Brake band re-lining...

[Jim Saraceno]

I need to have my hand brake band re-lined. Looking at Bernbaum and Roberts, they have linings and rivets for $40.

Have any of you ever re-lined your brake band? How easy or difficult was it? Are there better alternatives?

[aero3113]

Send it out to Tennessee Clutch, I'm sure Don will chime in. They do great work and VERY good with their prices. I had mine relined by them for I think $25.

[aero3113]

I just checked it was $32 including shipping

[aero3113]

[TodFitch]

I cheated and took mine to the local brake/friction/clutch shop (the one the professional mechanics send their work out to). Found it in the yellow pages. Of course that was years ago when we still had a yellow pages book around the house.

[Young Ed]

I need to have my hand brake band re-lined. Looking at Bernbaum and Roberts, they have linings and rivets for $40.

Have any of you ever re-lined your brake band? How easy or difficult was it? Are there better alternatives?

I have relined a couple of them. Materials from www.brakeplace.com

Its not very hard. You drill holes to match and then countersink them slightly(you can use a proper countersink or carefully use a bigger drill) and hit rivets with rivet set. done.

[Mark D]

Just got a quote from Pete at www.dodgecitytruckparts.com to supply a NOS lined brake/band. He quoted me $115.89+tx. Seems reasonable if you're looking for a full replacement and want to tackle it that way. Now that I see the info in this thread, I think I'll pull mine and have it re-lined.

Question for Ed about tackling it yourself. Did you get new rivets with the replacement lining? How did you know how deep to make the countersinks in the lining? Pardon the questions, but this may be something I'd be willing to give a try myself.

-mark

[Young Ed]

The rivets didn't come with it but were bought from the same place. As this lining shouldn't wear much(unless you are like me who needs to redo his from forgetting to take it off before driving) I just went about 1/2 the thickness of the lining. I believe Dad even bought the tool for setting the rivets from them.

I should also mention they will reline yours if you mail it to them.

[RobertKB]

I just checked it was $32 including shipping

Hard to beat that price.

[P-12 Tommy]

A few years ago I bought a tool to rivit linings on to my own brake shoes. Here's a few pictures showing the tool, linings and some rivits. It's pretty straight forward. Hope this helps.

Tom

[P-12 Tommy]

These pictures show basically how to rivit the lining on to the shoe. You take a hammer and pound the top of the tool and the tool mushrooms the head of the rivit over. Here's the address of the company that makes the tool. A.C. and R.

727 Joaquin Ave.

Redding, Ca. 96002

Phone# 1-800-452-1027

Tom

Edited April 7, 2011 by P-12 Tommy
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[Mark D]

A few years ago I bought a tool to rivit linings on to my own brake shoes. Here's a few pictures showing the tool, linings and some rivits. It's pretty straight forward. Hope this helps. Tom

Thanks for the pictures Tom. This looks fairly easy to do.

[Plymouthy Adams]

when I first got out of the Army I went to work wrenching at a dealership..it about blew me away to see a side shop with this very old man in there relining brakes day in and day out...I never figured to see an operation of this kind at the dealer level..when the old man finially quit the work force..the side shop faded along with him...so long ago in a world so strange compared to today..

[P-12 Tommy]

Dummy me just noticed it was for a brake band re-line. Must be an old guy thing.

Tom

[LAKOTA169]

A few years ago I bought a tool to rivit linings on to my own brake shoes. Here's a few pictures showing the tool, linings and some rivits. It's pretty straight forward. Hope this helps.

Tom

I have a Model A catalog (MAC's) that has that tool listed for $25.

[Young Ed]

Dummy me just noticed it was for a brake band re-line. Must be an old guy thing.

Tom

I think that same tool might be able to be used to do the brake band for the parking brake too. Might require some creativity.

[P-12 Tommy]

I don't see why not.

Tom

[Jim Saraceno]

Thanks for all the input guys!

I never even thought of a local brake shop. I assumed the material for the hand brake was different than the material for brake shoes and pads AND lining these bands would be a lost art at the chain brake shops. I'll have to check the yellow pages and see if I have any local options.

If not I'll probably send it off to Tennessee Clutch or The Brake Place. The later relined my brake shoes and did a great job at a reasonable price. I also know that Tennessee Clutch has done a great job for many of the guys on this forum so I probably can't go wrong with either.

Seeing the cost to have them relined is cheaper than the cost of the material, I might as well have the pros do it for me. Some things I'm willing to take on just for the experience even if I'm not saving money, but this is one of those project that I'm more than happy to farm out.

[Don Coatney]

Tennessee Clutch has done a great job for many of the guys on this forum

I have no connection to Tennessee Clutch. But they treated me like a human being when I walked into there shop. And they have treated everyone on this forum the same way.

[Jim Saraceno]

I have no connection to Tennessee Clutch. But they treated me like a human being when I walked into there shop. And they have treated everyone on this forum the same way.

Every reference to them that I have seen on this forum has been a positive one. Thanks for sharing that with us, it has been a great find!

[Jim Saraceno]

Wow! After looking into all the alternatives, Tennessee Clutch was the best. They quoted me a price of $25. Roberts wanted $40 for the material or $70 to have it relined. The Brake Place said $50-$75. I never found any local options.

I sent the band off Monday and received it back today (Friday) with a note to send a check or call them to give them a card number.

It doesn't get any better than that.... Don and Aero, thanks for the tip!

[Mark D]

I ordered the parking brake lining from Gary Roberts and decided Saturday was the day to tackle the job. So I headed over to a friends house and put the car on his lift. After doing an oil change I dropped the driveshaft at the rear end, unbolted the entire mechanism including the actuator and slid it off the driveshaft, then re-bolted the driveshaft and took the car home.

Sunday I photographed the entire thing and took all the pieces apart, cleaned them and painted them one at a time. When the paint dried, (or almost dried - it was a damp day), I pulled all of the old rivets and clamped the new lining in the band, drilled holes to match the rivets size and then pulled the lining and drilled counter sinks for the rivet heads. From there on in it was a matter of setting the rivets with a cold chisel and my late maternal grandfathers planishing hammer. After that it was a matter of Sunday afternoon reassembly on the car with my son helping me by my side on his back beneath the car with me. I'd encourage anyone to give this a try. It was easy to do.

Before, mid rivet, and after shots attached.