Thursday, February 02, 2017

The Ausco Lambert early hydraulic disc brakes


Available on 1949-1954 Crown Imperials, Town and Countrys, and other large Mopars as an option. It was a 40% increase in brake surface area over the 12" drums of the day... these cars were nearly 4 tons, and the 12 inch drums weren't up to it.

Unlike the common disc brakes used today, based on the common disc brakes that became familiar in the 1965 roll out of Corvettes, these Ausco Lambert had 360 degrees of both sides of the discs in contact with the brake pad liners, like the similar clutch contact method




This illustration shows the stationary, split brake disc. When the brake pedal was applied, twin wheel cylinders pushed the split disc apart so its friction pads made contact with the insides of the spinning housing. Self-energizing action and extra braking force was provided by six steel balls riding in ramp that wedged the disc apart. Metal return springs retracted the works when the brakes were released. The system was designed by Ausco-Lambert (aka the Auto Specialties Manufacturing Company) of St. Joseph, Missouri, and further developed under license by Chrysler. After Chrysler dropped the costly unit for 1955 (improved vacuum boosters gave new life to Chrysler’s drum brake systems), Ausco-Lambert changed the housing material to aluminum and tried to market the brakes over the counter as the “Double-Disc Safety Brake.” Unfortunately, it was overshadowed by European-style, floating-caliper brakes

http://www.hotrod.com/articles/chryslers-pioneering-disc-brake-system-explained/

6 comments:

  1. Thanks!
    I remember seeing the drawings for those things when I was in my early teens and wondering how they dissipated the heat they created.

    I still.wonder, actually.

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    1. it must be the fins on both sides

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  2. Another wonderful example of 'nothing new under the sun': Early motorcycle disc brakes were make of stainless steel, which turned out to be troublesome in wet conditions. Italians just used regular steel, rust be damned, and the Japanese started drilling the discs. Except Honda who, in compliance with their habit of making complicated solutions for problems that don't exist, had a go at covered disc brakes. They were used a bit in the early 1980s on a few models, before the engineers came to their senses. Btw, I had a MVX250 for a while, and the front brake (rear brake was traditional) worked fine.

    http://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/Gallery/Honda%20CBX550F-1982.jpg

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  3. the 65 Thunderbird was the first Ford to have disc brakes, enormous disc brakes, a fixed caliper with 2 pistons on the inside and 2 on the outside.

    also the first car to have a factory 8 track player, and I think the first car to have cruise control.

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    1. nope, not cruise control. Cadillacs had Cruise Control a while before that. Chrysler Imperial in 1957 http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2011/06/first-in-automotive-manufacturing.html

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    2. https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2008/04/1960-bonneville-4-door.html Cruise control also, 1960 Pontiac, and a 1960 Lincoln https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2014/04/a-1960s-lincoln-has-what-seems-to-be.html

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