Mechanical brakes; Ford would advertise, "The safety of steel, from pdeal to wheel." When maintained properly, they work forever. Cool seeing this stuff!
Its so neat to see a 32 Ford in its original form. I can't say I've ever seen one up close before. Seen lots of rodded ones of course. I love how the hot rodders of old dissected these cars and made what they did out of them. And thank you for the look at the mechanical brakes and your opinion of them. Again I've never seen those either and automatically dismissed them because of the common opinion that they were useless. You guys are a wealth of resources and I look forward to every vid. 5 stars!! 👍👏👌
Mechanical brakes can offer a very high mechanical advantage. You can put it in the lever of the pedal and again at any pivot point. AFAIK, that is how unassisted hydraulic brakes work as well, mechanical advantage.
So great that you preserve a variety of cars all in original form. I've never seen mechanical brakes other than parking brakes before today, and I started working on cars when I was 13 after having passed tools for 7 years. Thanks! 😎
Between your show and Scott's. There's a little bit of hope left in the world lol. I'm doing my part as well. I may start filming it. More of what Scott does with the agents. Go from rusty junk, to rusty junk that drives around the yard. Thanks guys and cheers from Alabama
I drove a friend's 1939 Austin 8 once. Austins of the era used mechanical brakes, I think they were cable operated. As you say there was plenty of tension in the system, but on this one, not much action. I drove it down a road in Leeds where we were going to turn right, so I 'braked' to take the corner and shot straight past! It did pull up....eventually. Austins had a reputation for poor brakes and rivals like Morris and Singer had hydraulic brakes which did perform better and needed less adjusting. But as you said, a hole in the brake line and you've got no brakes. Been there, too! Thanks for the video - great to see a '32 that hasn't been over restored or hot rodded.
You can drive with no brakes with confidence is the greatest comment I’ve heard in a while. I’m sold. My 85 El Camino has more compression fittings than original brake line left. Mechanical brake retro-fit kit would be a winner.
It was interesting to see how the mechanical brakes were set up. I’ve recently acquired a 27 Nash, it’s my first car with mechanical brakes. I have yet to get it home and I’m excited to tinker with it.
now THAT's the kind of car lift i remember!!! that one was called the spider lift and was used to change tires and do brake work. we had, at the SOHIO, Standard oil of OHIO gas station that i work at (ca 1980), a drive-up-on one for oil changes and exhaust/muffler work too. both had the big 12" diameter shiny steel posts that came up out of the cement floor. ... but where is the 25 cent candybar machine and the 50 cent a pack cigarette machine?
Thanks guys your information and your camera work its great, and your keenness for mechanical working of these older cars show in enthusiasm please keep them coming. I have recently sold on my 1934 Desoto SF airstream and I'm recreating it every day Noel.
Love the show and love the garage! Just about everything I see is period perfect. I would love to learn more about the back story of the garage and its history.
Stan, Guy, love the show. (If you're over 30 and from Pittsburgh, PA you'll get that) in other words, er love it. Great episode and hey, how about that "the end" tag at the end? Perfect. It totally fits your show. Keep up the great work. Cheers from Ohio.
I had a 37 ford V8 sedan with mech brakes and they were ok for occasional braking, but if you were in the mountains they made a noise but didn’t stop or slow you down at all. 😂
Thanks for showing us the workings of mechanical brakes. I always wanted to know how they worked. I think they got a bad rap because like you said, they needed to be adjusted to be useful. You also had the hydraulic guys spreading false rumors. I like the content of your channel and enjoy the dry humor. Keep them coming!
I’m really looking forward to these videos! Glad your feeling better Matt. Your guys attention to detail is outstanding beautiful work! You must have the coolest families.
I remember when I was in votech in high school and I visited an old garage that still had a center post lift but it looked different. It didn't have the four movable arms but two long pieces of railroad track. I asked the old guy why and he said his dad did that back in the 50s because it was faster. The rr tracks lifted the cars by the front bumper and the rear diff. Needless to say they cant use that style these days lol
Great explanation of mechanical breaks your shop always takes me back in time we had that exact drain bucket with all the wore wounds one in the pit and one in bay 3, with a 2 post hoist air over hydraulic with movable rear post. Thanks
I actually had a chance to drive a 30 or 31 Model A in 1965 with mechanical brakes. The car had been restored and drove really did drive fine and stopped okay. The car didn't weigh much and even though it had been bored and was running much higher compression than it originally had it was not a race car. It would run 50 all day and make almost 65 before water started being pushed out past the radiator cap.
Be careful of those hydraulic lifts from the ground, I worked in a shop in my late teens, they pulled them out and filled them with concrete, cuz they were dangerous apparently, from crushing people, Be safe. Thanks for the information.
So I got a question for Jim. When the time comes for the paint job on the mercury, where/who will do it? Will it be here, will it be Scott, or someone we haven’t seen yet? Love these videos fellas, and greetings from England!
Thanks! Great video, I had no idea how mechanical brakes worked... Now I know 👍. I heard from some old timers back in the day that if you stomped on the brakes too hard you'd bend the brake rods. Once they were bent they needed to be replaced. I wonder how often that would happen.
The reason why mechanical brakes were abandoned by nearly every manufacturer 10 years before Henry Ford did was sooner or later one front wheel would grab first and on a slick surface it would send the car into a spin. Not so much a problem in the Model T era but as cars got faster and speed limits went up it caused more accidents. By the way when Plymouth was launched in 1028 the very first ones had "juice" brakes.
Enjoyed it.... Suggestion : Make your video's longer. Maybe some projects your working on..just sayin. Good to see how many subscribers you have already. I kno Scott was a big part of folks tuning in , but its good stuff... And thats what will keep loyal viewers.
Great car! I like mechanical brakes too. Henry Ford knew what he was doing. Ford's may have been considered mechanically "dated" at the time, but the high survival rate compared to other manufacturers of the era proves that simplicity is the key to long term reliability.
Jim/Matt..new sub here..and like your style and the retro garage is cool..but please if you have Dean in a video make it very quick..thanks for the overview on this classic beauty..
Neat car. Just a question. Is it ok to hang the suspension with mechanical brakes? I see on the 32 the rods are on the radius rods. On the A they are on the frame. I never hang mine because it really bends the rods. Is that a valid concern?
What is the story of the front wishbone on the roadster? Looks like a stock heavy axle but some kind of modified or later wishbone with the form in it?
That's the largest drain plug I've seen on a car. I guess you're not allowed to burn waste oil for heat like the old time garages. Is there an official Strong's Garage shop truck?
I guess in that case, it's not an "emergency" brake since there isn't going to be an "emergency" without the hydraulics!!! It simply becomes a "parking" brake!! Keeps the brakes applied when there's no-one in the car to stomp on the pedal. That front spring looks like it's too short since the shackles are about straight across. ????? Am I missing something?? Nice car and it sounds GREAT !!!
@Pappa Bob • 2:06 - I think the straight-out shackles is the illusion created when the car is lifted by the frame and the spring is not compressed (the compressed leaf spring would show it's true working length).
Excellent! Finely there's a 32 Ford roadster almost original with brake tech. I agree, mine has been in the family for 71 years with no braking problems. Thanks for the video
@@pappabob29 By the way, I went to your channel because of your truck pic, but it was the '57 Chevy that caught my eye (I suppose you've repeatedly heard "My first car was a '57 Chevy!"). Great content, so I immediately subscribed.
Is there any reason in particular why you would not use a good high quality modern multi--weight oil in these old cars? IIRC, you guys did the same single weight oil on the 48 as well.
Why is it that every time I find a good channel you start a patron page. Knowing I can’t afford it. I live on a budget which does not allow for extra spending. I guess like the Abba song says the loser has to fall, winner takes it all. Well it was nice knowing you. Take care, stay safe and beware of false prophets 😇❤️🙏🌞🕊🇺🇸🌹👍🍺😢
You know that supporting the channel on Patreon is not mandatory, right? I have a lot of channels I'm subscribed to, but I can't afford to support them on Patreon . I'm still subscribed to them. When they talk about Patreon extras, it's just that-extras. It doesn't affect the content on the channel. I'd love to be able to afford to do Patreon support for some of the channels I'm interested in, but that doesn't take away the pleasure I get from the regular posted UA-cam videos. If you enjoy the videos on Strong's Garage, then just keep watching and don't worry about Patreon.
Sure for their time they did all right, but Ford was the lone holdout . All the rest had been changed to hydraulic brakes. My dad remembers having a 38 ford he converted from mechanical brakes to juice . He like the car much better
I simply can't resist to make a sarcastic respectively bad joke: It would've been no big difference making videos while you lost your voice. The speaking often is barely to understand anyway in your videos so far. ;-) 😁 Of course I'm glad to see you healthy and strong again. Best regards, luck and health to all of you.
I don't know if I can keep watching, I think you guys are tricking me into learning stuff.
That vehicle is unspeakably cool!
One of the best and most understandable explanation of mechanical brakes that I have ever heard.
Mechanical brakes; Ford would advertise, "The safety of steel, from pdeal to wheel." When maintained properly, they work forever. Cool seeing this stuff!
Keep up the good work, gents👍
Wonder how long it has been since that building had TWO '32 Fords in for service at the same time? Cheers fellas!
That was a great education on mechanical brakes, never knew how they worked. Thanks. From Toronto.
Its so neat to see a 32 Ford in its original form. I can't say I've ever seen one up close before. Seen lots of rodded ones of course. I love how the hot rodders of old dissected these cars and made what they did out of them. And thank you for the look at the mechanical brakes and your opinion of them. Again I've never seen those either and automatically dismissed them because of the common opinion that they were useless. You guys are a wealth of resources and I look forward to every vid. 5 stars!! 👍👏👌
Mechanical brakes can offer a very high mechanical advantage. You can put it in the lever of the pedal and again at any pivot point. AFAIK, that is how unassisted hydraulic brakes work as well, mechanical advantage.
So great that you preserve a variety of cars all in original form. I've never seen mechanical brakes other than parking brakes before today, and I started working on cars when I was 13 after having passed tools for 7 years. Thanks! 😎
Brings back those great memories of when I was a kid going into the service station with my dad. Appreciate y'all's love for the old stuff.
Gotta love an oil drain that's big enough to reach an arm into
Lovin' the channel, guys! Thanks for taking us along.
Thanks for showing us the mechanical brake setup. Good, clear explanation of how they work. Much appreciated.
Wow, a 1932 Ford that hasn't been street rodded, love it! :)
Really enjoy the channel, don't be afraid to put out 30 minute videos.
Between your show and Scott's. There's a little bit of hope left in the world lol. I'm doing my part as well. I may start filming it. More of what Scott does with the agents. Go from rusty junk, to rusty junk that drives around the yard. Thanks guys and cheers from Alabama
A beautiful car that is certainly in the right hands! Thanks for the great content and Jim's play by play-- he's always a hoot!
Great vid guys, I can honestly say that is the first undercar walk around of a stock 32 Ford I've seen. Good breakdown of the what/where/how!
good job
I'm a truck driver. I didn't know the origins of the 'S' cam. Great time portal there. Very cool video.
I drove a friend's 1939 Austin 8 once. Austins of the era used mechanical brakes, I think they were cable operated. As you say there was plenty of tension in the system, but on this one, not much action. I drove it down a road in Leeds where we were going to turn right, so I 'braked' to take the corner and shot straight past! It did pull up....eventually. Austins had a reputation for poor brakes and rivals like Morris and Singer had hydraulic brakes which did perform better and needed less adjusting. But as you said, a hole in the brake line and you've got no brakes. Been there, too! Thanks for the video - great to see a '32 that hasn't been over restored or hot rodded.
Was wondering where y'all went...Thanks For Sharing New Vid !
I thought the all original Chev coupe was spectacular, but this 32 roadster....wow!
You can drive with no brakes with confidence is the greatest comment I’ve heard in a while. I’m sold. My 85 El Camino has more compression fittings than original brake line left. Mechanical brake retro-fit kit would be a winner.
hey gents!! sorry i'm late... the fact that the old single cylinder lift still works is amazing!
I knew nothing of this!!! Thank you so much. Very informative!!
The strength of steel from pedal to wheel
No troublesome hydraulic fluid for me
I learned that from Jay Leno
Bonnie and Clyde will be pleased with the all the fine work on their summer get away car. Well done guys.
🚬🐕
Henry Ford always said about mechanical brakes. "The safety of steel from wheel to wheel."
thats one huge drain plug my goodness ya cool old brakes.fun time . cheers guys.
It was interesting to see how the mechanical brakes were set up. I’ve recently acquired a 27 Nash, it’s my first car with mechanical brakes. I have yet to get it home and I’m excited to tinker with it.
now THAT's the kind of car lift i remember!!! that one was called the spider lift and was used to change tires and do brake work. we had, at the SOHIO, Standard oil of OHIO gas station that i work at (ca 1980), a drive-up-on one for oil changes and exhaust/muffler work too. both had the big 12" diameter shiny steel posts that came up out of the cement floor.
... but where is the 25 cent candybar machine and the 50 cent a pack cigarette machine?
..hi Matt and Jim......cool original (mostly) 32.....thanks for the mech brake tutorial.....
Holy heck! I've never seen oil drain like that! LOL :-D
That’s the biggest oil drain plug ever. Good video guys. Keep um coming.
Thanks guys your information and your camera work its great, and your keenness for mechanical working of these older cars show in enthusiasm please keep them coming. I have recently sold on my 1934 Desoto SF airstream and I'm recreating it every day Noel.
It’s been TWO WEEKS! I’m dying over here I need to see the 48
We had that exact same lift in the auto shop at my high school. I have cussed wedge brakes many times in the heavy duty environment! Cheers!
Never been so close to a 32 and what a cool looking one at that. Thanks guys, always fun to watch.
What a great shop, and a great channel.
Thanks for sharing this, Great video for the beginner like me! Keep up the great work! From Buffalo NY
I really injoy your videos alot I've watched Jim on cold was mortors for quite a while now
And back when floor boards were boards!
Love the show and love the garage! Just about everything I see is period perfect. I would love to learn more about the back story of the garage and its history.
I had a couple of early 70s Honda motorcycles in the mid to late 70s. Cable operated cam drum brakes, twin leading shoe on the front. Worked fine.
That was fantastic. Mechanical brakes tech spotlight on a stock '32 Ford!
Stan, Guy, love the show. (If you're over 30 and from Pittsburgh, PA you'll get that) in other words, er love it. Great episode and hey, how about that "the end" tag at the end? Perfect. It totally fits your show. Keep up the great work. Cheers from Ohio.
I had a 37 ford V8 sedan with mech brakes and they were ok for occasional braking, but if you were in the mountains they made a noise but didn’t stop or slow you down at all. 😂
Thanks for showing us the workings of mechanical brakes. I always wanted to know how they worked. I think they got a bad rap because like you said, they needed to be adjusted to be useful. You also had the hydraulic guys spreading false rumors. I like the content of your channel and enjoy the dry humor. Keep them coming!
I’m really looking forward to these videos! Glad your feeling better Matt. Your guys attention to detail is outstanding beautiful work! You must have the coolest families.
32 Ford roadster THE coolest car of all time
I remember when I was in votech in high school and I visited an old garage that still had a center post lift but it looked different. It didn't have the four movable arms but two long pieces of railroad track. I asked the old guy why and he said his dad did that back in the 50s because it was faster. The rr tracks lifted the cars by the front bumper and the rear diff. Needless to say they cant use that style these days lol
Such an amazing treasure.... Y'all are both awesome!!
Great explanation of mechanical breaks your shop always takes me back in time we had that exact drain bucket with all the wore wounds one in the pit and one in bay 3, with a 2 post hoist air over hydraulic with movable rear post. Thanks
I actually had a chance to drive a 30 or 31 Model A in 1965 with mechanical brakes. The car had been restored and drove really did drive fine and stopped okay. The car didn't weigh much and even though it had been bored and was running much higher compression than it originally had it was not a race car. It would run 50 all day and make almost 65 before water started being pushed out past the radiator cap.
The safety of steel from pedal to wheel
Wow! Extremely unusual to see a largely unmodified '32. I don't think I would be able to resist the urge hotrod the old flathead 😀
Ford still had mechanical brakes in the 1950's with the Pilot (1947-1951) . On the rear,cable operated mechanical brakes...but hydraulic on the Front.
Cool car . Much better audio.
Be careful of those hydraulic lifts from the ground, I worked in a shop in my late teens, they pulled them out and filled them with concrete, cuz they were dangerous apparently, from crushing people, Be safe. Thanks for the information.
So I got a question for Jim.
When the time comes for the paint job on the mercury, where/who will do it?
Will it be here, will it be Scott, or someone we haven’t seen yet?
Love these videos fellas, and greetings from England!
Thanks! Great video, I had no idea how mechanical brakes worked... Now I know 👍.
I heard from some old timers back in the day that if you stomped on the brakes too hard you'd bend the brake rods. Once they were bent they needed to be replaced. I wonder how often that would happen.
Great video,thanks
Damn, that is one pretty car!
Another terrific episode, Guys. Time to get some clip on mics, eh?
The reason why mechanical brakes were abandoned by nearly every manufacturer 10 years before Henry Ford did was sooner or later one front wheel would grab first and on a slick surface it would send the car into a spin. Not so much a problem in the Model T era but as cars got faster and speed limits went up it caused more accidents. By the way when Plymouth was launched in 1028 the very first ones had "juice" brakes.
Love you your great canuks😊❤
Thank you, all good stuff and stay safe who needs brakes?
What an awesome car!!
Great Video love the explanation of mechanical brakes . Also is the radiator cap a bust of Henry Ford or FDR
Enjoyed it....
Suggestion : Make your video's longer.
Maybe some projects your working on..just sayin.
Good to see how many subscribers you have already.
I kno Scott was a big part of folks tuning in , but its good stuff...
And thats what will keep loyal viewers.
Great car! I like mechanical brakes too. Henry Ford knew what he was doing. Ford's may have been considered mechanically "dated" at the time, but the high survival rate compared to other manufacturers of the era proves that simplicity is the key to long term reliability.
Hey Matt and Jim, just checking in. Hope everything is ok.
I had a 29 Dodge Brothers with mechanical brakes, it was scare in the rain
Have you tried one of the self energizer kits on the mechanical brakes? I hear the make a big difference.
Great channel guys, but please get body mics so we can hear you well.
I've had hydraulic brakes I had to pump to stop. Bad piston in the master cylinder.
Thanks for the education.
i got a 46 crosley and its got mechanical brakes also
Jim/Matt..new sub here..and like your style and the retro garage is cool..but please if you have Dean in a video make it very quick..thanks for the overview on this classic beauty..
Tell us why you trust to get under a car when on that in floor lift. Burst pipe risks? Is there a mechanical lock?
Good show guys! Short and sweet.
Neat car. Just a question. Is it ok to hang the suspension with mechanical brakes? I see on the 32 the rods are on the radius rods. On the A they are on the frame. I never hang mine because it really bends the rods. Is that a valid concern?
What is the story of the front wishbone on the roadster? Looks like a stock heavy axle but some kind of modified or later wishbone with the form in it?
That was so beautiful, could have lasted a bit longer.
cheers!!
That's the largest drain plug I've seen on a car. I guess you're not allowed to burn waste oil for heat like the old time garages. Is there an official Strong's Garage shop truck?
I guess in that case, it's not an "emergency" brake since there isn't going to be an "emergency" without the hydraulics!!! It simply becomes a "parking" brake!! Keeps the brakes applied when there's no-one in the car to stomp on the pedal.
That front spring looks like it's too short since the shackles are about straight across. ????? Am I missing something??
Nice car and it sounds GREAT !!!
@Pappa Bob • 2:06 - I think the straight-out shackles is the illusion created when the car is lifted by the frame and the spring is not compressed (the compressed leaf spring would show it's true working length).
@@douglas_drew
Makes sense!! Hadn't thought of that. The spring certainly is going to get "narrower" with no load on it!!
Excellent! Finely there's a 32 Ford roadster almost original with brake tech. I agree, mine has been in the family for 71 years with no braking problems. Thanks for the video
@@pappabob29 By the way, I went to your channel because of your truck pic, but it was the '57 Chevy that caught my eye (I suppose you've repeatedly heard "My first car was a '57 Chevy!"). Great content, so I immediately subscribed.
@@douglas_drew
Thank you Douglas!! ;o)
Love the videos, but someone needs to wear a lapel mike. The acoustics are pretty bad in there.
Is there any reason in particular why you would not use a good high quality modern multi--weight oil in these old cars? IIRC, you guys did the same single weight oil on the 48 as well.
You need to get a oil burning furnace so you can Heat your garage off of the used motor oil
Why is it that every time I find a good channel you start a patron page. Knowing I can’t afford it. I live on a budget which does not allow for extra spending. I guess like the Abba song says the loser has to fall, winner takes it all. Well it was nice knowing you. Take care, stay safe and beware of false prophets 😇❤️🙏🌞🕊🇺🇸🌹👍🍺😢
You know that supporting the channel on Patreon is not mandatory, right? I have a lot of channels I'm subscribed to, but I can't afford to support them on Patreon . I'm still subscribed to them. When they talk about Patreon extras, it's just that-extras. It doesn't affect the content on the channel. I'd love to be able to afford to do Patreon support for some of the channels I'm interested in, but that doesn't take away the pleasure I get from the regular posted UA-cam videos. If you enjoy the videos on Strong's Garage, then just keep watching and don't worry about Patreon.
What weight oil are you adding back into that old Flathead? It looked like Kerosene pouring out. Is it just SAE 30 going in?
Oil filter? We don't need no stinkin' oil filter! 😏
Is that radiator topper a bust of Henry or what?
I don’t see any Working Man’s Friend rerefined oil!
Stopping is overrated. Until you actually need to stop. Then it’s kind of important.
A car that won't stop is more trouble than a car that won't go. I heard that somewhere.....
Sure for their time they did all right, but Ford was the lone holdout . All the rest had been changed to hydraulic brakes. My dad remembers having a 38 ford he converted from mechanical brakes to juice . He like the car much better
Feel the confidence of having zero braking 😂
if it were mine, that oil would have me worried.
Nothing quite sounds like a flathead V8.
I simply can't resist to make a sarcastic respectively bad joke: It would've been no big difference making videos while you lost your voice. The speaking often is barely to understand anyway in your videos so far. ;-) 😁
Of course I'm glad to see you healthy and strong again.
Best regards, luck and health to all of you.