Essex Brake Adjustment Advice?

Unknown
Unknown
edited November -1 in HUDSON
Hi all:



Regarding my 31 Essex (Super Six).



I just had my shoes relined to spec (5/32"). I've put the shoes back in, and I believe I've followed the adjustment procedure:



For each wheel:

1. Adjust the eccentric until a slight drag is felt

2. Then adjust the shoes with the adjusting screw (spread the shoes) until the wheel can be just turned by hand (increased drag).

3. Then just back off the adjusting screw until it rolls somewhat freely by hand.



Ok. Now - I toddle on down the road, and the car stops very, very poorly. I mean, I have to push the pedal all the way to the floor board and even then it will take me 100 yards to get it to stop from traveling at 10 miles an hour.



Normally, I'd just think that the linkages need serious adjustment in order to increase the "throw" of the system. One thing causes me to pause: In my current set up, I can stop in reverse VERY well. Though I can't stop going forward, I push the pedal while going in reverse and there is appreciable bite on the shoes (the car stops very well).



Any advice? I feel like I must be missing something here? I'd rather not spend my sunday drives going exclusively in reverse.

Eric

Comments

  • Unknown
    Unknown
    Hi. Thanks for your reply. The Essex has mechanical brakes, which is to say that there is no hydrolic system. So ... in some respects its nice to avoid bleeding!



    Eric
  • Jon B
    Jon B Administrator
    Geoff will jump right in here in a couple hours, but until then I'd hazard a guess that it has something to do with the linkage as opposed to the brake shoe adjustment.



    However... are you sure you have the correct shoes, and have you placed the primary and secondary shoes in their proper positions on the backing plate? Reason I ask is, I recently discovered that the brake shoes installed on my car were incorrectly seating on the anchor pin due to the notch at the top of the shoes, being incorrect. Some of these shoes (such as for StepDowns) supposedly interchange with other brands but in fact the aforementioned notch is incorrectly placed and -- when all is said and done -- only a portion of the lining actually contacts the drum! (Makes for a very bad day when you hit the brakes!)



    Another consideration is this: I BELIEVE you are supposed to re-set the anchor pin each time you replace the shoes, though I could be wrong. If the anchor pin had gone out of adjustment or had been incorrectly set before you bought the car, then the new shoes would be 'starting off on the wrong foot' so to speak! Adjusting the star wheel will cause the shoes to contact the drum, all right....but it might only be at the BOTTOM END of the shoes where they do the contacting!
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    I have a '31 Hudson which is quite the same. I had it on a lift and tightened the brakes up then equalized them using the various adjustments so that they were all dragging about the same. I also yanked on the brake pedal after every adjustment which helps center the shoes. Then after everything was about the same, I released the adjusters an equal amount on each brake to achieve minimum drag. They work OK. I think that is as good as they ever did work. If the pedal goes to the floor, you need to tighten them up.



    Good Luck

    Steve
  • Geoff
    Geoff Senior Contributor
    STOP!!!!! When relining brakes, you must do a major adjustment, which entails re-setting the achor pins. Otherwise you are pushing water uphill with a fork. First, you have to back off all the adjustments, including the rod linkages, so that you have clearance at the actuators. then go throught he following procedure. Failure to do it in this sequence will give faulty braking.

    1. Slacken the anchor pin nuts free of their lock wahsers.

    2. Wind the star-wheel spreader out until the brakes are binding real tight

    3. Tap the ends of the anchor pins with a soft-faced hammer to enable them to set themselves in position.

    4. repeat steps 2 and 3 twice, te ensure that the anchor pins are in position.

    5. Tighten the anchor pin nuts very tightly with a large wrench, ensuring that they do not move in the process.

    6. Slacken the star wheel, until the wheel turns freely.

    7. Wind the rear eccentric stop until the rear shoe is just rubbing the drum, not too tight that it binds, and tightne the lock nut whilst holding the eccentric in position.

    8. Adjust the star wheel until the front shoe is just touching the drum, again, not to a bind.

    9. Adjust the rod linkages so that there is just a small amount of clearance between the actuator and the cam lever.
  • Geoff
    Geoff Senior Contributor
    Something happened to my last post, and it went through before I thought I had pressed "Post"!

    there is a step 10. - equalise the brakes by road testing, and if the car pulls to one side, then refine the star wheel adjustments by loosening one side and tightening the other a couple of notches at a time, until the car stops evenly without pulling. It is essential that you have a clearance between the linkage and actuator, so that the shoes are all times right back against the anchor pins. If the brakes grab going backwards, then you kay have to allow a little bit more clearance of the rear shoe, by lowering th anchor pin, but you can check the clearance through the slot in the brake drum. Good luck,

    Geoff.
  • hudsontech
    hudsontech Senior Contributor
    I don't know, man. One time I was following a '31 Essex to a meet up a residential street. I'm not a tailgater, so I was 2, 3, maybe 4 car lengths behind the Essex - we were doing about 20, 25. Kid ran out in the street and Earl hit the binders, as did I. Still and all, I damn near ran into the back end of his car.

    But then I was driving a Ford station wagon at the time.



    Hudsonly,

    Alex Burr

    HudsonTech

    Memphis, TN
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    i spent a day adjusting my brakes. they were so far out it was going to the floor. they grab good now, nice and high, it will stop pretty quick, but i do have a pulling problem that i couldnt get to go away. something is wrong somewhere in one of the drums. they stop decent but not as easy to control as juice brakes.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    Hi Geoff:



    When I reset the anchor pins, in loosening the nuts won't the springs connecting the brake shoes pull the anchor pins to their most narrow position (that is when I tap with the soft hammer)? Is this desireable?



    Also Geoff: Is it your experience per Ron's comment that the shoes need to be in the correct order on the backing plate? My shoes look very similar and it seems that there is no primary versus secondary shoe for this set up?

    Thanks much. Eric
  • Jon B
    Jon B Administrator
    I'm no expert, but the shoes (at rest) will always sit tight against the anchor pin at top. Yes, they WILL be at their most narrow position.



    It's just that, iif the anchor pin is not correctly positioned -- that is, off center -- the top portion of the shoes themselves will be off center, in reference to the drum. That's why, when replacing the shoes, you need to verify that the new shoes will work with the pin position, and be centered. And this you do by loosening the anchor pin at each of the four wheels, correctly seating the brake shoes (as Geoff describes, above), then tightening the anchor pin.
  • Geoff
    Geoff Senior Contributor
    ehowe1 wrote:
    Hi Geoff:



    When I reset the anchor pins, in loosening the nuts won't the springs connecting the brake shoes pull the anchor pins to their most narrow position (that is when I tap with the soft hammer)? Is this desireable?



    Also Geoff: Is it your experience per Ron's comment that the shoes need to be in the correct order on the backing plate? My shoes look very similar and it seems that there is no primary versus secondary shoe for this set up?

    Thanks much. Eric



    The anchor pins will move in direct relation to the position of the shoes in the drum, and the shoes are resting against the pins, that is why it is essential that the adjustments are backed right off, with clearance between the lever and actuator outside. When you tighten the shoes right up on the star wheel and tap on the pins, they will move into position. Note that the pins themselves don't move, but the plate that they are mounted in does. The shoes are identical, and it is possible to reverse them, so make sure that you have them the right way round so that when you adjust the star wheel all wheels are the same. The bottom threads are right and left hand so that the star wheel spreads or retracts the shoes. When adjusting, the outside of the adjusting tool should move upwards to spread the shoes.

    Geoff.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    Hi Geoff (and all others):



    Your advice worked just perfectly. I was able to muck around with the anchor pins, and it made a world of difference. I'll still need to sort out a few things, as I have a noticeable pull to the left when I brake, but what a difference. It is nice to be able to stop in this car! Again, thanks for the help.

    Eric
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    ive got the same pull to the left, i actually had to slack off the left side.
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