37 cord

I just noticed that your car is a SC phaeton, so it was built as a 37. Follow the above tips though--one of them may fit your situation.

--Tom

Hi--congrats on acquiring your Cord.

Some of the 37's were in fact 36's that were renumbered by the factory and then sold as 37's. My Westchester is one of them. That is why my Cord--a 1937 812 Westchester--has Lockheed/Wagner yeah-they-sort-of-work brakes, and not Bendix they-really-actually-DO-work brakes. Check your car's serial number and post it here for info.

Even if your Cord has Lockheed/Wagners, it should still be able to stop near-adequately. It certainly should not be as bad as you are reporting your car to be. They DID work when new...

I suggest that you look into the following:

Have the wheel cylinders frozen up from gook? If so, have them sleeved with Stainless Steel and then put in new kits. Brakeplace.com can do this, and they are very reasonable.

Have the wheel cylinders been replaced with too-small diameter cylinders, especially on the front?

If they are Lockheed/Wagner, are the shoes rusted solid to the big pivot bolt at the bottom of the backing plate, rendering them immovable? I had a Jeep in which that had happened.

Have you replaced ALL the rubber brake hoses? That's important! Those sneaky things swell up internally and block fluid flow whilst looking absolutely OK on the outside. I have a LaSalle that got progressively harder to stop due to this unexpected phenomenon. A Cad/LaSalle Club friend told me about the rubber hoses. Mine looked pristine, but I replaced them anyway (thinking maybe I was on a snipe hunt.). He was right: the effect was like adding a power booster.

--Tom

I have a 36 Phaeton with Lockheed brakes and a 37 Cabriolet with Bendix. I drive these about 5,000 miles a year, mostly on I-75. I couldn't stop until I went to woven lining from Leach Enterprises, Crystal Lake, IL. (815-459-6917). Todd fixed me up for about $160.00 per car and they stop GREAT. I thought of disc, but these really do the job.

If you are a Cord owner and going to restore one do yourself a favor and join the ACD Club. Membership will pay for itself many times over with technical information, parts availability and Cord camaraderie. You are very near Auburn, why not join and come to Spring Auburn or Labor Day week. There will be many Cords to see and owners eager to share their knowledge.
CORDially Mike

I am new to the Cords they are a great car doing a ground up restore on this car. The front shoes are new. It takes a parking lot to stop this car. They are the easy brake system I have ever seen. I just won't that little extra stop.

I can't imagine a front drive disk conversion kit, but it should be possible if that is what you want.
First though I would check the drum brake linings, sometimes the composition can become glazed and will vary in hardness from manufacture.
A set of metallic pads might have been slipped in, being rock hard, they take a power booster for them to bind. Also you should see if the inner drum surfaces are glazed, if so if there is enough drum left, surface or crosshatch a pattern.
My car is so old and low milage it has the original brake pads on the rear.
I have always thought the factory (it was indeed a speed shop) may have ground a few channels in the pad for better stopping, the lines are still in the pad. Just a guess.
One thing my Bendix car will do, is stop and if your car is a 1937 with Bendix brakes, they used them till just recently and they have a great reputation for stopping when dry, with a floating primary pad unlike the 1936 Lockeeds.
Even with no vacuum boost and a single cylinder, master cylinder, you may need some fine tuning to get that beautiful original automobile in order.

Does anybody know were I can get a disc brake kit for a 37 cord 812 SC Phaeton. Would like to stop a little better. are any thing to help out the stopping power of this car. Thank you for any help you can give me