The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline 1950 3100 brake shoes

I wasn't having any success searching. I have always struggled when I install new brake shoes w pushing the small spring loaded mounting pin inward so the clip or special lock washer can be installed. Looking for a better way that works. Vise grips are awkward. I've wasted more time w this.

Lots of different tool dealers sell the holder for the round retainer while pushing over the pin. Harbor freight has the whole kit.

Or spend a lot from Snap-ON 3/4" Magnetic Brake Retainer Spring Tool (Orange).

James - The trick to using the tool Joe mentions is to push and hold the pin forward against the backing plate with pin through the brake shoe (I actually use my fingertip to do this), then using the tool, compress the retainer spring and round clip over the point of the pin and turn 90 degrees and release to lock the pin and everything into place. Make sense???

Response greatly appreciated. I have and use the top 2 tools in the set pictured in the Harbor F set. The bottom one w red handles must be the one. I find the springs that need to be compressed require a great deal of force in order to push in and insert the locking washer. That's why I have tried to use vise grips w/o success.

Any advice. Taking the articulating arms off in order to use a vise doesn't sound good. The center attachment pin would be hard to secure w the backing plate there i the way.

Any experience w that tool in the HF set?

Question is force needed to compress the pin. My springs require a lot of force. Not possible to push inward w/o more mechanical assistance..

Ok. The deal is to pull against the backing plate. How does the tool in the HF set do that? All responses really appreciated. I've wasted too much time fumbling w these pins. My shop workshop manual shows a tool that looks the same as what's on the end of my spring pliers.

So the question is now.. how to use it. The springs are very stiff to compress.

I'm wondering about the springs on my truck. Do they need to be that stiff?

James - Unless you are pushing against the point of the pin (perhaps your retainer is clocked so the flat of the pin doesn't go straight through the slot in the retainer?), when you compress the spring and retainer the pin should go through the slot on the retainer, with limited effort to hold the pin in place while pressing down on the spring and retainer clips.

Below is a typical brake diagram (a picture I snapped from a 1949 Delco Brakes Service Manual) that shows the relationship of the shoe retaining pins/springs/clips. The clips are designed with a straight slot for the pin to slide over the pin point during compression, then the clip gets rotated 90 degrees to allow the flats of the pin point to settle into a groove that prevents the clip from coming off the pin.

Can you post a picture of your springs and perhaps the brakes as they sit now???

I use a pair of small needle nose vice-grips. I clamp the retaining ring with grips, hold the pin against the backing plate and the push in and turn 90*. I have a couple of the tools sold by the tool trucks that I bought when I was still working but a lot of times it was hard to get behind the axle flange with the tool and the grips worked better. The one's I use have an angled nose on them.

James, I think you are looking for a Herbrand No. 188 brake tool. Go to ebay and you will see several examples for sale. This is one tool you need if you are going to work on Huck brakes which Chevy used on their trucks from the 30s until 1950.

Kent

Here's what Kent is talking about Herbrand No. 188 brake tool.

Pictures please. 1950 3100 came with Huck brakes. They are different that Bendix which came out in 1951. I have seen several variations of springs and retainer pins on Huck brakes. I have also seen them with no provision for those springs and retainer pins at all.

JCarter shows their brake spring pkg for the 36-50 model years which is as pictured here on my 46 (which are easy to assemble), they also list a different spring for 51-66 which is like traditional bendix style spring w cap 1/4 turn onto post.
Are your brakes set up with the correct parts, or as mentioned in post above are they of another huck setup.

Chuck

Good points by 52 Carl and Hanks custodian!

My original replies were based on what I thought James was using for shoe retention, which sounded like the 1951 and later Bendix brake shoe hold downs (same as in the reference picture I posted above). My apologies if I misunderstood and gave bad info.

James - If you are working on Huck brakes (which would have been original to your truck) Chuck's above brake picture and described kit from Jim Carter (MEB171) would be the correct style of shoe hold downs for you application, not the Bendix style ones noted. Trying to use the Bendix style hold downs might be what's causing your grief during installation.

Below is a picture of the Jim Carter spring/retainer kit for reference.

I've used the tool that Dan posted above for my Huck brakes and it was pretty handy. I did change the original clips to E-clips on the large and small pins.

1950 did not have the center pin and spring like the earlier Huck brakes or the later Bendix brakes.

If your backing plate has no hole for the pin, don't worry about it. The Huck brake setup is actually pretty good and is in no danger of slipping out of position. I rebuilt mine a few years back and have had no problems with them.

I didn't take any pictures of the entire finished job but you can see that the new brake shoes have a provision for that pin but the 1950 backing plate does not so there's no need to use one. The manner of attachment of =Huck brakes is quite secure.

I used E clips in place of the large weird ones used by the factory. They are 5/8" size.

I used the little horseshoe clips found on a wide variety of later model Bendix brakes to secure the little springs. Bothe the horseshoes and E -clips are a lot easier to use than the original style retainers, in my opinion.

Smaller E clips could be used in place of the horseshoes if you wanted to use them.

Huck backing plates do not have holes through them for the springs and pins. They have an L-shaped sheet metal bracket spot welded to the backing plate to accept the hook end of the retaining pin. Sometimes these L-brackets fall off from 70+ years of rust.

Here's a pic of the L-shaped brackets.

A while back there was a discussion about the center retaining pin and its apparent absence from certain later models. Another person was working on his brakes and found no provisions for their attachment.

None were on Ol' Roy when I disassembled the brakes and there is no evidence that they ever existed. No stubs of welds or rusty pieces or anything like that on any of the 4 backing plates.

I have seen a Huck backing plate without any provision for center springs before. There was a sheet metal ring attached to the backing plate which the side of the shoe could ride on. You can sort of see the ring in Otto's pictures.

Carl, does your truck have the center pins?

I was just trying to figure out if pins were dropped from a certain date forward.

I don't recall. I converted to Bendix a long time ago.

The problem is the brakes changed...my pins on the 50 push in and have a special lock washer which bends inward on the leading side to stay in place. Pushing the spring inward w the pin has been awkward.

That tool looks like it will work. Thank you. I have wasted more time struggling with this Huck retaining pin and spring.

Wow.. the perfect tool..thank you.

Can you take some pictures of your brakes? I have never seen Huck brakes with Bendix pins and springs.

Just did the rear brakes on the ‘37. I purchased new springs and the j clips from Carter. A couple of the old j hooks were almost worn in Two and one did break. The new springs were a bit taller and hooks slightly different configuration. Real beast to compress enough and I used Vice grip needle nose on the shaft of the j hook. The old ones I could just grab across the top with regular vice grips and the old springs compressed pretty easy. Seeing to line up to give the twist wasn’t so easy either. Bendix springs, pins and caps have involved some sailor swearing but these huck j hooks brought out the whole navy! I used the old ones where I could. The new aftermarket fold over caps seemed a bit too loose and big too so I had to do a little tapping and pinching to feel confident they were in the slot deep enough to stay too. Wheew

Thank you both. That tool was perfect.

I still struggle with the other tool used to pull the upper spring to connect the rear brake shoes. It works but very awkward..