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Cast iron drums Rocky Mountain brakes
Posted: Thu Sep 05, 2024 11:23 pm
by Tstroker89
I bought a set of new Rocky Mountain brakes with cast iron drums and didn’t have instructions to explain on how to set up the drum with the hub. They are for large drum brakes with wire wheels. I’m having an issue with figuring out how to set up drum with the hub. There is about a 1 inch spacer that came with the kit that I’m not 100 % where is goes. I can post pictures if it will help.
Thank you.
Re: Cast iron drums Rocky Mountain brakes
Posted: Thu Sep 05, 2024 11:27 pm
by Mark Chaffin
Not sure what you bought. The reproduction Rocky Mountain Brakes made by Budd Williams do not come with cast iron drums. Some pictures might help out.
Re: Cast iron drums Rocky Mountain brakes
Posted: Fri Sep 06, 2024 12:16 am
by TRDxB2
Tstroker89 wrote: ↑Thu Sep 05, 2024 11:23 pm
I bought a set of new Rocky Mountain brakes with cast iron drums and didn’t have instructions to explain on how to set up the drum with the hub. They are for large drum brakes with wire wheels. I’m having an issue with figuring out how to set up drum with the hub. There is about a 1 inch spacer that came with the kit that I’m not 100 % where is goes. I can post pictures if it will help.
Thank you.
Here you go.
Note in searching there were Original Rockies, First Generation Reproduction Rockies & current reproduction Rockies. These are for the current reproductions courtesy of Snyder's web site. Pictures help a 1 inch spacer can be wide, long, round, square or a part no belonging to the set. It could be for the pedal extension
Re: Cast iron drums Rocky Mountain brakes
Posted: Fri Sep 06, 2024 4:29 am
by Allan
Perhaps the cast iron drums are made for a different car. That may mean that the centre hole is larger than that in a T hub, and the spacer is just a device to adapt the T hub to the larger hole in the cast iron drum. Pictures would help.
Allan from down under.
Re: Cast iron drums Rocky Mountain brakes
Posted: Fri Sep 06, 2024 8:01 am
by Tstroker89
The holes line up perfectly for a t wire wheel. I had it mocked up last night. This set is very old, one of the first productions of Rocky Mountain brakes.
Re: Cast iron drums Rocky Mountain brakes
Posted: Fri Sep 06, 2024 8:05 am
by speedytinc
Earlier R/M brake drums were cast iron. Superior product.
The repos I have had were/are dimensionally the same in regards to the brake surfaces.
I believe they were much more expensive to make & therefore discontinued for the stamped ones.
Re: Cast iron drums Rocky Mountain brakes
Posted: Fri Sep 06, 2024 8:06 am
by Tstroker89
I tried to add pictures but it’s saying they are to big. Any suggestions?
Re: Cast iron drums Rocky Mountain brakes
Posted: Fri Sep 06, 2024 8:17 am
by TWrenn
Tstroker89 wrote: ↑Fri Sep 06, 2024 8:01 am
The holes line up perfectly for a t wire wheel. I had it mocked up last night. This set is very old, one of the first productions of Rocky Mountain brakes.
If they're one of the first, that'll certainly excite Original Smith!!
Re: Cast iron drums Rocky Mountain brakes
Posted: Fri Sep 06, 2024 8:34 am
by speedytinc
Being setup for wire wheels is a wonder. (26-7 ?)
I have not seen that before.
Re: Cast iron drums Rocky Mountain brakes
Posted: Fri Sep 06, 2024 12:03 pm
by jsaylor
"I tried to add pictures but it’s saying they are to big. Any suggestions?"
To Resize the photos. Open the photo with MS Paint, click pixels, resize to 900. Save. Should then post ok.
Re: Cast iron drums Rocky Mountain brakes
Posted: Fri Sep 06, 2024 1:54 pm
by RVA23T
Tstroker89 wrote: ↑Fri Sep 06, 2024 8:06 am
I tried to add pictures but it’s saying they are to big. Any suggestions?
Sent you an email with my contact info so you can send them to me if you can't resize the & I will post for you.
Re: Cast iron drums Rocky Mountain brakes
Posted: Fri Sep 06, 2024 2:12 pm
by Original Smith
People with accessory brakes call them Rocky Mountain, which is not correct. Only real Rocky Mountain brakes are the real thing. Rocky Mountain did use a steel drum originally that was riveted to an original Ford drum. I pays to know what you are talking about!
Re: Cast iron drums Rocky Mountain brakes
Posted: Fri Sep 06, 2024 3:38 pm
by kmatt2
Back in the late 1970’s the reproduction Rocky Mt Brakes came with larger cast iron drums that also had the smaller 8 inch T drum cast in. These cast drums were drilled to use T wood wheel rear hubs that fit a counter bore in the cast drum. The brake bans for these brakes had a rear anchor and worked much better in reverse than the current type small drum reproduction brakes. At the time these brakes were being sold I had a speedster that had a small drum Ruckstell , but I used 1926-27 T wire wheels. I was able to buy my Rocky Mt Brakes with the cast drums not drilled and then had the cast drums drilled for five lug 1926-27 wire wheels. At the time this worked great, perhaps someone else also did this and that is where your cast brake drums came from.
Re: Cast iron drums Rocky Mountain brakes
Posted: Fri Sep 06, 2024 3:39 pm
by kmatt2
Sorry for double post. How I dislike posting here I thought they fixed the double post problem but didn’t get the warning this time.
Re: Cast iron drums Rocky Mountain brakes
Posted: Fri Sep 06, 2024 6:03 pm
by RVA23T
Re: Cast iron drums Rocky Mountain brakes
Posted: Fri Sep 06, 2024 6:26 pm
by kmatt2
Those new pictures show cast iron brake drums that are quite different from the 1970’s Rocky Mt Brake cast iron drums that I had. Perhaps if you post a picture of the brake bands or brake shoes that came with the drums it would help to identify them.
Re: Cast iron drums Rocky Mountain brakes
Posted: Fri Sep 06, 2024 6:28 pm
by RajoRacer
I've seen a lot of accessory brake types & drums but that's a new one on me ! I have a couple sets of Sunderman repros that included a cast iron double drum.
Re: Cast iron drums Rocky Mountain brakes
Posted: Fri Sep 06, 2024 10:17 pm
by Mark Gregush
What is the bolt pattern on these drums? Looks larger than 5X5. Was the outside finished as well?
Re: Cast iron drums Rocky Mountain brakes
Posted: Sat Sep 07, 2024 12:14 pm
by Tstroker89
The bolt pattern is the same for a t wire wheel. There will be a picture of the wheel bolted on with the spacer.
Re: Cast iron drums Rocky Mountain brakes
Posted: Sat Sep 07, 2024 12:59 pm
by RVA23T
Re: Cast iron drums Rocky Mountain brakes
Posted: Sat Sep 07, 2024 6:05 pm
by RVA23T
Just like a 26 T, an "improved" picture
Re: Cast iron drums Rocky Mountain brakes
Posted: Sat Sep 07, 2024 9:50 pm
by Mark Gregush
Think I would pass on using that setup. The 26/27 wire wheel needs to be supported by the machined area on the hub at the outer end (the lip that is also used by the hub puller) and press up to the drum not just held on by the lug bolts/nuts. From the photos, looks like the wheels are now moved outboard of where they should be.
Re: Cast iron drums Rocky Mountain brakes
Posted: Sat Sep 07, 2024 10:50 pm
by Tstroker89
I plan to still use this setup if I can figure out if the spacer is needed or not. I believe floating rear hubs for wire wheels have a similar setup. I mainly made this post to see if someone else ever used or seen this set up before.
Re: Cast iron drums Rocky Mountain brakes
Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2024 12:55 am
by kmatt2
OK I think I know how your system is supposed to work, but with out any dimensions I can’t be sure. The red primered adaptor goes inside the cast iron drum with the flat side in contact with the drum fitting against the inner cast drum. Your 1926-27 wire wheel rear hub, sans stock pressed steel drum and wheel studs, goes into the adaptor centering on the adaptors’s machined taper. New wheel studs of unknown length go through everything in this order from the inside, T wire wheel hub, cast iron brake drum adapter, cast iron brake drum. The Model T wire mounts so that the tapered part on the out side of the cast iron drum contacts the inside of the T wire wheel. If I am correct on how this goes together I don’t think you gain anything, if you use the stock 26-27 brake bans. Are you sure that you are not missing some sort of aftermarket brake backing plates for hydraulic brakes ? I have used stock 26-27 wire wheel rear hubs with the AC type external contracting brakes and the stock internal expanding emergency brakes with out any problems.
Re: Cast iron drums Rocky Mountain brakes
Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2024 12:57 am
by kmatt2
OK I think I know how your system is supposed to work, but with out any dimensions I can’t be sure. The red primered adaptor goes inside the cast iron drum with the flat side in contact with the drum fitting against the inner cast drum. Your 1926-27 wire wheel rear hub, sans stock pressed steel drum and wheel studs, goes into the adaptor centering on the adaptors’s machined taper. New wheel studs of unknown length go through everything in this order from the inside, T wire wheel hub, cast iron brake drum adapter, cast iron brake drum. The Model T wire wheel mounts so that the tapered part on the out side of the cast iron drum contacts the inside of the T wire wheel. If I am correct on how this goes together I don’t think you gain anything, if you use the stock 26-27 brake bans. Are you sure that you are not missing some sort of aftermarket brake backing plates for hydraulic brakes ? I have used stock 26-27 wire wheel rear hubs with the AC type external contracting brakes and the stock internal expanding emergency brakes with out any problems.
Re: Cast iron drums Rocky Mountain brakes
Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2024 1:18 am
by kmatt2
kmatt2 wrote: ↑Sun Sep 08, 2024 12:55 am
OK I think I know how your system is supposed to work, but with out any dimensions I can’t be sure. The red primered adaptor goes inside the cast iron drum with the flat side in contact with the drum fitting against the inner cast drum. Your 1926-27 wire wheel rear hub, sans stock pressed steel drum and wheel studs, goes into the adaptor centering on the adaptors’s machined taper. New wheel studs of unknown length go through everything in this order from the inside, T wire wheel hub, cast iron brake drum adapter, cast iron brake drum. The Model T wire wheel mounts so that the tapered part on the out side of the cast iron drum contacts the inside of the T wire wheel. If I am correct on how this goes together I don’t think you gain anything, if you use the stock 26-27 brake bans. Are you sure that you are not missing some sort of aftermarket brake backing plates for hydraulic brakes ? I have used stock 26-27 wire wheel rear hubs with the AC type external contracting brakes and the stock internal expanding emergency brakes with out any problems.
Re: Cast iron drums Rocky Mountain brakes
Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2024 1:49 am
by Allan
Has the outside surface of the drums been machined? If not, they are likely for a different purpose. As mentioned, T wire wheels need to be supported on the inside edge. Even with this, they were still prone to flexing and cracking between the stud holes. This was cured in the A model wheels by pressing a ridge between the stud holes to stiffen up the hub.
Allan from down under.
Re: Cast iron drums Rocky Mountain brakes
Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2024 1:26 pm
by Original Smith
I was there when the first series Rocky Mountain Brakes were made by Jack Sunderlin. I have a couple of sets of those drums. They work fine, but were not machined to my liking. There was no radius on the top surface as original, and the area between the inside of the top surface should have been machined too to get rid of the casting marks.
The problem with Jack was he wasn't a gear head! He wrongly assumed that all equalizers are the same, and hence, that is why they have rods instead of cables. When Bud took over the business, I don't understand why he didn't correct the problem, but he didn't. I have done the research, and know exactly what Rocky Mountain used. Too bad someone with a machinist background hasn't come to the rescue!
Re: Cast iron drums Rocky Mountain brakes
Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2024 4:23 pm
by Tstroker89
This is great information. What sequence does the drum, hub and spacer go?