The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline Huck Brake Adjustment

My 3100 has Huck brakes. I’ve read the manual on Adjustment for the 1/2 ton brake and parking brake. I understand the the procedure and the back off of four notches.
My question is about the Adjustment in the front and back of the wheel cylinder. When you adjust the shoe via the “notches” , do you determine the slight drag and then back off BOTH the front and back of the wheel cylinder the four notches? My thought is each shoe has its own Adjustment via the “notches”––one for the front shoe andone for the back shoe As you don’t want any drag and unnecessary wear on the brakes Am I correct?

Yes you are correct. My 50 3600 had Hucks front and back. Does your truck have Bendix-style on the front and Hucks on the back? I forget when they switched over.

Jim,

I don't know if your '47 uses the same brake adjustment procedure as my '36. But the '36 method includes disconnecting the e-brake cables at their front clevises during adjustment of the rear brakes. Then after the adjustment is completed the e-brake cables are reconnected and the e-brakes are adjusted for equal braking on both sides. I question whether that e-brake cable disconnect is really required but I do it anyway. The '36 has only been driven about 13,000 miles in 40+ years so it's hardly a frequent issue.

1947 should have Huck brakes all around.

Adjust each shoe in each brake.

http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/shop/1947truck/47ctsm0506.htm

#5 in the brake adjustment procedure which Tim has provided is where most people get lost (me included).

"5. Repeat this operation on each shoe in each brake..."
There are 2 shoes for each wheel, therefor there are 2 wheels to adjust per wheel.

Yes, there is supposedly an adjustment wheel on each side of the brake/wheel cylinder.

http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/shop/1947truck/47ctsm0502.htm

http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/shop/1948_51truck/51ctsm0503.htm

Huck brakes utilize two adjusters per wheel. i.e. the front or leading shoe has it's own adjuster and the rear or trailing shoe has it's own adjuster.
If you look at the back side of the brake mounting plate you'll see two slots at the top on either side of where the brake line connects to the wheel cylinder. They should have dust/dirt covers plugging the slots. Those are the access holes to turn the star wheels for each shoe. I use a std screwdriver but a proper adjustment tool may be easier.
You have to turn the star wheels in opposite directions, i.e. to adjust the left side brakes out, you turn the front or leading star adjuster "up" and the rear or trailing shoe star adjuster down. The right side is opposite.
I'm attaching a cheat sheet I made up. The arrows indicate which direction to turn to widen the brakes out, turn the wheels in the opposite direction to reduce or bring the shoes in.
Huck brakes adjusting cheat sheet
I believe the manual calls for the wheels to free spin after adjustment. I like a good strong pedal so I adjust mine to where the shoes barely touch the drum. The wheel should spin only a couple times before brake shoe friction slows then down to a stop.

I like your cheat sheet. I would make a copy of it except that I will likely misplace it just like I seem to do with my antique brake adjusting tool.
I like to tighten the stars until I can't turn the wheel, then back each one until I only have slight drag. This technique speeds up the the shoe-to-drum wear-in period when you have new shoes and turned drums. The old way involved manually grinding the shoes until their contour matched that of the turned drum. That is why brake grinders never lived much past 40 (that and the chain smoking of Camel non-filters).

"The old way involved manually grinding the shoes until their contour matched that of the turned drum. That is why brake grinders never lived much past 40 (that and the chain smoking of Camel non-filters)".

Carl,

When this has come up in the past I have passed along my experience with my own Huck brakes that asbestos linings are vastly more effective than the "organic" stuff that auto parts stores carry now and that "arc grinding" to correctly match the shoe curvature to the drum ID also adds to brake effectiveness. Here's a discussion of that:

http://www.mafca.com/tqa_c_brakes.html

The asbestos friction is abundant on ebay and is perfectly legal to buy and own. Brake specialty shops still arc grind linings for customers who know how to ask discretely and know how to keep their mouths shut. If I were a young guy instead of a gray headed granddad I would buy one of the many arc grinders offered on ebay. The tiny amount of asbestos a hobbyist would encounter grinding his/her own linings would hardly affect his/her health or longevity.

Wonderful comments that help me to adjust the brakes! Thanks Volfandt for sharing your cheat sheet. That will help everyone.

I’ve watched brake shops use an angle grinder to pare drown brake shoes......but not those on cars or trucks. Seemed like doing brain surgery with an axe to me.

The Camel cigarette comment brought back visions of my WWII tank commander later diesel mechanic smoking those same unfiltered Camels then squeezing the lit end off the remains butt! Wonder if that practice went back to the war? Perhaps when smoking inside the tank?

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Just to comment on organic shoes, I have them on both my 1951 1 Ton and my 38 Master. Both brake systems work really well and I don't see a problem with the material.

I worked in garages when I was young and we frequently used an air hose to blow out the dirt and dust after the drums came off. I consider myself lucky that i didn't come down with lung disease. Now as a cancer survivor I would not tempt fate by exposing myself to asbestos.

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Disagreements are fine. Name calling is not. If you choose to do that, do it my email or PM.

In my past life as manager of a automotive service department for a national retail chain, it was common practice for the mechanics to use the air gun to blow the dust off brake drums and backing plates. The entire shop (6 bays) would be filled with asbestos dust for several minutes before settling on every surface in the shop. We also had the grinding machine to arc shoes for a proper fit. How we all survived is a mystery. Several of my former mechanics have passed on but none to my knowledge from lung cancer. Its nothing to turn a blind eye to. If I were going to do it today, knowing what I know, I would use a dust mask at the very least.

"Disagreements are fine. Name calling is not. If you choose to do that, do it my email or PM"

Good morning Tiny.

I find it astonishing that people descend into "name calling" (I didn't see the actual post) over simple discussions of this hobby that we pursue just for fun. One of the things I enjoy about this and other car/truck forums is the wide range of approaches and opinions that people bring to these projects. The topic of arc grinding linings is just an example. To some it's an essential part of a brake job. To others it's unnecessary.

To each his own, huh?

"In my past life as manager of a automotive service department for a national retail chain, it was common practice for the mechanics to use the air gun to blow the dust off brake drums and backing plates. The entire shop (6 bays) would be filled with asbestos dust for several minutes before settling on every surface in the shop. We also had the grinding machine to arc shoes for a proper fit"

Good morning to you also Justhorsenaround.

I remember those days also, although just as an observer. That's why I personally don't worry about the tiny amount of asbestos that comes my way from the brakes and clutch disc on my restored '36 Chevy pickup and '32 Ford roadster street rod.

In the summer of 1967 I worked as a welder in Doug's Headers factory when I was a college kid. In one room the welds at the flange connections to the tubes were ground smooth by guys with die grinders. That filled up the welding and grinding rooms with fine metallic particles that were blown around by the fans and we breathed all that stuff in. There was no dust collection system nor breathing masks. The environment is really cleaned up compared to what it once was.

Now the risks to our health are distracted drivers. Hopefully that will also be a thing of the past some day.

Warning to readers: once asbestos gets into your lungs, it does not disappear.
Asbestos in your lungs can be carcinogenic (has the potential to cause cancers).

If you use/service/sand/grind asbestos-containing brake linings, heed and follow these precautions (you and your family, if they enter your garage/work-area).