22-01-2018, 12:24 PM
(22-01-2018, 10:47 AM)AustinWood Wrote: I like the uncoupled brakes on my 1929 saloon. When approaching junctions, traffic lights, roundabouts etc I usually pull on the handbrake a couple of notches because I know it's likely I shall have to stop. I can then use the footbrake to come to a standstill or release the handbrake if I don't need to stop. It also balances the wear between back and front.
I have got good balance on the footbrake by bracing the cross-shaft. It's very instructive to look under the car when an assistant presses the brake pedal. The cross-shaft moves forwards on the offside because of the force from the pedal and moves back on the nearside in reaction to tension in the brake cable.
I have made a bracket at the nearside bracing the cross shaft to the chassis cross member to stop it moving back. On the offside I fitted a bolt in the cross member that bears against the cross shaft bracket to stop it moving forwards.
The improvement is very marked and the brakes can be balanced with little trouble.
I am working very slowly on my '34 tourer, having re-lined the rears but not the fronts.
To simplify things (ie. balancing) I have run it with the brakes uncoupled for a while now.
I am used to this anyway because "Alice" has uncoupled brakes and I have done many miles in that car.
The tourer has a low top speed, and I have found that driving around with a 2 + 2 system is quite adequate.
It helps in diagnosis: there is a often terrible groaning noise when I brake using the rears, which appears to come from the front of the car.
I am sure this is vibration due to braking feedback through worn out rear spring pins, but if the brakes were coupled, I would have dismantled the front axle to find the source of the noise.
I will re-couple the brakes eventually, but at present rate of progress it will in be a month or two.
Simon