charliemyers
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Post by charliemyers on May 11, 2017 5:20:27 GMT -8
Nice! I really need to take a day and digest this entire thread.
I bought that same "12V hot point / meter / USB charger" as well, but have yet to install it.
Charlie
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charliemyers
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Post by charliemyers on May 10, 2017 9:49:26 GMT -8
charliemyers where are you getting all these compacts from?? lets see the insides Well mel, funny story that I'm sure happens all the time. My wife and I found the '64 locally (~35 miles from home), and we've had our eye on it for quite a while. Over a year ago I found who I thought was the owner, composed a letter expressing our interest to buy, and mailed it. Never heard back. A couple months back I finally figured that I'd pay the owner a visit. Initially my heart sank because the first thing she said was 'That ole thing? It'll just sit there and rot into the ground'. It had wings AND a title! After spending the better part of an hour chatting with her, I was finally able to convince her to at least write down my name & number before I left. Never thought I'd hear back from her. A couple weeks after that, my wife spied the '61 advertised online and started communicating with the owners. The price was agreeable, but it was a 10 hour drive each way to get it! So long story short, I borrowed a flatbed trailer, wife and I drove the 10 hours, stayed for the night, loaded up the camper in the morning and headed home with it. We finally had the Compact that we'd wanted for so long! About two days after getting home with the '61, the nice lady that I chatted with previously called my wife and said that we could come down to get the '64 in a few weeks after she'd had time to clean some junk out of it. It was sunk in the ground as you can see, so we dug it out, put tires on it (borrowed from our own recently acquired '61), and pulled it home. Interior pics may come later, but they're nothing real special. The birch is painted in the '61 but the '64 actually has a few pieces that can be saved. I'm trying to find time to continue rebuilding a '64 Streamline Countess, so I doubt that I'll get started on any of the Shastas before next summer. Charlie Charlie Save
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charliemyers
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Post by charliemyers on May 10, 2017 7:45:51 GMT -8
And my last one...V16533 1964 Compact also from Goshen, IN. Generation 1 shape but the frame extends all the way to the rear rather than being cut short behind the wheels like my '61 does.
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charliemyers
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Post by charliemyers on May 10, 2017 4:34:53 GMT -8
So what did I end up doing? After a good cleaning & inspection of the old brakes, I determined that the critical components (shoes & magnets) had enough life left to continue using for a while yet. The old brake assemblies did have a few components that were missing or too far deteriorated to re-use (adjusters, adjuster springs, and the shoe hold-down springs), so I replaced those with parts from the new brake assemblies. They're now installed, but I haven't yet connected the wires or tested the brakes under tow conditions.
Just for reference in case it's helpful to someone else, in my case I'm convinced that all parts from the new assemblies would have worked on the old brake backing plate with one exception: the actuating arm. On my assemblies, the bushing in the new actuating arm was a little larger than the post on the old backing plate that it mounts onto. But it does have a bushing which can be pressed out, and I'm sure that most any machine shop could turn out an appropriately sized bushing to give it a more snug fit.
I didn't specifically take pictures during much of this process because my greasy and our digital cameras don't go well together. But if anyone wants pictures of anything in particular, let me know and I'll see what I can do.
Charlie
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charliemyers
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Post by charliemyers on May 9, 2017 4:41:30 GMT -8
V7581 1961 Shasta Compact out of the Goshen, IN plant.
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charliemyers
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Post by charliemyers on May 8, 2017 11:49:58 GMT -8
The router is the right tool for the job as has been previously mentioned. I'd get a flush trim bit with the bearing mounted on top: MLCS Flush Trim BitDepending on the thickness of your work piece, I'd think that #6500, 6501, 6509, or 6502 from the above link would be good. These bits can't be "plunged", so you may need to drill a starter hole. There are other bits that can be plunged into the work piece, and these will not require a hole to get started if you have a plunge router. Clamp your template on top of the work piece, locate the bearing against the bottom of your template, and follow the edges. I don't remember off the top of my head, but you'll notice that the router is more controllable going one direction than the other. Whichever way the bit rotates, you'll want to move the router around the edge against the rotation...otherwise it'll try to drive away like the spinning wheels on a car against the road. Be sure to allow the bit to come to a complete stop before lifting the router or you'll risk damaging your template. If you don't feel comfortable doing the whole thing with a router, you can always do the best you can with a jig saw, and then use the router & flush trim bit with a pattern to clean it up so that you have much less sanding to do. Good luck whichever method you choose! Charlie
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Post by charliemyers on May 3, 2017 4:35:59 GMT -8
Just a quick update. I ended up going the "grinding down the thickness of the flange" route. I worked on both brake plates until they fit the hubs with a reasonable amount of clearance and proceeded to install one on the axle and slip on the hub with newly packed bearing & seal. I figured that there was going to need to be some more grinding in select spots, so it was no surprise to me when the hub was bound tight after tightening & loosening the castle nut. So I proceeded to remove the hub by pulling it toward me and giving it a good nudge to try to get it to rotate...and that's when I did get a surprise. You see the flange on the new brake plate doesn't go all the way around the perimeter like the old brake plate. Instead there are two gaps as you see below: And the surprise that I found? Did you know that you can see stars in broad daylight if your fingertip happens to be poking through one of those openings at the instant that a heavy steel (iron?) hub decides to break loose and turn around the spindle? And it's a pretty good feeling when you realize that the tip of your finger is still indeed attached. Plus the wife will get a bit upset when you run through the house dripping bodily fluids while trying to get to the bathroom. Pretty neat stuff! So now I'm thinking that ruderunner makes an EXCELLENT point: Or rehabbing the original brakes? After studying these brakes a bit and finding an old brake tool in my toolbox that used to belong to my dad, I'm going to at least give this a good attempt. One of the old brake assemblies is complete, and the other is missing only the adjuster and that spring that holds the shoes together across the adjuster. The shoes still have enough life left in them, but both will need new electromagnets. After studying them a bit, it looks like the components on the new assemblies just might all fit on the old plates. That's what I intend to attempt next, but it'll be a few days before I have time to spend on it. The "complete" old brake plate for reference: Charlie Save
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charliemyers
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Post by charliemyers on May 1, 2017 6:08:37 GMT -8
I would consider taking a hammer and striking the flange all the way around till the drum will go on with out draging on the flange... bigbill I considered this as well, but I was afraid that it might buckle the rest of the plate rather than reform the edge. Plus I wasn't sure how to hold the assembly fast while hammering. Did you do this while mounted on the axle or by other means? Looks like there are options, and I'm glad to hear from someone who apparently ran into the same issue before! Charlie Save
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charliemyers
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Post by charliemyers on May 1, 2017 5:36:25 GMT -8
how about contacting the supplier to find out if they have different backing plates that might fit? Or rehabbing the original brakes? Good suggestions. I'd already installed the brakes, connected the wires, and tossed the packaging before discovering that the hub wouldn't fit the flanges. After all of that, I just figured that the supplier wouldn't be willing to work with me. But now that you mention it, it's worth checking into. I've sent a message to the supplier to at least give them an opportunity to respond. When I pulled one of the hubs off on one side, broken springs & other parts came falling out. Although the other old brake assembly appears to be complete, it's probably only a matter of time before springs & such start breaking in it too. I'm not much of a brake guy, and with the cost of replacement assemblies being as cheap as they are I have more confidence in new assemblies than my rehabbing abilities. But if new assemblies just don't work out, I still have the old ones and can probably find someone local that can rehab them for me. Charlie Save
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charliemyers
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Post by charliemyers on May 1, 2017 4:54:16 GMT -8
A machine shop could cut the groove in the drum wider to accommodate that flange. This was my first thought as well, but then it occurred to me that brake plates are cheap and readily available, whereas a hub would be quite a bit more expensive a bit more difficult to find if I had to replace one. Actually if a new hub wasn't readily available I'd be inclined to use the old non-functioning brake plates until I could replace the entire suspension system including axle, springs, hubs, wheels, tires, etc. At any rate, if I don't see any compelling reasons to NOT grind the flange on the brake plate, I'll likely proceed down that path. The biggest problem that I see with grinding the flange is that it'll likely rust out sooner, but if I paint it before installing it I should still get a number of years of use out of the brake plates before those flanges deteriorate. Make SURE you center the grind and bolt securely. (we used a lathe) Thanks for the advice vikx, but I'm not sure that I see this as being a precision operation. When installed, the brake plate will be fixed while the hub rotates around it (another good reason I guess to modify the brake plate rather than the hub). Basically it just needs to be be ground down enough to clear the outside diameter of the channel. Or am I missing something? Thanks everyone for your thoughts & vote of confidence! Charlie Save
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Post by charliemyers on Apr 30, 2017 10:12:21 GMT -8
This is the back side of my hub. You can clearly see the groove that's supposed to accept the flange that's on the brake plate. This is my old brake plate. You can see the flange or "lip" that slips into the groove on the back side of the hub. And this is the old brake plate resting on the hub, with the flange easily inserted into groove on the hub. And this is the new brake plate resting on the back of the hub. It's hard to see it, but the flange on the new brake plate is just big enough that it rests on the outside edge of the channel instead of slipping inside. I'm considering grinding down the thickness of that flange to make it fit because I'm sure that's not more than 1/16" total (1/32" off of each side). Any thoughts as to why I shouldn't do that? Or any ideas as to how to better deal with it? Thanks, Charlie
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Post by charliemyers on Apr 30, 2017 4:21:06 GMT -8
I'll try to post some pic this afternoon.
Charlie
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charliemyers
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Post by charliemyers on Apr 29, 2017 17:12:04 GMT -8
I bought replacement brake plates for a '61 Shasta Compact, but the rim on the brake plates appears to be about 1/16" too large of a diameter to fit in the grooves that are on the hub. The old brake plates slip right in. Is there something I can do to make this work? Or can someone recommend a brand of brake plates that should work? I went the cheap route and bought from Southwest Wheel. I thought that most any 2.25" x 10" brake plate would work...and these would work if that lip would fit into the slot on the hubs.
I don't actually need brakes because my tow vehicle is a 3500hd, but I like knowing that I have brakes along with a break away switch to bring it to a stop if it ever comes loose from behind me.
I hope that I explained this clearly enough! I can provide pics if it'll help.
Charlie
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Post by charliemyers on May 3, 2016 15:30:28 GMT -8
V6237 Airflyte which I presume makes it a 1960 from Goshen, Indiana.
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Post by charliemyers on May 3, 2016 15:19:30 GMT -8
Some wire brushing and wiping with mineral spirits brought it out. I'll add it to the VIN collection thread.
Thanks! Charlie
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