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A vintage black and white video from 1935 highlighting the latest technology in Chevrolet’s brakes. These brakes are so old they aren’t even hydraulic activated!
Chevy’s promo video is showing how their mechanical drum brake system works: A cam is actuated and turns which then pushes the brake pads out into the drum to slow the vehicle down. They also show how the other side of the brakes has a lever so the pressure is applied evenly to the shoes. Pretty genius for early 1900’s technology.
During the process to engineer brakes that stopped, Chevrolet tried hundreds of combinations of materials. Regular steel drums wouldn’t withstand the high heat and pressure required out of a braking system. A special blend of metals were used to find the optimum blend that withstands the extreme conditions. The Engineers also tried just as many materials when finding the correct lining for the brake shoes themselves that would allow the car to stop efficiently but most importantly be reliable. All the parts must be “plated with zinc, chromium, or cadmium. Such materials keep rust from weakening the brakes.”
The brakes themselves without the drum along with a graphical representation showcasing the cam gear
Chevy also goes in depth showing how there is a lip on the drum to keep water and grim from entering and inhibiting performance. This is crucial to ensure that when the brakes are applied, you will come to a safe reliable stop.
These brakes are mechanically activated with a cable. Chevrolet stressed the importance of the strength and quality of cables to ensure that they will perform a long time without any problems. These cables are the same style of cables that are used to hold up suspension bridges. The cables themselves are made up of numerous small cables wound together; That way even if one cable in the bundle was the break, the entire group of cables wouldn’t fail.
They are not hydraulic like modern braking systems. Chevrolet didn’t introduce hydraulic brakes for another two years after this video. However this is still a neat video to watch as a reminder of how far Chevy has come with their modern braking systems.
