Wheel Brake Drum aligning

[Author nameAuthor names are only available to PAS members.]

I have the 18″ wooden spoke wheels and I am putting the brake drums back on. Before removing the drums from the wheel/hub assembly I stamped all 3 pieces in line. I never took the hub out of the wheel.

On the back of the wheel at the joint of every other spoke there is a groove, and I assume that is to drain water or bearing grease that gets in while driving. On the inside of the drum there is a retainer that has 6 holes, it looks like the retatner is to collect and channel water/oil out to the grooves.

My question is shouldn’t the holes in the retainer line up with the grooves in the wheels? If I line up my witness marks the holes don’t line up. Possible in the past somebody replaced the front drums and didn’t do it correctly or are the holes not supposed to line up with the grooves?

I’m using modern lipped rubber seals in the hub so there shouldn’t be any leakage anyway.

The inner ring of 6 holes go into the retainer.

[Author nameAuthor names are only available to PAS members.]

This is the back of the wheel.

[Author nameAuthor names are only available to PAS members.]

Good afternoon Sir James

---

My 19″ 1929 Club Brougham are exactly the same as these & the drain holes line up with the grooves. Designed to let the oil out! They must have lacked confidence in the felt axle seals ever working!! Belt & braces design.

I have just acquired a set of 19″” “”short spoke”” wood wheels with the large hubcaps from John C. which I suspect are from Model C. They have the grooves in the brake drum & the wood is smooth without the groove . One wonders if the Pierce Engineers kept a sketch book beside the bed to jot down as many redesigns as possible!! Photo to follow shortly.”

[Author nameAuthor names are only available to PAS members.]

This is the brake drum

---

Jak.

[Author nameAuthor names are only available to PAS members.]

And this is the wheel. Notice how the brake drum has compressed the wood where the grooves in the drum are.

[Author nameAuthor names are only available to PAS members.]

Hi Jak,

I guess I’ll line up the holes with the grooves since that seems like what they should be. I was just wondering if it was another over engineered issue that they had decided they didn’t need to bother with. Jim

[Author]

Posts