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Date:         Wed, 29 Jun 2016 23:54:57 -0700
Reply-To:     Scott - IMAP <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Scott - IMAP <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject:      Re: Near New Brake Drum: Crack or casting flaw?
Comments: To: Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <BAY405-EAS250C3BDFC7303C9F585437BA0240@phx.gbl>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed

wow... we sure live in different worlds .

I have run VW wheels and lug nuts and bolts of all sorts for going on 50 years... have had wheels off and on literally MILLIONS of times.. currently own 7 good running vans ( got an 85 running project for sale for not that much in So. Orgeon, btw ) ... and about half a dozen other cars and rigs,

I'm swapping Ronal Mercedes wheels, South African 15 inch steelies from van to van ... I own about a hundred ( no kidding ) mounted and balanced wheels and tires, and maybe at least a hundred extra lug nuts and bolts of various styles...

and sure...I do see some damage ..but it's usually from people being sloppy .. like lug wrenches that don't fit really right etc... I have yet to see a stock steel wheel that won't work right at the mounting point . Or 'barely' if at all.

those flaws in the drums do look a little weird all right. I saw one chinese made drum that had a Huge balance weight on it.. which was really glad to just fall off without much provocation. Was new on a freshly purchased Westy ..I had to just toss it and put something decent on. I wasn't round either.

Generally the drums I get are european made ..often in Italy, or Germany. I don't have problems with them.

I will say that 'workmanship' is worth about 70 % of the result one gets.. 'It's not the Parts, it's the workmanship', tho ya gotta use decent parts of course.

lol..I guess I'm going to die in a crash due to wheel failure since I take my various wheels off and on a few times a year.

for 'regular people' ..if you do CAREFUL work ...very exacting careful work actually .. use plenty of appropriate products where indicated .. mostly you'll be just fine,

though on brakes in general ...both disc and drum ... it's not 'a given' they'll just fall onto the rig and be fine automatically.

Even pro shops have their tricks and run into difficulties at times. To give you an idea ..I know one full time wheel/tire/brake shop that turns ALL drums and discs ...even new ones out of the box.

Another guy I know ..same thing, full time pro ...he never resurfaces any discs.. he puts pads on good discs, and new discs .

So yeah ...people who get good results on a regular basis with brakes develop their own tricks and procedures to get their results.

heck , even driving break-in procedure matters.

for the life of me I can't imagine where that rule about 'never lube any stud or wheel bolt treads.' Just doesn't make sense. Maybe that's why some people have trouble with lugs nuts and wheels.

I guess I'm gonna die in a crash, since I put a tiny dab of ant-seize compound on all wheel mounting threads and I've been doing that well over 40 years.. have driven AT LEAST one million miles ( that's only 100K ten times ..not that much really .. maybe I've driven 2 or 3 million miles ..) and surely I must be due to die soon in a wheel-failure crash since I lube my wheel mounting threads.

Just use yer brains and do careful work, and for sure.. expect that on most jobs that the very first time you do it .. it will be a learning experience and may not 'automatically' work out perfectly the first time.

I'm sure I'm gonna die on out on the road.. On my own personal vans ..I might even ( gasp ! ) replace just one shoe that's more worn, or a leaky wheel cylinder without taking the shoes off.

On 6/29/2016 5:16 PM, Dennis Haynes wrote: > What brand were those drums again? Looks like that low cost aftermarket stuff. What is with all that pitting? You keep taking these things apart and you will need to replace the lug nuts and wheels due to them wearing out. Yes I have discarded wheels due to the seats reaching a point the lugs wouldn't hold. Lug nuts while very durable on the Vanagon in practice are not forever parts. After a number of cycles they don’t provide the same clamp load for a given torque. > > Where the brakes giving you some trouble that you needed to check them again or were you just bored? > > I know it's not Friday yet but after a while I tire of looking at brakes, especially the same ones. > > Dennis > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of Neil N > Sent: Wednesday, June 29, 2016 1:34 AM > To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM > Subject: Near New Brake Drum: Crack or casting flaw? > > Hi all. > > Upon seeing this, I thought it was a crack. Is it? Or is it a casting void? > > Close up image of brake drum ID (scratches are made by me with emery cloth and hand scraper): > > http://tinyurl.com/hfyjtdl > > Found this on other drum. Sure looks like a casting flaw (void). Image: > > http://tinyurl.com/hy68ft7 > > Close up shot of same after cleaned with brake parts cleaner: > > http://tinyurl.com/j88ebrs > > I don't see heat damage at shoes but then I don't have a lot of experience thus no real point of reference as to what glazed shoe linings look like. > > Thanks, > > Neil. > > -- > 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>


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