Re: BigKev's 1937 115-C Convertible Coupe

Posted by Ross On 2024/3/8 18:17:50

Just to circle back to the brake springs for an important point: The primary shoe spring is to be weaker than the secondary so that the lead shoe comes out and contacts the drum. That energizes the secondary shoe. Under normal forward braking, the secondary shoe never leaves contact with the anchor pin. If the springs are reversed the rear shoe will come out first and then, depending on adjustment, slam back into the anchor pin giving jerky brake action. That is why some older models had an extra secondary shoe spring.

If you look closely or take a caliper and measure, the wire of the primary springs is several thousandths smaller than the secondary's.