The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline Huck Brakes...Never Seen "Em Before!

I got the engine running!
That means that I had better have a way to stop this thing if it ever gets moving!
I should mention that I am trying to make a driver out of this project.

59 years ago, I got pretty used to dealing with Bendix brakes - even purchased a couple of tools to do the installation of the springs and the adjusting without losing any blood.

A while back, we moved onto a boat for a couple of years and I slimmed down my tool stash figuring that there wasn't room for things like brake tools on a boat.

Now I am reading up on dealing with Huck brakes and see that there might be a Herbrand 188 tool that I should try to find on the used market. Are there any other hints that folks can offer as to what might make my life easier as I deal with these brakes. Should I find a pair or just try to thrash my way through? Any other specialized tools that are recommended for dealing with this part of the project? (I am old enough that I don't expect to be doing this again.)

The project is a 1940 cab on a 1947(?) chassis. The truck came to me with the story that the brakes had been redone. It is hard for me to tell if this is true or not, as the project had been given up on and may have been sitting for quite a while. That the shoes have been relined is stamped on at least one of the shoes and they don't look very used to my untrained eye.

If it is true that some of the parts are (were) new, not too many miles ago, how should I decide what to trust and what to try to prove useable or not? How do I flush the metal brake lines? They aren't covered with crud as one would expect old lines to be. The line that would be connected to the master cylinder (if there was one) is just hanging out in the air not connected or protected. How should I clean it out to ensure that I don't cause problems.

The bottom portion of the interior of the one rear brake drum I removed seems to have a sticky residue on it. I don't know if it is old brake fluid or if it is lube from a leaking axle seal. What is involved with removing the axle seal from a rear that has a date of 1941 on it?

What brake fluid should I use?

How is one supposed to remove the hub caps from one of these trucks without scratching the paint on the wheel?

I took some photos of what I have seen so far.

Nick, I had never seen or heard of Huck brakes in my life until I started working on Ol' Roy 4 or 5 years ago.

I rebuilt all four wheels without any Huck specific tools. My Bendix Brake tools and Channel lock pliers were all I needed.

Use DOT3 fluid.

Are you worried that the brake lines might have rust inside? If so, just replace them all with pre-bent lines from Inline Tube.

I bought new shoes, wheel cylinders, and master from Rock Auto. Dynamic Friction brand.

To flush the lines , let the fluid run out of all corners and blow them out with compressed air.

There is a wheel cover removing tool available from various vendor, not Chevy specific. It's a hard plastic version of the flat end of a tire iron.

Use a tire iron with a thin blade and rotate it axially instead of prying it like a lever.

Nick - Lots of questions sir, and some are better asked separately from the brakes, like the axle seals as that can keep the focus on a single topic to see you through to success.

An observation from your pics if I may. Your first pic shows what looks like your passenger side rear brake setup, based on the location of the parking brake cable. If that is correct, the parking brake components that connect to the cable and shoes appear to be assembled incorrectly. Below is a diagram showing the 1/2 ton Huck brake setup with the parking brake components. It's from a 1941 Chevy Master Parts Book, but I can confirm that the component parts are the same for 1937-52 1/2 ton (and 3/4 ton) Huck brakes as mentioned in a related conversation here. It also appears from that picture that you may be missing some critical parking brake items (eccentric adjusting bolt hardware) for your parking brakes to function correctly.

A note before you go further, read through Section 5 of the Truck Shop Manual [this 1941 Shop Manual is the same as other Huck brake information and can provide important guidance on steps to take in your disassembly/reassembly. Give it a thorough read to familiarize yourself.

After that I think I would start by completely disassembling those brakes, lay everything out to see what you have, assess for any missing or unusable pieces and confirm correct side of truck where they belong (the parking brake levers and struts are side specific) and then ask more questions with added pictures.

I think you would be able to handle the brake work without having the Herbrand 188 tool, but it maybe less frustration to acquire one and use for your work. They can be found readily on ebay Herbrand 188 Huck Brake tool.

Let us know when you have more questions.

One thing I changed on my setup was to use E-clips (C-clips?) instead of the stock type retainers. I didn't like the fit of stock - too loose for me or I couldn't get the correct fit.

Thanks for the responses!

Otto, thanks for the info.

Dan, will do as suggested, utilizing your links - and thanks for pointing out the missing and incorrectly assembled parts. (I tend to too easily trust that whoever did something before did it correctly!)

John, what was your source for the replacement clips?

Nick please note that I edited my earlier reply (lined through a couple sentences) as my observation initially was incorrect. I didn't have my tri-focals on and missed some details.

It looks like you have everything there you need and it's in the right places.

Nick - I just finished my Huck brakes on a 1940. That Herbrand 188 tool would have made things easier but I was able to accomplish it with the same tools Otto did. I also believe you have all the correct parts, and that makes me jealous, as I discovered I am missing a couple of the park brake pieces in mine, thanks to Dan's diagram he provided here and another post I followed. If you feel you want/need that tool, perhaps you could rent it out for a buck or two and have the user pay for shipping.

Ace Hardware, but probably any hardware store. I don't remember the exact sizes - one for the large pins and one size for the smaller pins on the brake shoes springs.

I was looking at my pictures and it looks like I used those little horseshoe shaped clips for the small pins that hold the springs.

Thirty years ago (1996) I did the brakes on my '38 pickup, I was able to use a channel lock to squeeze the pin spring enough to get the circular clips on. Last year I did the brakes again but this time the channel locks didn't work for me, so I used vise grips that I was able to place against the shoe table and the top of the pin and squeezed the vise grips to hold the spring in place so I could get the clips on. I probably won't do the brakes again, however I looked at the special tool on Ebay and just might get it just to have it.
Nick, if you're reading this, I would suggest get as many new parts as you can, especially new steel lines, and of course all rubber parts. Brake fluid is your choice, when I did my brakes thirty years ago I used Silicone (dot 5) and have had no leaks and have a firm pedal. Good luck with your brake project.
Glen



1938 half ton pickup

Only disassemble one side at a time so you can use the other side as a reference to put disassembled side back together.

Ace Hardware has the 5/8" E clips for the big pins. I used regular horseshoe brake clips available from any parts store for 30 years worth of Amercian cars in place of the small clips. E clips would work there as well.

And don't use the small clips / horseshoe clip on the spring end like that idiot in the Hagerty video. Use the pin head to hold the spring and put the small clip on the other side of the assembly in the groove on the pin.

I really appreciate the input.
The photos are very helpful.
With regard to replacing the brake lines, I will do that if it turns out that they are not already new. The project came to me with the story that the engine was new, the brakes were new and the transmission was rebuilt. (I was also told that it was a 1940, but it turned out to be a Frankentruck of 3 different series!) I am just now getting to looking at the brakes and will try to let safety rule instead of just my wallet! I will override my natural desire to just see if it will work as it is, and tear it down and make sure all the parts are new or in very good condition. I do feel that brakes are a good thing.
Nice to know that Ace and the FLAPS should be sources for any clips that I will be needing.

Nick one important thing to note in Otto's 4th pictures above (captured and edited a bit below).

Before you start disassembly, use a zip tie like he did to hold together the brake shoe engagement pins and internals on the wheel cylinders. Otherwise you will end up with pieces coming apart and messy brake fluid everywhere!

Dan, Thanks for pointing that out!
It makes sense and I would not have thought about it!

Oh ya, And tie the new ones up the same way for installation. Once the shoes are in place and holding the pistons in place, you can untie them.

Oh ya, And tie the new ones up the same way for installation. Once the shoes are in place and holding the pistons in place, you can untie them.

When compressing the little springs to remove the horseshoe clip/small clip, make sure you have a good grip on it or that little spring will go flying to the moon.

Take a bunch of pictures before disassembling so you get the stackup right on all the parts of that big bottom pin and take note of the position of the cam nut on the top of the shoes on the rear brakes. With new shoes, follow the directions in the manual but it might be helpful to see "what worked" before if you have trouble later.

Every time I see one of these threads, I love my Bendix brakes even more. Back in the '90s I did battle with the huck brakes on my Dad's 1947 GMC school bus. It was a rad little bus, I wish I'd had a way to get it home with me.

I didn't find Huck brakes to be a problem or difficult in any way. They're similar enough to Bendix brakes not to be difficult to work on for anyone familiar with the latter. They're just a little different.

The only thing I don't like very much is the wheel cylinder that has to be trussed up like a Christmas ham while you're working on it.

Other than that, how often do you have to mess with them once they're installed? They have to be adjusted just ike Bendix brakes do after driving a few thousand miles.

I am more confident now that I have had the input from the forum. Thanks!

Well, I read over the shop manual and purchased the Herbrand 188 pliers and figured that I was ready to dive in to pulling the rear brakes apart...

The first thing the shop manual says to do is to remove the brake shoe retracting spring with the special pliers.

The photograph in the manual shows pliers that may (or may not) be the same as the ones I understood to be recommended for working with huck brakes (Herbrand 188), but it doesn't show how it is engaging with the shoe retracting spring. I looked at it for a while and, perhaps because it is almost midnight, I couldn't come up with a way to use the pliers (or anything else) to remove the spring.

It can't be all that complicated! What am I missing? Please let me know what you have done to get this spring off. I searched the internet and found a lot of long-winded folks working with Huck brakes, but none showed how they got this spring off...and it is the first step!

It is probably dead simple, but right now I am stumped!

I think I left that spring connected and took off the other components first. Then I took both shoes off at once with the spring in place.

I was able to use a lineman’s pliers to grab the spring and unhook it. That is also how I reconnected it. With the shoes as close together as they can be it is not a hard pull.

Nick - The tool for the return spring removal is not the Herbrand 188. Confusing that the Shop Manual doesn't mention that. Below is the modern variant and the jaws have a pointed tip and a hooked tip to do the job of removing the shoe return spring. If your shoes have riveted linings, it's easy to put the pointed tip in one of those recesses to anchor that side and then use the hook end to snag and stretch the spring enough to get the spring hook out of the shoe anchor hole. Without the recesses in riveted linings, you take the chance of damage your existing linings if you are going to reuse your shoes using this tool.

I'm with the other guys on this not being an essential tool. In my case, I use a pair of long nose vise grip pliers to grab the spring close to the hook and stretch it to then unhook from the shoe. One hand pressed against the outer face of the shoe (to minimize movement and keep it pressed forward) while pulling the spring hook to the rear does the trick. Then reverse that process when putting it back together.

Clearer than mud now???

Thanks for the suggestions, Otto and Brendan.

Dan, knowing that the Herbrand 188 pliers are not intended for this particular job makes my brain hurt less.

That tool you attached a photo of looks as though it would replace several tools I used to have for working on Bendix brakes. It looks like a good investment.

I will go the route of stretching the spring with pliers or vice grips, which I remember doing with the Bendix brakes before I got the tools to do it more easily.

Of course, now I am wondering what specific job the Herbrand 188 pliers were intended for! Does anyone know?

The Herbrand is for the pin with the spring and clip. I circled them in your picture. See attached.

Thanks, Dan!
Now I know.

Nick - As I was searching for a pic of the Herbrand 188 being used (I couldn't find the one I seem to recall recently seeing but Brendan covered that), I did find this Huck Brake Film Strip in Brad Allen's Albums that provides some very good pictures of the disassembly, reassembly and adjustments for the Huck Brakes. When you look through them, note the non-special tools pictured for doing the various work. It also shows the use of the combination tool discussed above.

Maybe a good resource to help you not yank so many hairs out by the roots.

I have a pic from when I did my brakes. Except I ended up using a different clip. As for removing the spring, I used a vise grip.

Dan,

That film strip about dealing with Huck brakes is a great reference!

Ya that is pretty helpful.

And you punks better do as it says. No locking or sliding the wheels to check brake operation! Dang hoodlums.

Well, I finally got the right rear brake reassembled. Amazingly frustrating.

Trying to get the brake shoe retaining spring connected behind the Parking Brake Lever (which makes it invisible) was a challenge. Is the hook supposed to point toward the center of the wheel or outward? (It would only make a very small difference in the location of the shoe.)

Then, hooking that shoe retracting spring (the one that pulls the two shoes toward each other) really tested me.

I have attached a couple of photos of the "Extension, Parking Brake Lever", Group 5.182. Part number 475482 is called for on the right and 475481 is called for on the left. There is a flattened spot on this part and I wonder if the parts might have been inadvertently switched by the previous owner? The flat spot in the part is visible just below the wheel cylinder. Does anyone know if it is supposed to be visible when the part is installed?

Thanks!

When doing thjer rear brakes, there should be no tension on the E brake cables. I disconnected mine where the cables attach to that bar. It made it a lot easier.

It probably doesn't matter which way the spring faces as long as there is no interference with other parts. I'll see if I have pics of mine.

Looks like I faced my spring hooks inboard.

Nick - In reply to your question on if the parking brake lever extensions are correctly installed or not, I'm going to say yes. The extension rod will only install one direction when connected to the rest of the parking brake hardware correctly.

Below is a screenshot from the above earlier mentioned Chevrolet Huck brake service film strip. The picture is showing the drivers side, evidenced by the blue arrow pointing to the parking brake cable going towards the front of the vehicle.

The red arrow shows the "flat" on the extension rod to be facing out, just like yours (your picture appears to show the passenger side). Also of note is the green arrow showing the anti-rattle spring on the extension rod where it goes over the parking brake lever. Your 2nd picture shows the spring in the correct spot, but missing from Otto's rear brake pictures.

I think you can confidently move on to the next steps of adjusting the brakes.

Here's a pic I took when working on mine. Struggled a little until I released the tension on the E-cable. (Also added a before pic of other side.)

Thanks for the feedback, guys.

I my e-brake cables are disconnected from the tensioning parts of the setup. But that also caused some aggravation as the cable end unhooked from the lever when there was no tension on it.

Thanks for confirming that the flat spot on the extension rod pointing out is correct!

What I was wondering about which direction they should be pointing when installed, are the pins that work with the conical springs (Group 5.046) that hold the shoes against the backing "flange" plate. I was having real trouble seeing the one behind the e-brake lever. Perhaps the next time I work on the brakes I will pull the axle to make access easier! (I sure hope that when I get this project driving, that I don't find out at that point, that I need to re-do the differential!)

John, I think I recognize some of the stuff growing in your second photo! Mine looked almost the same!

My truck doesn't have the conical springs. No hooks on the backing plate. I'm pretty sure the point of the cone contacts the the head of the sardine can key .

"Sardine can key"! I haven't seen one pf those in a long time!

My concern (although a very small one) is, does it make a difference to the functioning of the system if the points of the "sardine can keys" point toward the center of the wheel or outward?

But, it is not a concern that will keep me awake at night. I assume that when the shoes are adjusted they are held where they need to be.