Had an interesting MoT last year. Everything was good & then we went out to test the brakes (the test machine can't cope with a limited slip diff - or matey just wanted a ride). Anyway, the brakes worked well & the "swingometer" showed good results. Then he wanted to test the park brake. 1st attempt it was well below what it should have been, but he said to try again. so I wrenched it on & it was just below the pass mark, although we'd hit some gravel on the road, so that "may" have affected the result. So, one last attempt and if it failed I was going to miss all the fun in the next few weeks. I got up to 10mph & when he said "Now!" I gripped the wheel with my knees, grabbed the handbrake with both hands & wrenched it up as hard as I could. It barely passed. But there was a problem.... the handbrake was at a really steep angle & we couldn't release it The tester was starting to get really pi$$ed off at the thought of having to walk back to work & it ended up with me wrenching up on the lever while he was hitting the release button. Eventually it released & I got my MoT pass.
During the winter I took it all apart (as it'll never pass this year) & found newish shoes in there & new brake discs (rotors) but with the inside completely worn out ie. somebody had fitted new ones & had either driven with the park brake on, or had badly adjusted it. I fitted new discs (made in China ) & shoes, adjusted it all & it seems to work OK, though I've not driven it as there's no tax or MoT on it at the moment. The manual says to run at 50mph & pull it on for 30secs (or something like that) to bed the shoes in, so I'll do that on the way to the MoT. I'm hoping that it's OK by the time I've driven the 3 miles to the test centre
Having had it all apart, it looks to me like the design of drum brakes on 50's & 60's bikes, in that they work OKish if everything is adjusted correctly & in good condition, but if something is slightly out of spec, or worn, they're nothing less than a POS. When adjusting the shoes you must disconnect the shaft from the wheel to allow it to turn freely. Then you know that you've got the correct adjustment & there's no risk of failing an MoT, or wrecking a new rotor.

 

I too found the stock parking brake useless so I did away with everything and installed a second light wieght caliper with twin live pucks on each wheel and twin master cylinder mount to the stock parking brake mechanism.
This is an emergency brake, not a parking brake and it really works, even at 30 mph it hauls the car down.
If in a safety inspection it is tested it works great but what would happen if I relied on it for hours or days at a time? It might leak down.

 

I agree with Corvette Engineering, I thought the handle was only there to hold the cup holder that all the catalogs sell in place. Besides the remote to my CD player fits nicely in the indentation on the console that the handles rides up and down in.

 

Just adjusted mine yesterday, do this once per year or if the handle seems to be higher then normal. Use it each time I park the car except for the long periods in the winter when it is stored. Yes it does take some time to adjust but when done right holds the car under normal parking situations. You can reduce the length of the cable by adjusting it under the car at the pully point. Kept it lubed. On the 71 they are shoes inside the rear rotor. Only had a problem once and that was when I purchased the car in 1973 from the orginal owner. She did little or no maintenance other then regular oil changes.

 

I drove mine with no effective E brake whatsoever for about 8 years, then put rebuilt T arms on mine a couple of years ago with new stainless parts and OEM pads, new cable etc. I welded 2 center cable adjusters together with a 1/8" plate for a LOT more adjustment, got the side adjusters even and never touch the wheel adjusters. I just adjusted the center bolt a few times till it was right and it works perfect, haven't touched it since, although I only put 400-500 miles on it since.

It sure beats the rock I used to keep on the floorboard to put behind a tire...

And Norval, that is yet another cool upgrade, where do you come up with these great ideas?

And as to the cupholder? Best upgrade I ever bought for my Vette...seriously! It is a PITA shifting a manual trying to hold a 44 oz. cup of Coke between your knees. I spilled one once time approaching an intersection and skidded halfway into an intersection right in front of one of the local police lieghtenants. Got lucky, he just scowled at me and kept going.

 

I saw something VERY interesting in the 77 AIM tonight...a burn-in/burnishing procedure for the parking brakes.

Mandatory Parking Brake Burnishing Procedure:
1) with car on test rolls and rear wheels driven at 50 MPH, apply parking brake until light drag is felt (10-12 notches on handle).
2) operate for 55-60 seconds.
3) return brake handle to released position.

 

You are correct, Norval, they will leak down, I used to have a launch brake on my Lemans/GTO tow car, locked the front calipers on the ramp so I was damn sure the rig never went into the drink on slippery ramps....front allways on dry ground....anyway, they were good for 30 minits....

 

Yes. This is how I get them to hold as good as I do. I just accelerate to 40 and pull on the handle, letting the vehicle slow down to a stop. Repeat as necessary. Every time you repeat this procedure you will feel the parking brake hold better and better. May need to readjust the cable, as they stretch when new.

 

The same way as bedding in old drum brakes. If the brake is still bad after doing this (& everything else is in good condition & adjusted correctly) then it could be that the drum (rotor) is out of true (skim on lathe) or the shoes don't fit it too well (incorrect radius, high points, etc). If a decent park brake is imperative then the shoes should be removed & mounted on a simple jig & lightly skimmed in a lathe. I've got some seriously bad brakes to work well by doing this. I'm hoping my new shoes will bed in OK to the new rotors as I won't have time to skim them on a 3 mile drive to the MoT test!

 

Mine was useless as well. I looked under the body and found that someone had put washers as spacers at the adjuster. So I thought the cable was stretched. Purchased a new one and during the install I found that the old one was never run thru the proper blocks. That plus the adjustments at the brake shoes did it for me. Plus this article from Corvette magazine.

http://www.corvettemagazine.com/2005...brake-lead.asp

 

I think this might help a lot of people with their brake problems.

 

Heres a parking brake question for you guys.
So me and my dad were working on my parking brake last week. Since i live in Texas, i figure there is no need for it seeing there arent any mountains or even hills. I did hear a rumor the other day that it has to work to pass inspection. Old cars in TX have to pass the safety part of the inspection. Does anyone know if in TX your parking brake has to work to pass inspection? because if not i wont mess with the pointless thing anymore...

 

It is part of the safety inspection in texas, you are supposed to put it in gear and lightly accelerate with the brake on and the car shouldnt move. Honestly I dont know how many guys actually test it, I had a 55 chevy for almost 5 years and it didnt even have a parking brake installed, but was passed during inspection every year.

 

LOL. Thank you I needed a belly laugh.

 

short answer, yes. they are, by design, sub par for a toyota, let alone a corvette.

 

My brake cant even hold the car still in park let alone accelerating...uh oh
So what your saying is that i might get lucky and they might not test it?

 

If you have a stick, you can always slip it into 3rd instead of 1st and make sure to stall it before it moves.

 

I wish i could do that. lol anyone have any tips about faking it? lol i called my buddy the other day about fixing the brake, and he said dont bother bc you live in texas. the guys at the local vavoline used to go to my highschool...maybe they will give me a break on it... hmmm

 

Yes, In TEXAS you do have to have a parking brake. Had my V8-Vega fail inspection on that one...