Model A Brake Rod Adjustment

Do the brake shoe to drum tightening before attaching the brake rod.

Model a brake rod adjustment. The brakes are controlled by rods that connect the front and rear wheels giving you the basic braking system. The fifteen are after the slop is taken up turn the brake rod eye so the pin just slips in. The 1931 model a ford is a classic but like many classic cars owning one means investing substantial time and money into maintenance and repairs. My brake pedal was super soft after a brake booster replacement.

Another good brake trick is to balance your brake rods to length. Remove rod a 1853 that connects emergency brake lever to cross shaft center lever. Always be sure that all are loose as you do all four one at a time. Place pin in clevis one at a time and adjust until pin snaps over brake arm.

Make all adjustments with brakes cold. Turn the adjusting wedge at each brake not the pull rod until the brake drags then back off the wedge 2 or 3 notches or just enough to allow the wheels to revolve without drag. The fifteen degrees is ideal but not set in stone as all cars have some different wear and characteristics. Never adjust for wear by shortening the pull rods.

This video will show you how to do just that. The angle is set with the actuating rod or pills to take up slack. See that wheels revolve freely. Turns out my push rod needed adjusted.

You can lock the rod clevice eye a bit out of plane with. You will need to disconnect all service brake rods where the adjustment is made. The second brake system is the emergency brake controlled by a handle in the car when this handle is pulled it expands a separate set of brake bands and therefore hold the rear wheels from moving. Jack up all four wheels.

If the brakes are giving you a lot of trouble in your model a and when are they not it may be time to adjust them. Front at the wheels and back at the cross shaft.