Brake lining

I had latley a discussion about that topic with a friend and heres what he said :

Leading brakeshoe on the right side of the car, is the one on the right side of the wheelcylinder, e.g. the long lining towards front of car.
Leading brakeshoe on the left side of the car is the one on the left of the wheelcylinder, e.g. the long one should always face towards the front of the car.

Woven linings are softer and therefore usualy riveted to the shoe, they ware faster and "bite " sooner, they are easyer to adjust but on a leading shoe will add braking force, they are also faster overheated and burned if missused.
They should always be fitted to the leading shoe. They can be used with all drums and also with thin or alu drums.

The plain linings are harder and therefore glued ( bondet ) to the shoes, they "bite " later but harsher usualy they are fitted to the rear shoe and handbrake, they resist more heat and don't glase that fast. This type of lining, should not be used with alu drums or drums that are less than 0,2755 " ( Zoll ) thick if castiron , since this lining is very hard, it can brake the drums in case you need to hit the brakes very hard.

Some brakes are using woven linings only ( most prewar II ), some used a plain lining to the folowing shoe and woven linings to the leading shoe ( manny prewar II) and most hydroulic post war II systems uses the plain linings on all shoes.

I made good experience with mixt linings on my pre war II brakes and probably will go this way with my BENDIX rear brakes and Lockheed front brakes on my Cord 812 Custom Beverly.
In case i have overbraking on the rear, i'll fit a adjustable proportioning valve in the brakeline to the rear, so i can adjust as needed.
here's a link : www.autoanything.com/brakes/61A3155A0A0.aspx

I was never happy with the way the brakes (originals were replaced with Bendix) worked on my 810 Westcester after I restored it. I had replaced all the brake lines and hoses. Replaced the wheel cylinders and had the master cylinder sleeved. The new lining ,which was installed on the shoes, was arced to the drums. After our last trip to the Santa Maria West Coast Meet (2009) I decided that I had battled it as long as I could. I contacted a brake expert who was recommend and arranged to drop off my drums and brake shoes.
He riveted on new lining which he arced to the drums. The face of the drum which the wheel fit against was surfaced ground first and then the drums were straightened as they didn't run true. He used old time brake lining which he riveted to the shoes and marked as to which drum the fit. The front shoes are a light brown woven lining while the back are a solid black material. After getting them installed and adjusted I gave them a try. They felt very good. While my son was driving he had to stop suddenly, when he did so I almost hit the windshield. To say they worked pretty good is a decided under statement.
If you wish to contact him his name is Jeff and his shop (Moose Motors) is near Petaluma in California. The address for Moose Motors is: 1050 Goodwin Ave, Penngrove, CA 94951. Phone is 707-792-9985.

It will be time soon to re-shoe Moonshadow. I (and others, I'm sure) would be interested in what brake linings are being used by those who drive their Cords.

Please chime in with where you had the work done. Do they have a specific name for the lining you use -- a brand name or their own ID? Is their an identifying number? Did you have it riveted or bonded? A description of the 'look' of the linings when new can be useful too (woven, greenish, etc.)

Tell us whether your Cord has Bendix or Lockheed brakes. And please evaluate how well they stop your car with the above lining installed.

Thanks.