Forgot 64 T Birds brake shoes were made of asbestos now I have a dilemma.

[stevetheweave1]

I know the danger of asbestos dust but part of me wants to keep them. The old asbestos shoes were more fade resistant and were not so abrasive to the drums. I tore down wheels because I am installing new brake cylinders as they are original and 56 years old, not very dependable. Just put in a large order last night looks like I will be ordering more stuff, never ends. While I am on the subject of brakes 64 Birds had only one piston in master cylinder, who has successfully installed a double master. If so where did you get it? Thanks and stay vigilant.

This page contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated. As an eBay Partner, and Amazon Associate I may be compensated if you make a purchase at no cost to you.

 

[Ward 57]

I used to work at a Goodyear store and observed MANY brake jobs. Nobody ever wore protection. I never heard of anybody having problems. A good washdown with BraKleen before any disassembly and you should be fine. On another note I didn't know you could still get shoes with asbestos.

 

[1957Bird]

Not sure about your 64, but I replaced my single circuit master with a dual on my 57.
many kits available from various vendors.
the big difference is in driver piece of mind brakes work well, pretty straight forward project.

 

[1954MGTF]

I know the danger of asbestos dust but part of me wants to keep them. The old asbestos shoes were more fade resistant and were not so abrasive to the drums. I tore down wheels because I am installing new brake cylinders as they are original and 56 years old, not very dependable. Just put in a large order last night looks like I will be ordering more stuff, never ends. While I am on the subject of brakes 64 Birds had only one piston in master cylinder, who has successfully installed a double master. If so where did you get it? Thanks and stay vigilant.

I know the danger of asbestos dust but part of me wants to keep them. The old asbestos shoes were more fade resistant and were not so abrasive to the drums. I tore down wheels because I am installing new brake cylinders as they are original and 56 years old, not very dependable. Just put in a large order last night looks like I will be ordering more stuff, never ends. While I am on the subject of brakes 64 Birds had only one piston in master cylinder, who has successfully installed a double master. If so where did you get it? Thanks and stay vigilant.

I never thought much about it until my brakes went out on my 62 convertible as i coasted into my driveway and pusehd on emergency. All hoes except one had been replaced recently by previous owner - forget why. Andy supplier can get them , like Pat Wilson I think. Also I almost got rid of the car as brakes were very hard and in danget of not stopping the car even though as expert said they were all like that. Then I noticed throughout the car's history which I have, they need a new BOOSTER every 5 years or so. Day and night. get a dual cyl and a Booster!

 

[OneAmongOthers]

Don't know why you are going to keep a dangerous product like asbestos brake shoes on you car just because they may be marginally better. Look up many of the studies about how terrible asbestos dust is for your lungs and why it was removed. Get a set of modern brake shoes and drums. I mean seriously. What are you more worried about? You can always get a new set of shoes and drums. You cannot get a new set of lungs.

 

[Critterpainer]

There are places that asbestos can be dangerous and there are places asbestos is not a problem. Just wear your facemask when you have your brake drum off.If your house has asbestos ceiling then worry a lot more about that. I have had the "deadly" Mercury in my mouth for 50 years in the form of dental fillings.

 

[Pink T-Bird]

Yes asbestos can be dangerous if you breath it regularly, like if you worked in a shipyard installing plumbing and insulation in the 50s - 70s. The little you will be exposed to in dealing with brakes as a hobbyist is more easily controlled. Wipe the parts down with Brakleen, don't use an air gun, wear a dust mask. Also it is the asbestos FIBERS that are the most dangerous when inhaled. In the brake dust there are typically no fibers, it is fine dust, a portion of which is asbestos that has been ground to powder, it is not still in micro fiber form.
If you are sensible and your asbestos based brake shoes are still in good shape, clean them up and reuse them. They are better brake material than anything else you will find for your bird. On newer cars with different metallurgy in the rotors and drums newer brake compounds work as well or better.

 

[1966 BIRD]

I used a Dual Master cylinder from Auto Zone, 1967 Mustang V-8 Front disk rear Drum,replaced the Proportioning Valve also, used 1971 Ford f 100 Proportioning valve, Installed a few new tubing lines with fittings,.Needed to modify the upper shock mount slightly for clearance, Worth the effort if you drive in todays traffic. I'm Pleased that if the brakes do leak I will be able to get stopped safely.

 

[64ZCODE]

I found that after market brake shoes (i.e. Centric) resulted in dangerous chattering. On the advice of a fellow Ford fanatic, I found front and rear NOS (New Old Stock) brake shoes and they work great. For the NOS shoes, the compounds on leading and trailing shoes are different, and if memory serves the trailing shoes are grooved.

 

[OneAmongOthers]

I found that after market brake shoes (i.e. Centric) resulted in dangerous chattering. On the advice of a fellow Ford fanatic, I found front and rear NOS (New Old Stock) brake shoes and they work great. For the NOS shoes, the compounds on leading and trailing shoes are different, and if memory serves the trailing shoes are grooved.

I put all new raybestos shoes on my 69. Never had trouble with them yet. Over 3000 miles on them as well. Still whatever works I guess... Asbestos was removed due to health concerns. If you want to continue to use them then that's up to you.

 

[cokefirst]

During the late 1960's I owned a service station and we did several brake jobs. It was a common practice to remove the drums and blow the brake dust off the assembly with an air hose to dispel the dust prior to removing the parts. It was not unusual to have a cloud of brake dust like fog in the shop. No one gave it a second thought. I am sure the prolonged exposure to this atmosphere is likely to cause problems, but I doubt that an occasional brake job or a small amount of asbestos dust is going to be detrimental. Spraying the brakes with brake cleaner will liquify the dust and you can dispose of the paper towels while wet in a container and be just fine.