Thread: One more question on brakes...

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As I've indicated before, I bought somebody elses project...He had Buick drums (which are in good condition) on early Ford ('42-48) brakes. I'm going through and making sure that everything inside is new, and after talking to people and reading, am wondering if those early Ford brakes are adequate, or if I should replace them with something different.
What kind of issues/problems will I face in the future with these, and if the Buick drums were machined specifically to go with these brakes am I stuck if I go to something different?
I really want to use the Buick drums. I notice that Wilson Welding has some aluminum backing plates for around $300...would I be better off just spending the money up front and going with those, or go with what I've got.
Thanks,
Randy

(BTW, 3 window Highboy, 350/350)

I have 40 Ford drum brakes on the front of my roadster pickup (see avatar). They stop it fine, (running 85 S10 rearend with drum brakes). If I had any complaints at all, it would be that they are somewhat difficult to adjust. I may eventually swap backing plates and move up to the 53-56 Ford pickup front drum brakes, because they are easier to adjust, and are a "self energizing shoe" setup, which requires a bit less pedal pressure. I have no power booster, just a manual master cylinder. I have built cars with disc brakes on the front before this, and found that if you are running without a power booster on the brakes that discs require just as much (or more) pedal pressure than a good drum brake set-up. Discs are not "self energizing", so require a damn healthy brake pedal force.

It just depends on your driving habits. I've run Ford drums before and never had a problem. Of course, I kept in mind that I had drums and drove the car accordingly. If you are going to do a lot of mountain driving, you might consider an upgrade.

Buick backing plates and brakes can be adapted to your spindles and keep the finned drums. Saw an article on it in a mag, Street Rodder maybe?

Yeah, those Buick drums and early Ford brakes are horrible. I'll take them off of your hands so you don't get in trouble.

Just kidding..........Like the other guys said, these are not bad at all. Ran them on my '27 for years and mine stopped on a dime. Plus, they look bitchin'. In case you haven't noticed, the price for these are getting very high on Ebay.

Mine are on '40 backing plates, using stock '40 shoes, etc. I gave my Son a spare set of Buick drums I had tucked away for his '29, and he bought the Wilson Welding backing plates and their adaptor hubs. These are a really nice looking piece, and when I redo my '27 I am going to buy these too, simply for the look. Plus, the shoes are self-energizing, and the parts are all readily available when rebuild time comes.

You won't need the adaptor hubs, as someone has already done that phase for you. I just pirated the Buick set up off of my '27 to use on my T, so I will have to find another set of Buick drums to put back on the '27. I had better find a set reasonably soon, because the price for them will continue to climb.

But, if you really have your heart set on newer brakes, I'll email you my address.


Here are the ones I put on my '27 and now my T.

Don