Just finished a complete rebuild of my stock Huck brake system for my '50, 3604. Every thing wire brushed down to bare metal, all cylinders re-honed, re-sleeved the rear cylinders, new linings, all new steel and flex brake fluid lines. All the parking brake linkage from the rubber foot pedal back to the brake shoe link got the same treatment, cross shaft, levers and bushings included.
This system works just as good as it did when new now. Stops straight as an arrow, step on it REAL hard and I can lock up the breaks. This was a stepping-stone from the mechanical brake to the Bendix style. The Bendix system allows the shoe to float and to wrap up into the drum, sort of a wedging action this gives you a little more of an assist which translates to less peddle pressure than is needed for Huck brake, which required a little less peddle pressure than the mechanical brakes.
And of course the next step up was the power assisted Bendix and finally the jump to disc brakes that had been proven in racing for many years. Just a word about disc brakes, big advantage was that they didn’t fade when hot, but a throw back was the peddle pressure required was greater than the Bendix, with out power assist they are a bear.
I’ve been driving my old gal 45 and 50 on a regular basis and really like the nice full hard pedal I get out of the Huck brake.
If ya care to see the rebuild I posted some pics in Webshots:
http://rides.webshots.com/album/555161678EhIoCb?start=36 http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2770730910098611668EJJKmH Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL
