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General Information

Most vintage riders do not appreciate what a dramatic difference fresh premium brake linings make in stopping power. Complaints of poor stopping force are not new, but memories of original performance have faded with time and are further clouded by comparisons with modern bikes and tires. Most original or NOS replacement linings are more than 20 years old, whether they were on the bike or on the shelf, and can not hope to match fresh modern compounds under any circumstances.

VINTAGE BRAKE offers the discerning classic bike owner old-world quality and craftsmanship combined with modern friction materials for yesterday's thoroughbreds. This is a service you will find nowhere else! We carefully inspect and rebuild your brake shoes utilizing 2520V (road race), or VB3000 (street, off-road and dirt track) compound linings, using only top quality semi-tubular copper rivets.

THIS IS WHAT WE DO

After unpacking and logging in your order, backplates are disassembled and the old shoes removed, with each component being marked. The linings are removed from the shoe platforms, which are then glass bead blasted and carefully inspected for any hidden cracks or other problems. The shoe platforms are surfaced and the rivet holes are countersunk. Appropriate compound linings are cut to size. Semi-cured linings are cured and drilled for rivets while clamped to the shoe platform. After countersinking and trimming, high spots are removed from the back side of the new lining material. The linings are attached, using copper semi-tubular rivets in a circular pattern. These methods maximize heat dissipation and contact, providing a solid feel and less fade. Completed shoes are assembled on the back plate and mounted on a mandrel in a 14" lathe for arcing. With this method of arcing, even if the shoes are cocked or the back plate bent, the linings are still square to the brake drum surface. No other method of arcing guarantees correct radii AND centers. Every effort is made to minimize bent backplates, bent pivot shafts, worn actuating cams, and worn actuating surfaces. The linings are then arced to .020" under your drum diameter, on your back plate, blueprinting the assembly. This maximizes the amount of lining and minimizes bed-in time. This is the only correct answer for oversize drums. Properly done, drum brakes can perform better than ever before, surpassing early disc performance.