benhopkins Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 Hi all,I need some advice on making new brake drums for my 1914 Overland Model 79 speedster project. The originals appear to be made from some sort of high tensile pressed steel. My father and I are thinking about fabricating them from carbon steel hollow bar, but heard the thermal and braking properties of ordinary steel are not that good. Another option we have come across is having them cast in mehanite, but have concerns for long term durability due to the thin wall of Overland brake drums, however the wall thickness could be increased marginally. Any comments or if anyone knows of manufacturer would be greatly appreciated.RegardsBen (Australia) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidMc Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Ben, If you search the wrecking yards you should find brake drums from a modern car that can be machined to the required size. The cost will be much less and they will be cast iron which is the best material for the job.David (also from Australia) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restorer32 Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 We machined a pair of brake drums for a 1908 Pullman from solid 14" steel bar stock. Worked fine but took a good bit of time and produced 4 55gallon drums of lathe turnings. We couldn't find originals nor could we find "modern" drums close enough to rework. Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do. We have also had badly worn brake drums "spray welded" to build up the thickness so they could be machined back to original size. That worked well also but again required a good bit of machining time. Some problems have no easy solution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Friartuck Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Would have thought making up a simple wooden pattern and sending out to an Amish caster who pours cast iron would be simplest. Probably have just half a drum full of cuttings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restorer32 Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 We thought about that but by the time we made a pattern and had them trued and centered and the lug holes properly located it seemed simpler to just lathe them out. Plus it is time consuming to accurately chuck such a large casting and make that first cut. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restorer32 Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Plus the show date was rapidly approaching and there is no way to rush an Amish foundryman that I know of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now