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Technical Brake Drum Temperatures

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by DirtyDave, May 2, 2016.

  1. I have a 39 Hudson coupe with original master cylinder, Ford 9 Torino rear drums and 50's WASP front drums. Car stops ok IMO with the four drums but they seem to be hot after a ride. The shoes are adjusted so they free spin. Is there a temperature reading that is "normal"? I have a cheap laser thermometer and they are 135-155 degrees after a ride.
     
  2. squirrel
    Joined: Sep 23, 2004
    Posts: 55,941

    squirrel
    Member

    I hope they get warm...that's their job, turning kinetic energy into heat energy.
     
    gimpyshotrods and shawnsauto1 like this.
  3. Johnny Gee
    Joined: Dec 3, 2009
    Posts: 12,602

    Johnny Gee
    Member
    from Downey, Ca

    Careful, did you notice Op's name ?
     
  4. 135-155F? Really not hot for brakes. Do they smell hot?
     

  5. No, they dont smell hot.

    I just assembled the car which I bought in pieces so I have no baseline. I have been shakin it down and checking everything twice. My heart and stomach say go disc drum and modern master cylinder. Not what I want to do but probably what I need to do.

    Heading 160 miles out of town in 2 weeks so it will have to be trailered while I dont feel good about that drive. Local cruisin there will be manageable.or it may rain all week. :(

    Appreciate all opinions and input. Maybe someone else can learn something also.
     
  6. squirrel
    Joined: Sep 23, 2004
    Posts: 55,941

    squirrel
    Member

    I'd just drive it. 160 miles is nothing....
     
    Tim and 302GMC like this.
  7. moefuzz
    Joined: Jul 16, 2005
    Posts: 4,950

    moefuzz
    Member

    Under normal driving, Drums are usually hot to the touch but not so hot that you can't hold your hand on it.

    If your drums seem overly warm and you didn't perform a bunch of panic stops then you may consider that wheel bearings could be a culprit. Failing bearings can cause the surrounding metal to warm after extended driving. The center of the hub will naturally be the hottest spot.
     
  8. How do your temperature readings compare to another comparable vehicle with 4 wheel drum brakes? For that matter, how do they compare to a later model vehicle with 4 wheel discs or a drum/disc combo?

    Does your current drum/drum setup show a noticeable variation between front and rear temps?
     
  9. Johnny Gee
    Joined: Dec 3, 2009
    Posts: 12,602

    Johnny Gee
    Member
    from Downey, Ca

    One thing that a lot of us forget. We've gotten spoiled by our new daily driver's and have forgotten what it is like driving the old stuff. You said it yourself "car stop's ok". Just keep your distance between the other car as we all should anyway's.
     
  10. Rusty O'Toole
    Joined: Sep 17, 2006
    Posts: 9,657

    Rusty O'Toole
    Member

    They shouldn't get hot unless you use them. How hot are the tires? They are supposed to get hot when you are driving, especially at high speed. Keeping the pressure up will prevent them from overheating. You may be getting a heat reading off the wheels because the tires are hot.

    135 may be normal tire temp after a drive especially on a hot day. Do you live at the bottom of a hill, or otherwise use the brakes hard just before you get home, like slowing down to exit the freeway?

    The brakes will not get hot unless you use them or unless they are dragging. We used to have a garage customer who had the habit of resting his foot on the brake pedal. He swore he didn't but you could see the brake lights as he drove off down the road. He could smoke a set of brakes in 3 months of local driving. This was a mid 80s Olds with disc brakes.
     
  11. Rusty O'Toole
    Joined: Sep 17, 2006
    Posts: 9,657

    Rusty O'Toole
    Member

    I would also like to point out that due to the way they are made, disc brakes are more prone to drag than drum brakes. So if hot brakes bother you, stick with the drums. If they stop the car well and don't pull to the side you don't need discs.
     
  12. Road Runner
    Joined: Feb 7, 2007
    Posts: 1,256

    Road Runner
    Member

    There is an ideal temperature range at which brake shoes work most efficiently.
    You learn to get a feel for that range from braking before they warm up, especially in the cold months and when you go down a long hill and you first get brake fade and shortly thereafter will smell the brakes (a bit later when staying in a lower gear).

    Good insights from this thread...
    http://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=35574
    ....
    "I have checked brake drum temperature (sic) several times with a digital infrared thermometer. I have found that good working brake drums should attain a heat range of 160 degrees and 180 degrees. Temperatures over 200 degrees lead to brake fade and paint blistering of drums. Anything less than 150 degrees indicates brakes need adjustment or repair and may not be working correctly. Brake drums should be checked after 8-10 consecutive complete stops after reaching 45 M.P.H."


    .
     
    Last edited: May 2, 2016
  13. 200° is not uncommon from what I have read for a passenger car. Below is what is published for Big Rig drums brakes!

    550°F - 650°F
    Brake resin odor is present
    850°F
    Brakes begin to smoke
    1,100°F
    Brake oxidation occurs at parts of the brake open to air rushing by
    1,250°F
    Drums become cherry-red internally
    +1,250°F
    Danger of run-away due to excess drum expansion
     
  14. I agree but had 2 bad experiences with 2 others including the avatar last year.
     
  15. squirrel
    Joined: Sep 23, 2004
    Posts: 55,941

    squirrel
    Member

    You won't get the bugs worked out by leaving them in the garage or hauling them on a trailer :)
     
  16. Thanks for all
    probably just paranoid as I stated above.
    Fronts 20 degrees warmer than backs. temps taken on the drum through the wheel.
    Cant say I can leave my finger on the drum and must mention with my welding experience etc I am somewhat numb to heat more than the average guy.
     
  17. squirrel
    Joined: Sep 23, 2004
    Posts: 55,941

    squirrel
    Member

    The fronts should be a little warmer than the backs, they do more work. Keep test driving, you'll get comfortable with it eventually.
     
    ClayMart likes this.
  18. again agree, just dont want to spoil the wifes week at the beach with a return trip for a trailer when she already puts up with the annual Car show vacation interuptus.

    If I wasnt so far behind I would have had a couple hundred more miles to make my candy ass feel more confident.

    Maybe I will drive it to York 2 weeks later and learn something. Wont trailer it for a weekend.

    BTW only had a trailer for a month. Bought a bigger truck last Fall and a trailer in April after the two problems last year, a trans and a harmonic balancer, 2 different vehicles.

    A lot of stuff is half broken around here which may be a contributing fear factor not to mention this:
    http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/butch-martins-truck-destroyed.1015835/

    awful!
     
  19. squirrel
    Joined: Sep 23, 2004
    Posts: 55,941

    squirrel
    Member

    "You do not have permission to view this page or perform this action."
     
  20. argh may be that you must be part of Maryland HAMB social group?
    Local HAMBer had a front suspension screwup on his Chevy Truck that turned into a roadside fire that engulfed the truck!
     
  21. squirrel
    Joined: Sep 23, 2004
    Posts: 55,941

    squirrel
    Member

    yeah, things happen! Unless you stay home, then nothing happens.
     
    Johnny Gee likes this.
  22. junk yard kid
    Joined: Nov 11, 2007
    Posts: 2,718

    junk yard kid
    Member

    Those temps are fine. That's about what I get. I only use the gun to check if none is rubbing or to get the brake adjustment even.
     
  23. gimpyshotrods
    Joined: May 20, 2009
    Posts: 23,264

    gimpyshotrods
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Yeah, that is only 30% longer than my round-trip commute to work, daily.
     
  24. Truck64
    Joined: Oct 18, 2015
    Posts: 5,325

    Truck64
    Member
    from Ioway

    Hm. So if anything, a drum that ISN'T hot after a good drive may need adjustment to tighten the shoes up.
     
  25. Dan Timberlake
    Joined: Apr 28, 2010
    Posts: 1,530

    Dan Timberlake
    Member

    A "loose" adjusted drum brake only adds to the pedal travel ( with a single circuit master cylinder).

    Equal brake application at all wheels is one big advantage of a hydraulic system.
    As shown here in 1936 by Chevrolet a year or 2 after they switched from mechanical rod operated brakes.


    BONUS - around 4:40 how to use the small curley hook on brake pliers ( but really needs brake shoes with rivet holes).
     
  26. Yep ever watch a NASCAR race at night?^^^

    135-155 won't even go Phsttt when you spit on 'em. :D
     
  27. I went to many NASCAR modified races at night, almost all had the RF rotor that looked like a ring of pure orange flame.
     
  28. Exactly. I don't remember which track it was that I watching on TV last year but it was a banked track and after dark. The brakes were just a glow until they had to get on them then they were a glow and sparks like a bench grinder in the dark.
     
  29. Maybe Bristol, they ran that race late so it would be cooler. I've been inside stock cars that were 130-140 F inside at race time. I had a little stick-on thermometer on the edge of the mirror and I'd check it during cautions. Those were the nights where I'd lose 5 to 7 lbs between qualifying and the feature.
     
  30. Probably should not have had that thermometer, sometimes being in the dark is a good thing. :D
     

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