Need Brake Shoe Return Springs

[Steve R]

I need four brake shoe return springs for Warner 9" mechanical brake drum brake system. This system uses two brake shoes for each wheel and has return springs at the end of each shoe with the springs connected between shoes (standard arrangement for old shoe brakes). The length of the spring is 3 5/16" length inside hooks (could be slightly shorter) and an outside diameter of 1/2". They have a lot of tension, as you can imagine, to pull the shoes back after release of the brake pedal.

I cannot locate by auto type since these are for an antigue Fairchild airplane. I really need help on this since my airplane is grounded until I find suitable springs.

Can anybody help? Thanks, Steve

[Jim Tremble]

QUOTE=Steve R]I need four brake shoe return springs for Warner 9" mechanical brake drum brake system. This system uses two brake shoes for each wheel and has return springs at the end of each shoe with the springs connected between shoes (standard arrangement for old shoe brakes). The length of the spring is 3 5/16" length inside hooks (could be slightly shorter) and an outside diameter of 1/2". They have a lot of tension, as you can imagine, to pull the shoes back after release of the brake pedal.

I cannot locate by auto type since these are for an antigue Fairchild airplane. I really need help on this since my airplane is grounded until I find suitable springs.

Can anybody help? Thanks, Steve[/quote]

Steve

Can you post a photo of that spring ?? If not, send me an email and I might be able to tell you how to make them, if you have access to a lathe.

I have made many obsolete and custom spring and they work GREAT ! Push, pull, torsion, small leaf, etc.

Jim

[Colin Rush]

Post a photo of your brake setup. I suspect it is the same as early IH Scout 80. As I remember, that was also shared with some old Volkwagens too. Once I see it, I might be able to make a parts source suggestion or two.

[Steve R]

I am adding a photo of the Warner brakes on my Aircraft (1933 Fairchild 22)

[Steve R]

Don't know how to put photo here so will e-mail photos direct. Steve

[Francis]

Steve,
Perhaps this site will help: http://www.ssbtractor.com/trailer_14.html
Another possible solution: Most auto parts stores sell a spring kit for various car drum brakes. If you can take one of your old springs for comparsion, you might be able to get a match.


Francis

[Colin Rush]

Without a picture, asking for help here is moot. Send me the pictures by e-mail (check my profile for the address), and I will post it here.

As I recall from my time that I worked at ScoutParts, the early Scout 80s used that setup, and it was shared with one or two cars from the 1950s. The springs were not available in kits. I had taken them to one of the main brake places in town, and they had no luck because most springs they had were too long. I had the same luck with Raybestos and Bendix, comparing to the springs in the back of the catalogue. However, if I can see what you have, I can compare to some other car springs and come up with something. I still think it was older Volkswagen. If that is the case, there are a jillion VW suppliers selling repop parts, or good used.

[Steve R]

I have taken the spring to NAPA and other few brake shops. Local NAPA was nice enough to search trough all their (limited) boxes of spring kits -- others unwilling to take the time to do that (when their shop cost is $78 to $110 per hour).

Will try to get photo posted.

I got some springs from Century Spring Corp that may work but would prefer exact replacement.

Thanks for interest in helping. Steve

[Steve R]

Sending Photo (I hope)

[Colin Rush]

Steve,

Well, that evidently is not what I was thinking of. However, it looks like the springs are longer than what I was thinking of, so I am willing to bet it is available.

Go to a good auto parts store, and have them dig out their Raybestos books, and Bendix books. In the back of one of the books is a section of individual parts. Place the spring over the picture in the book until you find the one that matches. Below the picture will be a part number, and they can order them for you.

If your parts place says they do not have any books, find another. I know CarQuest has them. Their books are an amalgam of the Bendix and Raybestos books, and usually very good. So are NAPA's books.

The other place I would try is Brake Systems Inc. They are usually very good about this stuff.

[Steve R]

Coilin et al: I found some springs. Century Spring Corp (http://www.centuryspring.com/) had some which will do the job. Not exact fit but close enough to work the brake return okay. Actually, the spring I got (Part No. 189) has a bit more spring tension than the "original" springs. But, that's okay since the brake shoes only move about 1/16 inch when activated.

I appreciate your information, Colin. Just to be sure I will visit places other than NAPA and see what their catalogs say. Having full size drawings of the springs is very helpful since the NAPA book does not and it is a WAG on what springs to get.

Anyway, I have a solution but it was hard arriving at it. Appreciate the help. Regards, Steve

[Colin Rush]

I do not know why I did not mention this earlier. Vanco Brake near Los Angeles, California is an excellent resource. The owner is named Van, and he is extremely bright. He is also one of the Supporting Vendors on the Binder Bulletin. He is one of the few places that is willing to look for the proper replacement parts, or that can select good modern replacements. They have made a priority of developing good disc brake kits to retrofit the older trucks for which there are no replacement parts available. Among those are brakes for the old Dana-27 axles used in early Jeeps and Scouts, and also brakes for the IH trucks with the big-six bolt pattern that they used almost exclusively. I believe they also have a kit for the 5-bolt IH trucks like the C, D, K/KB, L, R, S, A, B, C, and D (at the very end of production).

Vanco Brake