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1940 Lasalle brake silencer spring

Started by Tom Boehm, September 02, 2017, 06:43:46 PM

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Tom Boehm

Hello, There is a narrow coil spring wrapped around the outside of the brake drums on my 1940 Lasalle. I assumed this was there for heat dissipation. The parts book calls it a "brake silencer spring".  What noise does it silence and how does it work?

Jay Friedman

It's my understanding that it keeps the brake drum round because of the various pressures exerted upon it by the brake shoes.  I guess the brake drum would be noisy if the drum were out of round and the brake shoes touched the drum intermittently.  However, I'm not totally certain about this and maybe somebody more knowledgeable will chime in. 

I do no one thing, though, and that is under no circumstances should you remove one of these springs as they are very difficult to re-install.  You would need to make or borrow a special fixture to do so. 
1949 Cadillac 6107 Club Coupe
1932 Ford V8 Phaeton (restored, not a rod).  Sold
Decatur, Georgia
CLC # 3210, since 1984
"If it won't work, get a bigger hammer."

Tom Boehm

Hello Jay, I installed mine today. I made a loop in the end of two 18" pieces of heavy wire and hooked one on each end of the spring. The other end of the wire I wrapped around a stick to make a T handle. I wrapped the spring around the brake drum and my son and I pulled on the handles in opposite direction to bring the ends of the spring together. I had a third person on hand to help ease the hook ends together. It took about 2 or 3 tries but it worked better than I thought it would. The fenders are not on the car. If the fenders are on the car this method would still work if you removed the drums and screwed them down to a workbench.

Steve Passmore

These springs are there to do exactly what their name implies. They are 'silencers' to stop the drums 'squealing'
Steve

Present
1937 60 convertible coupe
1941 62 convertible coupe
1941 62 coupe

Previous
1936 70 Sport coupe
1937 85 series V12 sedan
1938 60 coupe
1938 50 coupe
1939 60S
1940 62 coupe
1941 62 convertible coupe x2
1941 61 coupe
1941 61 sedan x2
1941 62 sedan x2
1947 62 sedan
1959 62 coupe

35-709

#4
Right, the spring helps absorb the high frequency vibrations that we hear as squealing/squeaking.  That is not to say it eliminates it, but it helps.
1935 Cadillac Sedan resto-mod "Big Red"
1973 Cadillac Caribou - Sold - but still in the family
1950 Jaguar Mark V Saloon resto-mod - Sold
1942 Cadillac 6269 - Sold
1968 Pontiac Bonneville Convertible - Sold
1950 Packard 2dr. Club Sedan
1935 Glenn Pray - Auburn Boattail Speedster, Gen. 2