Danny76

So my 1976 doesn't have any parking brakes. I ordered the complete rebuild kit with plans of that being this weekends project. Well, when I did get to the area to work on, I realized that the pins that hold the brakes in place, the ones that are there and sandwiched in, are bent like an S. I actually managed to get the spring and clip over one of them and get the whole brake built, however when I tried to put the rotor back on, it wouldn't fit. I'm sure it's because that pin isn't straight and pulls the pad the wrong direction.

Anybody ever seen this? I don't know what to possibly to at this point. I can't bend it straight. I can't get the new one in without removing the spindle and everything. I'm lost.

'75

Is the adjuster at the bottom screwed all the way in? I can guess the bent anchor pin could cause the shoe to be offset some, but unless it's extreme, you should be able to make it work.

bazza77

Just a thought ,

What about trying to spin the bent pin with its top retainer as one so it pulls the pad inward?

Danny76

Thanks for the response.
Yeah, the adjuster is all the way in. Everything seems solid, but I just can't get the rotor over the pads. I don't want to force it. Any idea if things would work if I didn't attach that pin and only the one on the other side? Would the top and bottom springs be enough to hold everything in place? I don't know what else to try.

Danny76

I'm kind of confused with this idea. What are you thinking of trying? Believe me, I'm open to any suggestions.

rberman999

Can you try to straighten the pin? If you are careful and only bend it in small increments you may be able to get the pin mostly straight. The only other tip I can give you is to be sure the actuating level is properly seated in the brake shoes. I had the full assembly together and realized the level was not sitting correctly. Once seated correctly the rotor fit over the parking brake assembly with no problem. You need to look carefully as the best indicator is up at the top of your brake shoes where the return springs attach. The shoes should be tight up against the pin the return springs attach to. If not the actuating lever is out of position. Lots of luck, Russ.

DUB

I have seen this 'S' bent pin before....and YES...I have replaced the pin without having to remove the spindle. It CAN be done. And those that say it can't...I can tell them they are wrong. Because I have...NO JOKE!

And I am not destroying the dust shield in the process.

I am sending you a PM with my shop number so you can call me....if you want to.

DUB

Danny76

I feel like they are seated pretty well. When you say the shoes should be tight up against the pin, which pin are you referring to?

bazza77

Ring Dub , 5 minutes on the phone is a lot easier than writing a novel here

rberman999

It's the "pin" the return springs attach to at the 12:00 o'clock position.

rberman999

It's the "pin" the return springs attach to at the 12:00 o'clock position. There are only two points for the shoes to spread apart. At the top where the return springs attach and down below at the adjuster. Be sure the shoes are fully seated below as well. I've seen SS adjuster hardware not allow the shoe to fully seat into the notch. The shoe must be fully seated all the way into the notch.

Danny76

Yeah, it's seated pretty well against that pin. The only thing that makes sense is that hold down pin that is bent. Everything else looks really solid. That pin has to be pulling the shoe to the side just enough to not allow the rotor back on.

buns

I'd be interested in seeing how you accomplished that.

DUB

Quite simple to do actually...when compared to many other repairs.

We talked today and he will come back with the results to prove that it can be done. Because I know I can not be the only person who can do this pin replacement with the spindle still installed.

DUB

Danny76

So here's the update......

After 5 days of working on these darn brakes, lots of curse words, bloody knuckles and a few thrown tools, I got the brakes on! I spoke with DUB about replacing the pins without taking the spindles off, and although I don't doubt that his theory works, I was able to, with a lot of patience, straighten those two pins out. I used some long pliers, short pliers, whatever I could make work and straightened them out enough to hold. So if anybody runs into this, they CAN be straightened out.

So I finished everything last night, I did my best following the adjustment procedure, got them holding pretty well by hand, but when I went to a street with a slight grade, the car rolls. So I guess I'll need to adjust more. The problem is I realized that the passenger side rotor does NOT have the hole in it for the adjustment, so the only way I can do it is to remove everything, bring the other rotor over, make the adjustment, take it back. Etc. etc. Just a PITA. I think I'm done for a while before doing that. This has been the hardest project I've ever done, but I'm pretty darn happy that they are on and I know that they at least DO function.
Thanks for all of the tips and suggestions. I couldn't have done it without this forum!!!

Danny

DUB

Sorry to read that you could not do as I mentioned. I guess I will post photos of it when I come across it so what I wrote is verified as factual.

The rotor with NO HOLES for the parking brake adjustment is a front rotor.

I guess you did drive it and burnish the shoes as outlined in the manual???

Before you go and adjust the cable again and again. I can say...that with the manual stating the it needs to take 80 lbs of force to go from the 13th click to the 14th click. People may be SURPRISED on how much 80 lbs feels like.

From Willcox's site:
http://repairs.willcoxcorvette.com/c...parking-brake/

DUB

Danny76

DUB, yeah I was all set to do your process but I saw that I could bend it little by little so I just went that route.

I don't know why that rotor is there. I don't know if I should look for the other one on the front or just deal with it. But I did the adjustments, burnished the shoes etc. I'm sure I didn't tighten enough at the equalizer. Now I don't know what I should do to fix this. How do I achieve the correct lbs at this point with everything hooked up and "adjusted?"

rberman999

I'll tell you what worked for me. It's simple and did work for me. I've got a 10+ degree incline on my driveway so a parking brake that doesn't work isn't an option. First you are going to need to get a "correct" rotor, one that allows access to the adjustment mechanism. Once you have the correct rotor on each side you can follow what I did to get my parking brake to work correctly or not. I'm sure lots of additional advice will follow.
Jack the car up and safely support it. Remove the wheels and adjust the shoes to the point of you just being able to move the rotor by hand. Forget about tight and then back off 6 clicks. You don't want the rotor locked but just so you know you can move it by hand. Then put the tires back on (still up off ground) and try to rotate the tire now. You should be able to rotate about 1/4 to 1/3 turn (no more than half a turn). Next tighten the brake cable until you lose some of the turn you had with out tightening the cable. Back off slightly on the cable so there is no drag being applied by the cable. If you got to this point then lower the car to the ground and test drive. What you should see and feel is there is no noticeable drag on the car while you're driving. Driving the car a few miles will knock the high spots off the brake shoes. Also you should not have any significant heat build up at the rear rotor / drum interface if you follow this correctly. You should also see that your parking brake now holds on level ground as well as an incline. I find for it to hold on my driveway incline I needed to give it a little extra pull but it holds even if I get out and push the car. Good luck. Russ

DUB

You have to use a force gauge....much like a fish scale..Mine has a hook on the end that I can put around the second notch in the handle (protected by a towel) and then pull back and watch the gauge.

it would AMAZE YOU on how hard you have to pull to get to 80 lbs of force.

I got my force gauge from Grainger.

DUB

Danny76

Thanks guys. Rberman999 I might try your idea. I don't have a force gauge and I really don't want to purchase one right now. It's probably not something I'll need a whole lot, so I'd rather spend that money elsewhere. I just wish this was a LITTLE bit easier. After 5 days of work to finally get the brake shoes on, I really wanted to celebrate a little. Next chance I get I'll probably have to see if the correct rotor in on another wheel. That's my only hope. If I don't have the second correct rotor, I'm probably out of luck getting this thing dialed in correctly.