Date:         Tue, 16 Jul 2002 23:01:34 -0600
Reply-To:     Gary Shea <shea@GTSDESIGN.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Gary Shea <shea@GTSDESIGN.COM>
Subject:      Re: '80 Westfalia: have to replace master brake cyl and brake
              shoes in back
Comments: To: phil hans <hansph_99@YAHOO.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <20020717041551.21488.qmail@web20416.mail.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

[2002-07-16 21:15 -0700] phil hans (hansph_99@YAHOO.COM) wrote:

> The mechanic wants $1000 to do this.  I'm sure I can
> do it cheaper myself.  Is this job doable?
>
> Phil
> '80 Westy

Hi Phil --

It's very doable.  I have done both parts.

The rear drums are very straight-forward if the drum is not rusted on
too insistently.  It can be very hard to separate the drum from the
center part the bearings are embedded in... on occasion, when I just
couldn't separate the two, I've resorted to the 3/4" drive breaker bar
and a 6' lever to get the big bolt off.  The Hoover wisdom holds that
using the hammer-type wrench for the axle bolt does permanent damage to
the bearing races... anyway, once you're into the drum it's pretty much
painless.  Might as well replace the slave cylinders while you're in
there, if it hasn't been done in the last 20 years...

The master cylinder is less complicated but more of a pain.  The trick
is to keep air out, as one can never fully bleed the master cylinder
once it's installed (or at least that's my understanding... if I'm wrong
we'll soon hear about it!).  I've tried various kinds of plugs and so on
to keep the fluid in the new master cylinder until I'm ready to connect
the brake lines, and due to the stiffness of the brake lines and related
difficulties getting them lined up and started in the master cylinder,
have always ended up a brake-fluidy mess.  Once you've got it in there,
don't do what I did and run it out of fluid while bleeding the brakes!
Arggh.  Then you get to start over....

        Gary