At 11:08 9/21/99 , John Hurley wrote: >Date: 09/21/1999 11:07 am (Tuesday) From: John Hurley >To: vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com >Subject: rear brakes 85 westfalia > >I just ordered shoes & wheel cylinders from the depot. Before i tear into >the job i figured i'd ask the list (since i do not own a manual) if there >are any other parts i should purchase first, and if there are any >precautions i should take. thanks john 85 westy Hoo-boy. Spend the $25 for the Haynes manual from the Bus Depot, you'll be very glad in the long run. Notes: 1) Bentley wants you to take off the hub to change the shoes; it's much better access if you do, but you have to deal with the ridiculously high torques on the 46mm hub nut -- 500 n-m/360 lb-ft. Don't do it. (I recently had to change the backing plate, which *does* require that the hub come off.) 2) If you don't have the Haynes book, make darn sure you understand exactly how the various springs are hooked up, and precisely how the adjuster fits in to the assembly -- before you take it apart. Of course you can always look at the other wheel, if you haven't already taken *that* apart <g>. Actually, if you *do* have the Haynes book it tells you the same thing.... 3) The two little bolts holding the drum on are superfluous. Might as well toss them. No, you cannot use the threaded holes to extract the drum -- you have to tap/beat on it. The place it's tight and rusty is where it fits snugly around the hub. 4) You may have to back off the handbrake adjustment. It's a 10mm Nylok nut on a threaded rod -- you'll have to clamp the rod in a vise-grip to turn the nut. If you have to use heat it will ruin the nut, so you'll need either a new nut or a locknut afterwards. I highly recommend greasing up the threads on the rod after chasing them with an M6 threading die. 5) If you have the drums turned they will likely be ruined, as American equipment doesn't seem to know how to hold on to them properly. That's my experience, anyway. Also you're supposed to use oversize shoes in that case. 6) The forks in the bottom fitting fit/turn freely -- except that they'll be rusted solid. I don't see what difference it makes, myself. Maybe they were just built that way for convenience in machining. 7) I had a sticky handbrake cable on one side. Unfortunately, I had a spare for the *other* side. Fortunately the cables themselves are the same on both sides. david David Beierl - Providence, RI '84 Westy "Dutiful Passage" '85 GL "Poor Relation" |
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