The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts Is it okay to use my original 1938 drums (checked and new pads) @ 50mph??

Hi All,
The writing above my windshield says x inflation not over 35mph lol. That was BEFORE I added radials, dana60 rear with drums, large inline-6 and nv4500.. I wanted to keep as much as possible close to original or original theme and still be able to drive on hwy sometimes > 45mph. There's just something I like about the cab sitting on the original frame with as many (safely checked) parts still part of the vehicle.. I like to look at the drums in the front and say - yep .. some bloke drove around in this getting at 100 years ago!. <-- That being said; aside from giving myself PLENTY of room in front IF dumbdumbd in traffic allow... .. is it STUPID to brake at 55-60 or even 45-50mph? Not even remotely meant for it? Wear down alot faster? Break something?

Are you going to send us a picture?

Ed

Of it done? Sure. I'll post here. Its taken me 2 years.. between fair, then POOR, then good then GREAT mechanics to help. So much for my 3 month idea when I got started lol. Tips from my frustration.

HINTS:
#1 MOST importantly, if someone is saying they 'will get to it" and keeps promising you for a year or more, FIRE them and find someone who can help you, long before the year goes by.. or you lose part$/forget what you did and end up messing things up and wasting time..
#2 if someone suggests using original axle clamps and just tightening then onto a new modern axle. FIRE them.
#3 If someone uses the wrong fittings to connect your brake linings to the master cylinder by just extra tightening them, FIRE them.
#4 If someone forgets to grease the driveshaft and center carrier bearings before test driving it, FIRE them.
#5 If someone suggests punching holes on the lip of the c channel, FIRE them. Dont do that.
#6 oh, yea, trust this forum! Its a good one.

Brakes of any kind, disc, drum, or a combination of designs are there to convert the kinetic energy in the vehicle to heat and blow it away. As long as you've got good ventilation to the brake drums, those antique binders should do a pretty good job. I'd suggest fabricating some ductwork to pass a good volume of air across the brakes- - - - -maybe drill a few holes in the backing plates- - - -that's how we improved braking on the race cars back in the dark ages.

The 1934 Chevy truck/trailer rigs my family used to haul beer from Milwaukee and St. Louis to Nashville back in the late 1930's had vacuum over mechanical brakes on the tractors, and no brakes at all on the trailers. I think the gross weight of those rigs was somewhere around 4 tons- - - -vehicles plus cargo. They didn't wreck them- - - -at least not often!
Jerry

Jerry that is a super idea on the drums. Thanks sir!!

p.s. and thanks for the history. that is priceless.

Since you will probably not be hauling 3,500 lbs of bricks, original-type brakes should be fine. Do a test run. Go 45 and bear down on them. Then do 50mph, etc. When you get scared, say you're scared.

Hey Jethro, so it sounds like you really cant hurt em.. I was thinking I can end up with warping and such.. like the cheap disk brakes and end up with vibration and crap..

ex. years ago I had a '90 mustang on a CLOSED COURSE of course I took it up to some ridiculous speed like 135 and then hit the brakes a little to get it down to 100.. they not only did not work well but clearly didnt like it. I ended up with warp rotors that fast.

I was thinking comparatively speaking with brakes that were once meant for 35mph, using them @ at 45-60 could also cause shuttering and such thereafter. I did use them at about 50 and they seemed ok the one time I did it. <-- all that to say, I just dont want to wear the pads down or induce break wobble or shutter prematurely by continually using them @ 50-60 (mainly I would gear it down but... you know how people drive after 2019.. )

I will generally gear down anyway but sounds like they are pretty sturdy and consistent from your alls replies. I am also wondering how they do after down hill drives with a lot of needed braking. Probably same.. consistent but with fade I guess. Any and all replies welcome.

"Downhill drives with a lot of needed braking."

Ride those brakes a lot and they WILL get hot. Downshifting may indeed be in order. RE: Jerry's suggestions for cooling brakes. B'more shouldn't have hills steep enough to give that problem.
A 38 1 1/2 ton limiting factor would probably be more steering than brakes, anyway. I asked a buddy about his 37 Plymouth pickup decades ago. He said "it runs like a bat outta ell, but it still drives like a 37 Plymouth."
Use good common sense.

38 1.5 ton My 51 6400 drums only 13 years newer get tested each time I come home. My gravel road is served by a heavy duty (smooth) hi-way good place to really climb on the brakes and use em !! They're fine can't see any reason to change anything. Oh it's an every day 50 mph. truck. In the olden days you had a grinder to arc those asbestos brake linings to perfectly fit the turned drum. However your customer did not want to see new linings ground away!! So spongy flexing brake shoes would be in order,the bigger the drum the worse it would be. I hate to think of that dust we all endured !!

Huck brakes (which your rig almost certainly has) need some "wear-in" time with new linings, and you'll need to do frequent adjustments until the linings wear into full contact with the drums. That's particularly true once the drums wear a little oversize. Here's a sneaky trick to shorten the wear-in process a little. Glue a piece of coarse sandpaper, like 40 or 60 grit, to the inside of a drum with the abrasive facing in. Use water soluble glue like original Elmer's, or even library or wallpaper paste. Scuff the new brake linings against the sandpaper to match the radius of the lining to the drum. Then use boiling water to melt the glue. It will shorten the wear-in process dramatically.
Jerry

38 1.5ton In 1972 in the early days of disc brakes just one shot with an impact could warp the rotor and make the brakes hump. It took a while for tire shops to learn this. Machine shops also got schooling on how to turn rotors and not ruin them (easy to get too thin ) chatter was a problem.

Glad to see you got it together. Since they were designed to carry loads I would think they should be sufficient You will have to keep up with adjustments. Good luck the area you are in will test your reactions. Your comment on driving since 2019 is spot on at least here on east coast. Stupidity on full display in traffic they don't even try to pretend otherwise. Good luck and enjoy.