The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline Huck vs. Bendix brakes

I have a 1950 1/2 ton, and have always heard talk of how bad the Huck brakes are. I understand 1950 was the last year they made them, and Chevy changed to Bendix brakes in ‘51.
My question is why are they considered so bad?

Also, I’m considering a total rebuild including a new master cylinder, wheel cylinders and shoes. How difficult would it be to just go ahead and switch over to the Bendix style brakes?

** 52 6200 currently has a listing in parts for sale with everything you would need to make the switch at a great price. **

Huck brakes can't self-center in the drums like a Bendix assembly can, so each shoe in a Huck system has to be adjusted individually. Very few people are willing to put in the time and effort needed to keep them working properly. Adjusting 8 shoes every couple of thousand miles is just too much like work! Early Bendix brakes also need adjusting, but they're much more forgiving of neglect than Hucks are.
Jerry

Thanks Marzach and Jerry. I don’t know anything about Huck brakes!! I’ll check out the parts for sale section of the swap meet.

Over 100k safe miles with Huck brakes, daily driver only vehicle. For successful Huck brakes you have to be able to read the manual and follow directions. In addition you need a few basic tools, common sense and a little mechanical ability.

My wear patterns for both shoes on every corner were remarkably consistent which only meant that I followed the instructions well and my hearing and sense of friction were good enough to achieve very good results for the two sets of shoes I needed in 100k+ miles.

Yearly brake fluid purge and biannual brake adjustments were just a matter of course for proper vehicle maintenance (for me).

Your results may vary.

In addition Jerry's post is spot on...you will have 8 shoes to adjust, quite daunting but not impossible for an aspiring mechanic. I'll venture to say that if you did the Coke/Pepsi test of Huck/Bendix the results would be quite negligible.

The good news is Huck brakes work and properly stop stock or mostly stock AD trucks.
The bad news is that they require regularly scheduled maintenance which entails jacking it up to adjust the brake shoes as they don't self adjust and regular inspections.
Regular schedule maintenance also includes keeping a constant eye on the brake fluid level in the master cylinder. It's not that the brake systems have a propensity to leak as they don't, it's because the master cylinder only has a single reservoir so theres no backup should it leak down due to it leaking, or a wheel cylinder leaking or a line leaking etc.
Since the M/S is under the floor board some may think it's a pain to check as they've got carpeting etc., covering the access hole. Best bet is to keep access to it easy.

I have an AD with Hucks and another with power disc's in the front and theres no comparison in stopping power.
I drive the Huck equipped AD in traffic and haven't had any problems stopping when needed. I even locked them up before.
I totally rebuilt the Huck system so I have confidence in it but like I said it needs regular scheduled maintenance and based on it's driving avg it's up on jack stands a minimum of twice a year, which I don't mind. It's going to stay as stock as I can safely keep it.

The power brake AD stops shorter and with alot less effort. It's entire drive train is upgraded to late model as was the brake system. Neither of those systems require the regular scheduled maintenance that the stock AD does, which I also don't mind LOL.

If you're a purest and want the full AD experience I'd recommend to totally rebuild the Huck brakes and enjoy.
If you want to modernize the functionality and safety of your AD upgrade the brakes to a dual master cylinder with disc's in the front and Bendix style in the rear. Add power and disc's to the rear to fully modernize.

Like everything involved with this AD affliction, it ain't cheap and never a piece of cake LOL.
Good luck
Dave

Thanks Cosmo and Volfandt for your comments. I must admit that I never knew Huck brakes needed lots of attention and maintenance. Since my ‘50 is all original, and because most everyone agrees that when in good condition original Huck brakes are adequate and safe, I guess I’ll buy new parts and will keep the Huck brakes. I’ll be sure to make a note to put it up on jack stands at least twice a year to adjust all 8 shoes. I don’t usually go over 45 mph and don’t haul a trailer, so once they’ve been overhauled the original brakes should work just fine for me.

Thanks everyone!

Even with eight adjustments to make, the only hard part is focusing on the correct way to turn each star to expand the shoes.
The correct way is to turn the star clockwise while looking at the end of the wheel cylinder.
Carl

Thanks Carl. I’m going to make myself a sticky note right now!!!

Chuck