Re: Sources for Wagner drum brake hardware?

[Matt Haas <mhaas@xxxxxxx>]

At 09:20 AM 5/28/2005 -0700, you wrote:
> On Fri, 27 May 2005, Matt Haas wrote:
>
> > That square clip thing is actually what the Bendix brakes had from the 
> > factory, The hold down hardware I have looks like a nail with a head on 
> > each end and it has a large, flatish C shaped spring clip that goes under 
> > one of the heads. I just took a picture of what I'm after. The picture is 
> > at http://www.mattsoldcars.com/1967american/images/wagner_hardware.jpg 
> > and it shows the return springs and one of the hold down pins and clips.
>
> What I've got on all my cars now is the nail-type pin, but on the inside
> end the pin is flattened, two small ears, that lock into a double-keyhole
> in the center of a dished washer. I thought that was Bendix.
<snip>

This is also a Bendix type hold-down but lots of other brake manufacturers 
use a similar device.

<snip>
> I have seen the type above, but never owned a car that used 'em. That's
> 66 AMerican Wagner?
<snip>

That hold down appears to be Wagner wheel drum in general. My parts book 
shows that the only thing that used that style of brake in 67 and 68 was 
the 6 cylinder Rebel except wagons or heavy duty drums and six cylinder 
Javelin (there were also some of these models that got Bendix brakes). Disk 
brake cars got different Wagner drums in the back and everything else had 
Bendix brakes. My parts book only covers through mid-year 68 (there's no 
mention of AMX) so which brakes were used on various cars may have changed 
by the end of 68.

<snip>
> There is an other type I was referring to, of a different design.
> There is no through-pin; the spring is about 1/4" diameter with a
> stepped-up diameter end. The other end has a hook. The hook is
> pushed therough the shoe and the stepped end stops it from passing
> all the way through the shoe. The hook sits above the backing
> plate; there's a separate piece that fits through the rear of the
> backing plate, a holed tab for the hooked spring. Good luck
> getting the hook into the tab behid the shoe. It seems to require
> a special tool, and the spring is too small to tolerate any
> stretching. That's what I replaced with the typ ementioned above.
<snip>

That's the type of hold down that was stock on Bendix brakes in Americans 
(at least for 67 and 68). Yesterday, I took the front brake apart from the 
parts car I had and it had this spring and hook type hold down on it. I 
think my 68 also had these when I got it but I used the coil spring type 
when I put it back together.

I think I may have found return springs for the Wagner brakes last night. 
Rock Auto had return springs listed for 67 Rebel with Wagner brakes and 
also the same spring for 66 Americans. They also listed the hold downs so I 
went ahead and ordered those items, wheel cylinders, shoes, and a master 
cylinder kit. If all of these parts are correct (the springs in particular, 
the ones I took off the car are trash), I'll be selling off the Bendix 
parts I have (same parts I just ordered plus adjuster kits) that I've had 
long enough that I can't return them. If these parts are not correct, I've 
decided that I'll convert the car over to Bendix brakes and just hang on to 
the Wagner stuff I took off.

Matt


mhaas@xxxxxxx
Cincinnati, OH
http://www.mattsoldcars.com
1967 Rambler American wagon
1968 Rambler American sedan
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