Date: Mon, 20 Feb 2006 05:36:46 -0500
Reply-To: Stephen Steele <steeles@HORIZONVIEW.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Stephen Steele <steeles@HORIZONVIEW.NET>
Subject: Rear disc brakes. Blower Motor. Secret Compartments.
In-Reply-To: <5C398BB5-285C-40FC-91B7-848BE8458D31@mac.com>
Content-type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Okay NOW you got my attention! Putting disc brakes on the back makes a LOT
of sense.
This year I think I've done rear brakes on my two older sons' Westies AND my
other two sons' cars (a Jetta III and a Golf III); all with their help of
course ('cause you just know when their four year old brother is driving
this old Dad ain't gonna be climbing under there for his health). And just
yesterday I was checking out the rears on the 89 Westy and remembering all
the blood, sweat and jeers of those jobs.
And as I crawled out of there I was thinking, "There's been a thread on the
List 'bout bigger brakes; but what about rear discs? That might be doable."
Not that I NEED to spend more money on this Motorized Tent; But I do think
I'll be keeping one o' these Vans around for as long as I can.
And just last year at EveryBus05 I scored a completely great set of late
front brakes, calipers, rotors and all for free from a SyncroWesty-Subie-16"
wheeler dude ( way cool van!).
Anyway, to get to the point. Anybody got anything/info up on the Net about
doing rear discs with regular fronts as the donor?
Only drawback is that I can envision parking brake problems. I guess I could
leave it in gear and use a couple of tire chocks :) .
--
Stephen
Chillicothe OH
PS. Yesterday, I had the Westy out of storage and into the garage to r/r the
front blower motor from BD. It went in with ONLY 6 hours garage time. That
includes the time it took for Son #4, home from college for the weekend, to
show up at noon, take me to the local hardware (NO Big Boxes for me IICHI)
to pick up some two part epoxy to hold the case back together because I
forgot to order the clips when I ordered the motor.
He also helped me cut out the secret under-the-you-know-where compartments,
that were mentioned last week here on the List. Nothing else to do while
waiting for the epoxy to set up.
We used a pneumo cut off wheel and managed not to burn any of the interior.
Coincidentally, last February, I did this same job (blower r/r AND seat box
cutting) on my then 87 Westy. We've missed that space ever since passing it
on to Son #2 last Spring. Defrosters are gudt too. That rear heater just
won't clear the windshield!?
PPSS. Just heard on NPR that Buffey Saint Marie turns 65 today. For some
of you that's not as relevant as hearing 'bout Buffey the Vampire Slayer but
to us GrownUps it's news. I remember listening to "Every time I go to town,
the fellas keep kicking my dog around."... on an 8Track, riding down a back
road in a friend dad's Splittie just before there were Bays.
seeya.
S.
on 2/19/06 22:33, Kim Brennan at kimbrennan@MAC.COM wrote:
> The easier replace pads is one reason why I went with the rear disc
> brakes on my Westy Syncro
>
>
> On Feb 19, 2006, at 8:49 PM, BenT Syncro wrote:
>
>>
>> RE: rear discs. I would do it because it is eaasier to replace pads
>> than drums. Olus they clean up better and faster after a run through
>> the mud. They are also less prone to fade as the can run cooler. They
>> do not get the "bell effect' associated with overheating drums.