Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

Guscha, your research capabilities sometimes exceed my expectations. A tip of the hat from your friend.

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Jp,

enco here in the states, has brass round stock, 1-1/2, 6 feet 122.00 bucks.

don't know what i would do with 6 feet, except model train wheels.!

best thing is to wait for free shipping,

Alum, would be cheaper to mail of coarse..

Thanks Riki, I'm not in a hurry and I'd like a bit more info before going further. It's probably better to talk about it in the topic where you first mentioned making-up the reservoir caps.

Now, a bit more info on the woven linings I've fitted to the old girl. I contacted the brake shop that did the work to get the facts a bit straighter and to avoid talking too much BS about them. Essentially, these woven linings use a newer non-asbestos type material that is designed to give better braking with less heat, and require less pedal pressure as a consequence. Exactly what I was looking for!

I was told the material has a better (higher?) coefficient of heat which enables it to run cooler and bite harder than the other stuff. It has a metal fibre embeded within, which I think is non-ferrous, and will perform best after about 200 miles of bedding-in. The material is manufactured in Brazil, but I don't know any more about that. I'll be taking things easy during the bedding-in period and I'll report back about how they're performing after this.

By the way, I did adjust the rears using Ross's method, and even lubed the pivot point and backing plate shoulders to help things move more easily. I must admit I hadn't thought of using the hand brake pull as a method of determining when to readjust. Great idea Ross! Cheers, John

JP, thanks for the added description of the woven lining you're using; it apparently is different from the traditional woven lining I had in mind when I made my earlier comments. Still anxious to hear more about the performance of them as they wear in.

It's about time for an interim update on the new brakes. She's done about 150 miles now, although about 75% was highway so not much braking required. Also I can still smell the brakes after driving which suggests we're still bedding-in. Anyway, I can confidently report that we have much better braking than before so it was definitely the right move to take. Whether this is due to the woven linings or the rears helping out, or both, I'm not entirely sure but I reckon it's a combination of both. Also, I've always been of the view that my reco'ed BTV didn't provide enough boost, and still think that, but it's much easier to live with now.

The only hassle I've had was a pull to the left today during an unexpected sudden stop. I might back the left adjuster off a couple of clicks to see if that helps. By the way, we've been on two Club runs and I've readjusted the brakes after each, so I'm guessing it will be necessary again after the bedding-in process. Cheers, John

found this post, so this is going here,

someone waa asking about where to lube brake parts, and what type grease,,

i knew i had this i have 2 cans,

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Lubriplate is the most common brand name for good 'ol White Lithium grease. The binder used is much less likely to wash out from moisture like traditional grease can. It is commonly used in boat trailer bearings.
By the way, the contents of that can look a lot like the stuff on the window rollers of our old cars!

I always wondered what Lubriplate was and now I know. I also use a Bendix product but a modern version (see below). By the way, I should give and update about the woven linings. We went on a week long rune with 200 cars recently and on the downhill winding bits I was getting brake fade. I'm sure it was brake shoes as the fluid was pretty new Dot 4 and the master was full.

Anyway, after talking to a couple of brake specialists, one of them commented that on older cars like '57 Chev's they often use a woven lining as the primary and a moulded lining as the secondary. This got me thinking as I had read in the service manual that the factory used different compositions for the front linings. So, as I had two pair of front shoes, one woven and one moulded, both in pretty much new condition, I mixed them up with the wovens as primaries. I also fitted a new vacuum check valve just in case lack a vacuum was contributing to the hard braking, and all seems to working quite well. I still reckon the BTV has insufficient boost but there's very little I can do about that. I have spoken to Peter Packard and he has suggested that if vac pressure could be increased then that might overcome the problem. I haven't done anything about that idea yet. Cheers, John

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