huck brakes?

Discussion in '1947-1954' started by brit 50, Sep 17, 2006.

  1. brit 50

    brit 50 Member

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    Hi, does anyone know if its ok to use the later shoe hold down springs as opposed to the original ones on huck brakes, they seem to fit ok but has anyone done this and had problems?

    Got to source the emergency brake actuating rods, the ones that fit between the two shoes, as these are missing on my brakes, i suppose thats why it never worked! funny the things you miss while tearing things apart.:(
    ________
    Jaguar Mark Vii
     
    Last edited: Mar 17, 2011
  2. vwnate1

    vwnate1 Member

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    Any chance you can find someone breaking a '51 ~ '67 truck ? that'll have the better Bendix brakes and will be a bolt up deal to boot .

    I'd think the hold down springs will be O.K. but the width of the park brake spreader bar is important as I jury rigged one once many years ago and it was too short and fell out , causing problems .


    Maybe you can find a hot rodder who's tossing the stock rear end and use that for parts ? .
     
  3. brit 50

    brit 50 Member

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    Trouble is i have bought all new parts for the Huckies and you did tell me that they were ok if adjusted properly!!!!! in a bit too deep to let go now. Maybe i will keep an eye out for the bendix to swap out when these wear out. Are the later hold down springs ok to use on the earlier brakes Nate?
    ________
    RHODE ISLAND MEDICAL MARIJUANA DISPENSARIES
     
    Last edited: Mar 17, 2011
  4. vwnate1

    vwnate1 Member

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    Hold Down Springs

    O.K. , I hear you and yes . Huck brakes are O.K. if kept in proper adjustment and you _DON'T_ turn the drums .

    As far as the hold down springs , if the springs coils do not bind and the cap piece with the cross in it isn't loose enough to simply pop off , I'd say yes they're fine .

    Not being there to look at and fiddle with them , I cannot say with certainty
    ~ the hold down springs are not designed to hold much , basically the shoes against the brake plate until you install the drums ...
     
  5. brit 50

    brit 50 Member

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    I am reasonably sure, after many a brake re-build, that they will be ok, I was just asking in case someone shouted NO! and gave some unseen reason. Drums seem ok, no run-out, just hunting high an lo for these damn emerg brake bars, put out loads of postings on uk sites and looked thru others. no success yet:mad:
    ________
    Honda Passport specifications
     
    Last edited: Mar 17, 2011
  6. vwnate1

    vwnate1 Member

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    Huck Brake Parts

    Remember : Huck brakes were fitted to all Chevrolet passenger cars and 1/2 ton trucks from 1939 to 1950 so that's a lot of old Chevvies to get parts from...
     
  7. cmkruse

    cmkruse Member

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    Hey can I chime in - I am in the process of redoing my Hucks also and I was going to have my drums turned but saw the previous post about properly adjusted Hucks. I need to know if it's okay to turn the drums or it I have to buy new ones. I saw somewhere that the is a slight bevel at the edge of the drum and as long as they weren't turned to the point of removing the bevel it was ok to turn them. I was wondering if they were turned if there was thicker lining material brake shoes available.
     
  8. vwnate1

    vwnate1 Member

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    Huck Brake Recap

    Of course you or anyone else can chime in ! .

    Do not , ever turn a Huck brake drum .

    it's as simple as that .

    Of course there are a few dire circumstances when you may try it but they were made far too thin to begin with so turning them only reduced brake reserve and increases the rate of brake fade .

    So far , I've not see any good repop Huck brake drums , if Jeff @ Bowtiebits says they're good then I'd try one .

    Of course , I'm still digging out old low milage used ones here & there for my own stuff as I flat do not trust any re-pop brake drums .

    NORS in a Bendix box would be fine but you'rs are prolly O.K. as-is , the new shoes will bed into that minor lip so don't worry about it .
     
  9. cmkruse

    cmkruse Member

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    Huck Brakes and Drums

    Thanks Nate, I guess that does it for the drum issue. I have four used ones and will pick the best for use and hope for the best. :D
     
  10. vwnate1

    vwnate1 Member

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    Sounds good !

    There's no ' hope ' to it ~ it's a simple & basic system that was designed for a lighter , passenger car so it's heavily taxed in your big heavy pickup is all .

    Look for the thickest drums you can (minimum inner diameter if you have a drum gauge) and clean them up , lightly sand if they're glazed so the new shoes will bed in quickly & evenly .

    BTW : the very best way to bed in new shoes is : make 30 ~ 40 gentle complete stops from a standing start ~ this is time consuming and a serious PIA but I've done it on some of my rigs and it makes the brake shoes last about 3 X longer....

    Remember to re-adjust the brakes as the pedal drops in a week or so of driving , indicating the shows are bedding in .

    Brakes should be adjusted with the drums cold to the touch to no drag

    Expect some of the drums (rears usually) to be a bit out of round but unless you get pedal pulsation . leave it be .
     
  11. cmkruse

    cmkruse Member

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    Mo Brakes

    Nate,
    Thanks for all the help on these oldies but goodies. I finally got them all torn down yesterday and have a couple of broken springs and wheel cylinders with beat on adjusters etc. The prior owner wasn't kind! The drums don't look to bad as far a scoring and or grooves.
    What do you suggest for wheel cylinders - rebuild or replace? I would like to save a few dollars if I can (rebuild) but I don't want to risk leaks (replace) if the rebuilds aren't really a reliable way to go. Also do you have a recommendation for brake shoe suppliers? I've seen folks say to get "FF" type material for a reline but I don't know who supplies what. I also wanted to ask about the little retainers that hold the pins in and the hucks to the brake shoes. What is the proper way to attach them? Do they slide under the lip of the pin and then get squeezed together at the end? Most of mine are corroded thru and I just pried them off but I want to do it right when I replace them.:confused:
     
  12. vwnate1

    vwnate1 Member

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    1st. , flush all the hydraulic lines with aerosol brake cleaner or alcohol , NOTHING ELSE ! blow dry .

    Don't worry about the muddy stuff that blows out , it'll be O.K. .

    You can rebuild but if at all possible ,replace the wheel cylinders as you never know how many times they've been done before and I've had more than a few that were just oversized enough to where they'd need new cups every 13 months or so , would begin to drip.....

    Bend the flex hoses by hand and replace then if any cracks no matter how slight or if the hoses are not a deep shiny black .

    I'm not sure who still sells the Huck brake shoe retainers , the original ones were bent up on one side so you could slip them over the pin then bend them flat , Most folks these days use the horseshoes shaped ones , install with the sharp edge of the stamping facing you then squeeze shut just enough to hold onto the pin , with a _good_ set of pliers .

    I bet Chevs Of The 40's in Wa. has the correct ones .

    For the ' FF ' schedule lining , look in your 'phone book under brake reliner , take the shoes in (don't wa$te time calling) and show them to the guy and ask him if they will use ' FF ' grade linings . if he says " oh we have better stuff than that , ask -once- if he'll do them in ' FF ' and if he again says he has better , go elsewhere as they have NO IDEA what they're doing and brakes are a safety item , no shortcutting ! .
     
  13. Kens 50 PU

    Kens 50 PU Member

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    Nate, what is your take on brake fluid? Off the shelf at your local parts dealer or silicone?
     
  14. vwnate1

    vwnate1 Member

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    Silicone (DOT 5) brake fluid

    VERY good question ! .

    I'll skip the long story and say it's O.K. stuff _BUT_ since it won't absorb water , it can be very dangerous to use in a vented brake system like we have as any water that gets in will collect in one point , typically at the lowest point in the system , then it'll rust out the steel line right there .

    Plus , this little glob of water will freeze in winter and prevent the circuit it's frozen into , from working... :eek:

    On the flip side , I converted one of my old VW's to synthticDOT 5 about 20 years ago and it's still working just fine .

    If you decide to use DOT 5 silicone fluid , be sure to paint the master cylinder and the filler cap , BRIGHT RED as that is standard for silicone DOT 5 equipped hydraulic braking systems so no one adds regular brake fluid by mistake .

    I usually use DOT 4 fluid , it takes a bit of hunting to find it but DOT 4 is for disc brake equipped or " heavy duty " applications and has a higher boiling point ~ Huck brakes can use this to good effect .

    There is also a new , semi-synthetic brake fluid , DOT 5.5 that can be mixed with the old DOT 3 or 4 typ fluids .

    Confused yet ? this is the short version , I'd say use DOT 4 from your FLAPS , remember to get TWO QUARTS of it then you'll not be re-using the stuff you bled out.... :eek:
     
  15. cmkruse

    cmkruse Member

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    Thanks Nate

    Nate, I appreciate all the info on the huck brakes rework project. You probably saved me at least one accident :D I atleast feel confident enough to proceed with the build. I found the brake clips at the "Filling Station" but they are the originals so I will look for the horseshoe versions you mentioned. I'm in a rural area and don't have access to a reliner so I will call some of the "usual suspects" and see if they know what their shoes are lined with.
    Thanks one more time for your knowledge and time:)
     
  16. vwnate1

    vwnate1 Member

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    I'd go with the new original typ retainers as they won't fail unless bent once or twice...

    I lived in a rural area (where I learned farm fixing) and there's usually a tractor supply place (no , not a TSC Store) that will either have some dusty old new shoes on a back shelf or know where you can go...


    Keep us posted .

    BTW : I like TSC Stores ;)
     
  17. sloromon

    sloromon Member

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    drums turned?

    hi, i just found this site and love it to death, i've been reading all night long. great info here. i've got a 1953 chevy 3600 (3/4 ton) and have recently redone the brakes. some friends of mine from work helped out, since i'm new to this whole home mechanic thing (thought i'd learn by doing) and so i had the drums turned, not knowing what i just read on this forum. only the front ones fit on the chuck, however, and i had planned on taking the rear ones to another shop later on. now i'm not sure what to do. any advice? is it terrible that i had the front drums turned? do i need to start looking for replacements? this truck isn't a daily driver, but i definately don't want to take any chances with stopping power. thanks for all the info!!
     
  18. vwnate1

    vwnate1 Member

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    Hi Jon ;

    WELCOME to the group ! lots of good info here , the guys are willing to help out on any question no matter how arcane .

    So , you turned the drums ~ not the end of the world just try not to do it on the rears , if it stops O.K. then you're good to go .

    If you find the friction surface glazed (mirror like) hand sand it with some 600 grit sand paper so the new shoes will bed in quickly and evenly .

    Don't forget to re-bleed all four wheels untill clean fresh brake fluid comes out at each bleeder valve .

    Nice truck you've got there , look in the archives about getting a pumpkin from an old G or P series -van with an automatic to get it up to road speeds...

    Look in the raggedy old ice cream trucks as most are automatics and so have good final drive ratios and no one ever thinks of taking good parts from a brush painted vehicle...

    Your tranny will thank you if you add a 1/2" NPT magnetic drain plug to it .
     
  19. sloromon

    sloromon Member

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    thanks!!

    yeah, i won't turn the rear drums. they all looked pretty good, actually, i just assumed it would be better to turn 'em. i'm really glad i got on here and read all the info when i did. thanks so much, guys. i'll be a regular on here from now on. the pumpkin was already switched out by a previous owner, as was the 216 motor for a 235. it runs good, and once i rebuild the master cylinder, should stop good, too. i'll post a new thread with some more pictures and a little run down on my old truck. thanks for your help, and i'm sure i'll be asking a lot more questions here in the future!

    jon
     
  20. cmkruse

    cmkruse Member

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    Huck Brakes and Drums

    Nate, Okay, I'll go with the original clip / retainers. At least I can order them along with the other parts I need without to much trouble. Thanks again.

    p.s. I also like TSC - especially the nuts and bolts by the pound! :D
     

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