Quote:
Owen_Dyneto wrote:
The Bendix TreadleVac was introduced into Packards in 1952 with a retro kit available for installation on 1951 models. But Packard had power brakes long before that, starting in 1932 as I recall. The units used 32 thru the 1939 senior models were based on an original design by Bragg & Kliesrath and the rights were purchased by Bendix. the B-K system was applicable to both mechanical and hydraulic brakes and also used for the power clutch on the Twelves.
Owen,
You probably know most of this off the top of your head, too:
>What power brake system was used between '40 and '50?
>Were these and earlier units vacuum assist or some other design?
I'll do some reading up, but would like to know if there was any comparison between the original Bragg & Kliesrath design that Bendix bought and the Treadlevac.
>It would be interesting to establish whether the Treadlevac was an evolution of the '40s design, and if this or any of the earlier systems had any better reputation for reliability than the Easamatic. This could be relevant to our general topic of the care and feeding of early power brakes
>Also, was the '51 Packard the first auto to offer the Bendix Treadlevac design?
As for the previous post by
Jim in Boone, I think it's safe to say that the car pictured in the avatar did not have Easamatic brakes, and that the cars the author refers to in his post had to be newer than the car in the picture. I was just curious to hear some history from Jim about his Easamatic-equipped cars.
BTW, I just drove the heck out of the Clipper in stop-and-go situations, braking it from various speeds up to about 50 mph, and it stopped great. I'm getting more confident that it'll keep doing that!
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