Ya know Fred, somewhere in one of these threads you made a comment about how the Huck brakes have gotten a bad rap. And now that you've been driving your truck you thought the Huck brakes were fine??
Well, I would have to agree with ya 100%. I just gotta say to anyone that is knocking the Huck brakes that if your having a problem with them, than ya need to service them properly.
As you did Fred, I disassembled my complete system on my '50, 3604, and I mean the complete system. All new lines and fittings, rebuilt the wheel and master cylinders, I mean really rebuilt, not just putting a kit in as some do. When I say rebuilt I mean honed till clean or re-sleeved in the case of the rears. Chasing the threads and clean the bleeder seats with brass brush, install new bleeders. Remove every part starting with the backing plates and removal of the entire parking brake assembly and clean everything down to bare metal. New springs, shoes, clips, bearings and seals and then make the proper adjustments. If you do all of that, your Huck brakes should be back to "from the factory" condition and they will work just like they did when new.
I've put around a 1000 miles on my truck this summer and I can lock up the wheels if I apply firm pressure and normal stops only take a light touch on the pedal. The truck stops straight ahead, hands off, with no pulling to either side. The pedal is as solid as a rock, right at the top with just the proper clearance. I can detect a slight amount of normal brake shoe wear at the first application of the pedal now, which has progressively dropped about an inch or so over the summer, still a hard pedal, indicating that a little touch up or normal maintenance is in order on the brake shoe adjustment at the 1000 mile lube and check up. A second touch brings the pedal right back up to the top.
So I'm perfectly happy with my Huck brakes, they work just fine and I can see no reason to replace them.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL
