Brake Lining Replacement

Gary,
Thanks very much for the offer but I have Lockheed brakes on my Cords. My sedan that I recently sold stopped as well as any Cord and that had the Lockheed brakes. I really believe the linings make a huge difference and making sure they are properly adjusted.

I may just send them a set and see how they work.

Jim

No it wasn't them. The fellow will only do them at certain times. You could say that he is semi retired. Re lives near Santa Rosa, CA.

Tom was the name of the shop Bayshore Friction. If so they come very well recommended.

When I was restoring our 1936 Westchester I changed to 1937 Cord Bendix brakes as I wanted a driver. At first they didn't do any better than the original ones. So I then took a bunch of drums and shoes to a fellow in the SF Bay area. He cleaned up four of my drums and fitted woven lining to the front shoes and asbestos lining to the rear shoes. With this setup I can now lock up my brakes. They don't require a lot of pressure and I haven't noticed any fading. Other owners who have ridden with us have been impressed at how well our Cord stops. I now have the kind of brakes I wanted. They aren't as good as disc type brakes would be but they are quite satisfactory.

Jim I wont really know the difference is stopping ability from this lining to the asbestos lining they removed. My brake system is the Bendix type and if thats works for you I can send you these 4 shoes to try out. We can work out the particulars on pm or by email if you want. I don't feel I will be driving my car till very late next year.

Gary,
The big concern I have is how well the linings stop the Cord. Since the Cord does not have a booster on the brakes there is lower pressure on the brake drums then on newer cars. I have put new linings on a Cord that the owner had relined only to find out the car didn't want to stop. I had to change to different linings.

If these work and stop the Cord well it will be a great source for us to use. Please let me know as I have two Cord that are going to need new brake linings soon.

Thanks very much for sharing all the information with us. I hope you don't think I'm being too pickie, it's just I've been burned before with things that "work great" just not on a Cord.
Jim

Hello Jim. My lining is non asbestos so I'm feeling its an organic blend. It has some brass in it and I did ask about that. Ron told me its in there like a binder. It also transfers heat quicker. They are bonded with a rubber type glue that requires about 500 degrees to set up. the lining is clamped to the shoes and that avoids gaps. Then they are arced to fit the drums. Rod told me today they can rivet the lining but they use the bonding no matter what. They also will install woven lining on the mechanical brakes. Ron says to call him if these questions are not what you needed to know. Usual turn around is 3 days. He has done this brake work for 44 years and does clutch discs too. Hope this helps answer your questions.

Gary,
Can you tell us the type of lining you used. I'd also be interested to know how well they work once you get them back in the car.
Thanks, Jim

Today I picked up my Bendix front shoes after having the lining replaced on them. The job is very well done too. I did not have rivets used as was the originals. I could have had that done but. It leaves plenty of lining left when the rivets wear into the drums. So it was bonded. Then arced to the drums. The finish is great. The lining is a composite with some brass in them. The cost was amazing too. It was $13.00 per shoe. So for $52.00 plus $4.68 in sales tax I like what I have. The name of the shop in southern California is Friction Materials Co. Of Long Beach Ca. Address is 1425 Sante Fe Avenue 90813. Phone number is 562-436-4224. Ron Wood is the person answering the questions and answering the phone. He has been doing this for 44 years. I asked if he could find the shoes and he said nope. They do all finds of linings too and said they can do my clutch, no problem. That again is really nice to know. They are in the Long Beach Harbor area just about 3 miles west of the 710 freeway on Anahiem St. You take Anahiem west off the 710 south. then turn north on Fante Fe. Really easy to find. While I waqs there today both FED EX and UPS were making pickups and drop offs.