Date: Fri, 6 May 2016 15:43:28 -1000
Reply-To: Scott <SCOTTDANIEL@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Scott <SCOTTDANIEL@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject: Re: Rear Brakes: E-brake lever lube,
E-brake spring function (purpose)
In-Reply-To: <CAB2RwfgN5hsXOJd_JXG4y_kmhTd0dL7W0FrWNCdgXWE+Jk=pjg@mail.gmail.com>
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I have not depended on loosening the axle nut with wheels on the ground
for the last 25 years , since I made an axle holder tool ( out of an old
Mercedes steel wheel ) .
Works for Vanagon and mercedes.
I'm sure you know the trick of working on only one side at a time, so
you can go look at the other side for reference.
it's very hard to tell by the pictures in Bentley ...but you can see
there how that bar goes.
Never get the parts from both sides near each other !
being 'german'..... the way the that bar fits looks odd to me..
but then I don't expect things to be 'what you'd naturally think'
always with german engineering.
yeah, ya gotta have an 85 and later parking brake handle.
The earlier style is a joke, very poorly engineered.
the later style is superior in 3 significant ways.
fwiw ...I use the early style rubber boot over the late style parking
brake handle. I think that clip-on plastic cover is just cheap and
dorky. One slight opening at the top of the early style rubber boolt
makes it fit perfectly.
The rubber boot helps slightly in keeping road and tire noise out of the
cabin too IMO.
perhaps VW did that ( make it weak, then improve it ) so they could
claim '18 improvements this year ! ' .
Engineer-as-you-go philosphy ..build it cheap and weak and upgrade here
and there as the model evolves over time.
you won't find that very much in other brands of cars..
some ..but not chronically like VW used to do.
Scott
On 05/06/2016 02:48 PM, Neil N wrote:
> Ok. That's good to know Scott; as it is, I didn't think to lossen the
> axle stub nut while the wheels were still on. I'll leave that backing
> plate replacement for another day. My new backing plates feel much
> stronger in comparison but then they aren't mounted so not an accurate
> comparison.
> Shoe wear is even, things look ok. However. It's possible I installed
> the e brake equalizer bar
> incorrectly. This being when I first got the van.
>
> I'll replace the e brake cables re lube crucial spots on shoes and
> hardware.
> I'm also installing a newer style e brake handle. A fellow vanagon
> owner kindly
> gave me that part! This is a long overdue upgrade.
>
> On Friday, May 6, 2016, Scott <SCOTTDANIEL@turbovans.com
> <mailto:SCOTTDANIEL@turbovans.com>> wrote:
>
> it's normal for a backing plate to flex a little like that..
> like if you lever a little with a screw driver between backing
> plate and drum.
>
> the force on the backing plate is all rotational.
> No need for it to be rigid in plane.
> Of dozens of types of cars I have worked on for decades , drum
> brake backing plates are always like that.
> None are rigid in plane.
> Might even help the shoes self-align a bit.
>
> I don't think it matters too much what they are painted with, as
> long as there is decent corrosion protection.
> I've seen them rust right through on a vanagon ..swiss cheese.
>
> I *always* paint my drums with High Temp flat black paint. Keeps
> 'em from rusting pretty nicely.
>
> the GW drums look pretty nice !
> Might even get some someday.
>
> re quality of drums ..
> my 'favourite' situation I've seen ....A person I know did a lot
> of research and bought an 83 Westy from a well-known Vanagon
> specialist company ...
> I ended up working on it ..and find a brand new right rear drum
> that is very out of round ..
>
> the way I like to get drums to pop off the flange is hit the edge
> with a hammer ..
> if they are not too stuck on the lip of the flange they'll jump
> right off very nicely that way.
>
> this particular drum had a 3 inch long balancing weight on it ..
> unusually large,
> one medium tap on the edge of the drum and that weight fell right
> off. Talk about a cheap part !
>
> On 05/06/2016 02:18 PM, Neil N wrote:
>> Good to know. Am looking at my rear brakes now. I have a new set of GW
>> shoes on hand.
>> 6 mm lining.
>> The backing plate at each wheel flexes somewhat easily by hand. As I flex
>> each plate, the gap between plate and axle stub face opens, closes a hair.
>> ( a little)
>
>
>
> --
> Neil n
>
> Blog: Vanagons, Westfalia, general <http://tubaneil.blogspot.ca>
>
> 1988 Westy Images <https://picasaweb.google.com/musomuso/New1988Westy>
>
> 1981 Westfalia "Jaco" Images, technical <http://tubaneil.googlepages.com/>
>
> Vanagon-Bus VAG Gas Engine Swap Group <http://tinyurl.com/khalbay>
>
