Juice Brakes on a 35 Ford Front Axle Questions

I searched but can't seem to find what I am looking for.

I have a 35 Ford front suspension for my roadster project. It is complete and I want to convert it to juice brakes. I have a stack of 40's backing plates. But I don't know which ones they are...

Question number 1:

How do you tell the 39-40 and the 41-48 backing plates apart?

Question number 2:

What excatly do I need to order or find to make these work?

Will they just bolt up? Do I need different spindles? Explain the conversion to me...

I know where to get the wheel cylinders, shoes and rebuild kit for the brakes. So thats not a problem...

 

Backing plate ID:
39-41 Ford brake backing plates have a heel adjustment for the shoes at the bottom of the plate. The lower end, or heel, of the shoes have round holes into which bushings are fitted which have triangular holes. The adjustment bolts fit through the shoes from the inside to retain the shoes and are retained by external nuts which are loosened to adjust the heel of the shoes, then tightened. The gross adjustment is up high on the sides of the plates.

42-48 Ford backing plates have only the gross adjustment eccentrics on the sides of the plates. The lower end, or heel, of the shoes have a double-D hole into which fits a bushing with a round center hole. The bottom of the backing plate has two studs which the shoes
slip over and then a retainer plate covers both lower ends held by cotter pins.

What you need:
If you have 28-early 36 spindles you'll need a hydraulic brake adapter kit which consists of 2bearing spacers for the spindle snouts, and 2 centering rings for the backing plate to fit the spindle flanges.
You'll need to slot the mounting holes in the backing plates to meet the holes in the spindle flange which has a smaller circle than the backing plates.
You'll need new wheel cylinders, leave the kits for the guys who feel "lucky", a set of relined shoes, a usable set of hub/drum assemblies from either 37-39(if you're doing the wide five thing), 40-41(drum mounts on outside of hub flange), or 42-48 Fords(drum mounts to back side of hub flange) and any hardware you don't have with your backing plates, springs, shoe retainers, shoe bushings, etc..

SOURCES:
Dick Spadaro Early Ford Parts on this forum.
Antique Auto Supply in Arlington TX, that's Stacey Brown's show.
Little Dearborn Parts in Minneapolis MN.
OR any other one of the several hundred early Ford V8 parts suppliers scattered across the country.

You'll also need brake pipe, junction fittings, and brake hoses (2 front, 1 rear), clamps for same.

 

'40 brakes have no dimples at the perimeter like the later drums and have adjusters top and bottom while the later ones only have adjusters at the top. I don't know if they'll fit '35 spindles but someone else will know.

 

Pics would actually help a lot.


Dirty Dug I actually don't have the drums but I know what you are talking about. Thanks for the tip.


Anyone else??

 

The above covers the ends of the axles, excepting emergency brake hardware and cables.
You didn't say whether you were running a flathead engine with stock 3-speed, stock frame etc. or not but here goes:
With flathead...get 39 Ford only pedal assembly/master cylinder mount which is a bolt-in to the frame and direct hookup to the clutch release shaft if your flattie has the pre-40 clutch shaft setup.
W/O flathead...40 is the best pedal/master cylinder mount setup works for standard shift or remove clutch pedal for auto use.

If you have a stock 35 emergency brake lever bolted to the transmission you can get cables made up for the emergency brakes, just make sure they won't interfere with any exhaust, suspension, etc. while in operation.

 

I posted the How-To on the Little Pages group here:

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/group.php?do=discuss&group=&discussionid=14443

 

Any ideas of what the above backing plates are off of? 39-40 or 41-48??

 

4 early fronts one early rear hydraulic, the top left one looks to be mechanical not hydraulic

 

Top and bottom left are '40 fronts. The rest are '41 to '48.

 

Sorry for the miss-info. Looked at the ones in the basement and thought I had it right. I hate being that guy

 

None look like rear plates to me. No fitting for an emergency brake cable.

 

Just one, top left.....Where's Waldo?

 

First Pic: Rusty, 39-41 Front backing plate has heel adjustment screws...see my description above
First Pic: Black, 42-48 Left Rear... see my description above
Second Pic:Black, 42-48 Right Rear (believe emergency cable tube is just out of shot)...see my description above
Second Pic:Rusty, 42-48 Left Front with hose... see my description above
Third Pic:Rusty, 39-41 Front, missing heel adjusment hardware... see my description above
Third Pic:Rusty, 42-48 Right Front with hose ...see my description above

Front backing plates are the same right or left, only the wheel cylinder mounts left way or the right way.
Rear backing plates are R and L because of emergency brake cable tubes, wheel cylinders mount the left way or the right way.
Note all have 4 mounting holes for wheel cylinders so left OR right will mount.

 

Thanks guys. That helps a lot.

You are correct thought. The black ones are both rear.

 

It's actually the top right, but you were closer than I was. I think I'm going blind.

 

One other difference between the early and late backing plates.
The brake shoe retainer springs on the early plates are thin spring steel and mount in a little "box" spot welded to the plate.
The brake shoe retainer springs on the later plates are a heavy spring which slides into a slot punched in the plate.

 

you can buy the adapters from speedway but its easier to just change the spindles to 37-48. you might be able to trade someone your extra backing plates for some and you got yourself all the parts to do it.