Lucille’s brakes do not overheat anymore! This past weekend my wife and I took her out for a 30 mile round trip drive, in stop and go traffic, from our house to downtown Greenville, SC and back. She ran beautifully in the brake department and also the engine had good power, idled well, the best she has performed ever. Just prior to our little run I had thrown the timing light on her and did a final tweak. Bingo, we’ve got a smooth running Stovebolt, finally!
I want to take a moment to thank all the folks here in Stoveboltland who have helped me over the years. I could not have accomplished what I have without all you good folks.
When we acquired “Lucille” in the fall of 2007, she was functioning poorly with a multitude of issues. A long list of deferred maintenance needed to be attended to. It was going to take time, money and knowledge. I had the time because I’m retired. The money came in bit by bit because I wasn’t going to whip out a credit card to pay for all the needed new parts and I had to do the work myself. I don’t think there are many folks out there that can afford to pay someone else to do all this mechanical work. The big thing I was lacking was knowledge. Over time I was able to solve problems with the guidance of many people here at Stovebolt.com. I am very appreciative for all the help I received.
Lucille’s Huck brakes were one of the major problems that “had” to be dealt with right from the beginning. I barely had any brakes at all. I had messed around with brakes in the past when I was younger, but never worked around this older type of system. I’m pretty confident when it comes to taking things apart and putting things back together again. So I decided I’d buy the best replacement parts I could find and redo the whole brake system keeping the Huck style in place. New relined brake shoes, wheel cylinders, return springs, S/S brake lines, new brass connection blocks and an NOS master cylinder. The installation of the new parts went very well and was leak proof with no air in the system. Where I had a difficulty was all in adjustment. Totally lacking the knowledge of how all these parts related to one another. Thus the reason for this thread called “Overheating Brakes”.
To sum up what I have learned in dealing with Huck brakes there are four major areas I’d like to point out for any one out there reworking this kind of brake system with new parts. This all has to do with making the correct adjustments to the star wheel adjusters/screws, the M/C push rod, brake fluid level and the emergency brake.
First, the star wheel adjuster cups must always be in contact with the wheel cylinder casting when you’re not braking. The star wheel adjusting screws should be adjusted so that it pushes the brake pad out to slightly rub against the brake drum. The drum should be able to be turned by hand with hearing rubbing noise. I was lucky that I didn’t have to replace all my brake drums since there was no sign of scarring or deep grooves.
Second, is an adjustment to the M/C push rod. I can give thanks to George (aka Wrenchbender Ret) in pointing is little gem out. The push rod is connected to the brake pedal and should be adjust so you can feel it “wiggle” where it goes into the M/C. I was able to do this; however, I was not able to get the real high pedal as George was looking for. There is still a little play in the brake pedal before it becomes a solid hard pedal. I’ve got excellent braking with no overheating. I’m afraid to tighten up on the star adjusters any more worrying that they will be too tight.
My third point is to make sure you don’t over fill the M/C with brake fluid. Leave a small air space so the fluid can modulate back and forth in the system.
Fourth, check the adjustment on the emergency brake. You want to make sure when it is fully retracted, (off), that you’re not putting a drag on the rear brake drums.
So, it’s been a long road and finally I’ve got Lucille to a point where she is a joy to drive. I’ve got one more test I’d like to put her through and that is a hill climb near where I live that goes for about 10 miles from elevation 900 feet to 2100 feet! If she’ll do that I’ll be on top of the world!!
