ride them all the way down MT. Washington, well then, they may end up with a fire or at least blistered paint and a ton of smoke. Seen it, don't need the T-shirt.

We were on tour in E. TN once and the air became thicker and thicker with acrid smoke as we EASED down off a mountain switch-back road into town only to find two guys pouring buckets of water on two very hot wheels on their car. Pretty stupid and I wonder to this day if they ever connected the dots as to why they overheated.

We spent that tour being passed on down-slopes with folks careening around corners and stomping on those hydraulic babies as they entered town, or applying their brakes constantly if running Rockies. From this trip and others, at least with respect to hydraulic brakes, I believe they turn a lot (not all, but a lot) of smart drivers into stupid drivers. We crawled down in low gear only occasionally and only momentarily hitting the brakes as necessary. I think we were one of the few couples who were not obsessively talking about the steep hills.

Dallas Landers wrote: ↑

Sun May 30, 2021 11:44 am

I drive mine like it has no brakes anyway.

Wait a minute, Dallas... your car HAS brakes? Mine has a semi-retarder gradual slowing setting on the rear drums (OK, I do need new linings on those Pikes Peaks!) and an all out "stop" mode engaged by pushing down all 3 pedals (sometimes works)... but brakes?

I have seen several T's with Rocky mountain brakes smoke when driving on level ground. The cause is usually they are not adjusted correctly and drag all the time the wheel is turning. you should adjust so they apply equally on both sides when the pedal is about half way down and that the wheels turn without drag when the brake is off. You can only accomplish this with both wheels raised because there is a natural drag on the clutch disks and if one wheel is jacked up the wheel will not turn freely, however with both wheels up, as you turn one wheel forward the other reverses through the differential.
They can also overheat if you apply them constantly on a long downhill descent. The old saying, "go down in the same gear you go up" will help you keep the car slowed down without riding the brake.
Norm

Always remember that no matter how good the brakes on your Model T are, they only act on the rear wheels. Besides that significant handicap, the braking surface is limited at best, and they will get hot if much demand is put on them for any length of time. Even balloon tires in Model T sizes don't put much rubber on the road. Use engine braking for all it's worth. Be sure your carburetor linkage will allow a low idle speed. On steep descents where low gear is needed, use it, and keep plenty of pressure on the low pedal. Auxilliary transmissions are nice to have, and they can be an adjunct to braking on long steep descents, but they need to be handled properly, too, or you may be left with no brakes at all.

Engine braking with full retard & throttle.

Even in my modern car I know it is best to use the same gear going down the hill as I used going up....so I will not be burning up my new Rocky Mountain brakes by mis-using them. But, at some point someone will do something stupid in front of me that will require me to do more than just drag my feet along the pavement like Fred Flintstone. So I am putting brand new Firestone tires and brand new Rocky Mountain brakes on the car...and to help add some weight over the rear wheels I am adding a full size car battery and a tool kit under the rear seat. Even if I can not stop in time, I will be going slower by the time I get there. I mostly plan to do the same thing I do when I drive my Model A....stay out of high traffic areas and don't go faster than the car can handle.
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Unfortunately, there are a lot of people on the road today that drive like someone is chasing them. Anytime you see "Single car accidents" where one car is in a ditch or in the woods you know the driver was going way too fast and probably playing with his phone at the same time. I am always worried about one of those idiots hitting me.