Ok...so how old is too old for brake shoes?

The shoes on my 54 look like they have very few miles on them......but the truck hasn't been on the road since 1975. Did a scratch awl test on the front shoes and they are solid.

The same goes for the clutch disk. It looks to be fairly new, but has been sitting for 35 years.

Both can be seen in the pics in My Garage.

 

As far as I know there is no age limit on brake shoes. As long as there are no cracks and seem to be wearing evenly, I'd leave them as is. I don't know much about clutch plates so I'll leave that to someone else.

 

I had to completely rebuild my brake system so I'm not much help there, but I'm running the original clutch in my 48 F1 that's been back on the road since '01 as a daily driver.

On the other hand, I just had to replace the clutch disk in the 52 F6 plow truck that had glazed over from slipping the clutch. Once they glaze, I'm not aware of anything you can do except replace them - or have them rebuilt. I tried and had to pull it apart twice in one week - uugh!

 

If both of them have been clean and dry you should be alright. They probably will outlast anything that you would replace them with!

 

Thanks for the replies. Anything to save a few bucks helps. Changing the front brakes to disks so will most likely reuse the rear shoes.....not sure about clutch plate yet.

 

I wouldn't be concerned about using the shoes or clutch, just make sure to go over the rest of the brakes such as master cylinder, wheel cylinders and lines.

Paul

 

Yeah, I had about 6 boxes of new Ford brake shoes that my dad picked up at an auction years ago....probably made in the 60's or 70's. I finally used the last set on my F-1. Same with clutch disks, I save every one I find. Way better quality than the new ones you buy today. Must be the asbestos.....

 

The disk brake kit I'm getting from Mid Fifty has everything in it to convert the front to disks except for the brake lines and rear wheel cylinders, which I already have.