Depens on car there on,tires,what shape there in ,master cly,pedal set up etc. I use 1948 stock ,but for cooling holes an scoops. Work very well on my 1800lbs 28A with Y-block Ford V8.
To me that looks so much better on a solid axle rather then disc brakes. I'm going to have power brakes, with a modern master cylinder, and a pretty plain 302/351 in my 47 Ford coupe. I don't plan on setting any land speed records, just cruising, and some general tomfoolery
They were adequate for the time but remember that driving something at 50+ MPH was really trusting your luck on the roads of the time. Locking up the tires on old bias plys was a religious experience. However if you must use the older stuff, clean and adjust everything correctly and they will be OK for a light and slow ride. If you are starting from scratch consider the cost difference using newer parts that are redily available now and later when it's time to rebuild.
The Lockheed non-servo drum brake was an improvement over the previous mechanical brakes, but pale in comparison to the Bendix duo-servo design used on '40s Lincolns/F-1s and '49-up Ford/Merc cars. Next would be disc front brakes, by far the best choice, period. Adding power will do nothing to improve the Lockheed braking, just requires less pedal effort. Using a "modern" split-system dual master will improve safety in the event of a circuit failure, but will not improve braking. IMO, your '47 really needs a better front brake with modern engine power and traffic, and a disc conversion for the fronts is the best. Your not going to see the discs on a full fendered car like your '47 anyway.
I'm true-blue traditionalist, but even I wouldn't bother with stock brakes on a fat-fender 47 Ford that using a small-block for power. Disk brakes are what you need.
i suggest using 48-53 F-1 or 54-56 F-100 drum brakes on your `47 ford ...they are easy to adapt, relatively inexpensive and work great since they are self energizing.they can also be made self adjusting. i have them on all three of my hot rods
There is nobody more traditional than me and the best thing I have done to my '48 Plymouth is put disk brakes on front. Now on my roadster that is a lot lighter and the brakes are out for everybody to see I run the '40-'48 Ford brakes and they work just great. Gary
Couldn't agree more, I use the F100 drums a lot and they are great and keep the drum brake look Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
The only experience I have is with the 56 in my avatar. It has the stock non-power drums, repro bias plies, 235 six and a powerglide. I use Praise Dyno Brake components throughout, shoes, high capacity wheel cylinders plus all their hardware. The only other thing I upgraded to was braided hoses up front from CH Topping. The car stops well for drums and bias plies. When I got the car 23 years ago it was on radials and had just recently had a complete brake overhaul with parts store replacement shoes. One panic stop with that setup convinced me to upgrade but at the time disc swaps were well out of my budget so I went to Praise Dyno Brake. That took the car from being way to scary to drive in Houston traffic to something I'm now not afraid to drive all over the city. No, it does not stop like discs with good radial tires. No, the car is not a speed demon. Yes, it's porky. Yes, bias plies are quite an experience when you do lock them up. But this old girl is a lot safer to drive with the brake setup I have now. Not sure if John at Praise Dyno Brake makes shoes for your ride but might be worth checking into.
Well then I'll order discs right now and not drive the car until I install them. Thanks for your input.
The Ford drum brakes on our roadster work great,,, its small and light But with our truck and sedan that have fenders covering the suspension,, disc brakes are the best. What is your life and sheet metal worth when it come to avoiding an idot in a modern?
The later self actuating brakes are easier to apply, requiring less pedal effort, but they are also easier to lock up, or rather, harder to control at the limits of tire adhesion. Earlier non-self actuating brakes allow better fine control at the trade off of increased pedal effort. If I was looking to upgrade an early Ford with non-self actuating, I'd bypass the later drums and go to discs, they have not only better braking power, but better control and feel, no pulling side to side, no periodic adjustments, far less fade under heavy use, far less fade during wet weather, and much easier to change pads than shoes. And personally I'm not opposed to using them on open wheel cars either, the safety and performance trump style IMO.
Check with Wilson Welding for their Lincoln 12" style brakes they work super good and self adjusting.
while disc would be fine on a full fendered car like yours, the F-1/F-100 brakes i had suggested would work well for you. i have them on the car on the right in my avatar...after the snow melts again you can come over and drive it and see for yourself
Drums are ok for lighter cars, but for heavier stuff its all about the disc brake conversion. I don't want to get out-braked by a navigator.
If I was canyon carving I would want brakes that dissipate heat well. For common driving you don't need any more brakes than brakes that will lock your wheels up. This is not to say that I have anything against disc brakes but I know that drums work just fine even on a heavy car. My '58 Roadmaster had drums and it stopped in many a panic stop. Panic stops are common with 16 year olds.
I live in Colorado and deal with a lot of mountain passes in my travel around the state, that changes my perspective a bit. The drop from the Eisenhower tunnel to Denver is a doozy and suffers from a lot of unexpected back ups. Even driving easy it's not unusual to have someone cut into your braking space and stand on the brakes at 75 on a 7% downhill. It's blood sport and stupidity. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I have done that strip of road with drum brakes more than I care to admit. I used to do it regularly on my trips back and forth from here to the coast with only one brake, but my vehicle was only about 700 pounds. I understand completely what you are talking about but what you are doing is tantamount to canyon carving.
Knowing what I know now... Would have never done it, but years ago I drove out West to our Very Large Square States with a single pot master and original drums, through the Eisenhower several times. In the winter. Hell, it probably even had the original brake fluid I figured the heat should help boil off any excess mosisture ...
Enough power to lock 'em up really isn't the point, locking up the wheels isn't a good way to stop quickly. Being able to feather the brakes on the edge of lockup is how you stop quickly and in control, especially in panic mode. That can be the difference between a narrow miss and losing it all.
I usually rebuild the drum brakes and pay attention to what is going on around me! Beaner if you are talking about HD mechanical rear "brakes" they are really heat exchangers-if you see smoke coming out of it it is working.
The Ford drum brakes on our roadster work great,,, Brakes on a land speed car are for safely loading and unloading the race car from the trailer. Parachutes are for stopping. JD, we have no front brakes on our LSR roadster, just the backs and the chute,,,, But on our 'new' street roadster we have drums on the front......
The Jalopy Journal
