I went through the archives but no one ever mentioned the best place to purchase parking shoes. Zip sells them for $49..steel. Where else have people purchased them from.. Just shoes or the whole kit? Was the kit worth the extra $$.. I haven't opened it up yet.. probabbly tonight... so I don't know what's in there but I'm guessing... dirty shoes..:) . I was just planning on cleaning up things and replacing shoes BUT wondered if $49 was a good price.. plus the shipping..

 

For what it's worth, the shoes were just about the only thing in the parking brake system that wasn't completely gone. Everything else was rusted solid.

So yeah, I would spend the money and replace everything with SS parts.

I got mine from VBP, new cables too.

And It actually works :D:D:D

 

$49 sounds about right for a new set of parking brake shoes. I remember seeing posts in the past which warned against purchase and installation of the stainless steel shoes, believe something about correct fit, but don't remember for sure.

Before you order and pay for new parking brake shoes, suggest you pull rear rotor and take a look, you may find that the shoes are not worn all that bad, and usually they are not, unless someone was driving with the parking brake applied.

Rather than new shoes, what most of these vettes need, is a good clean and lube job on all of the parking brake hardware. Since the hardware mechanism is really **** to rusting, many like to use and install the aftermarket stainless steel parking brake hardware kit, which usually costs about $59.

I removed my parking brake hardware, and shoes, and cleaned them, and then 'painted' them with 'rust fix', and then re-installed, using some anti-seeze, new GM (from dealer) parking brake springs, caps, and hold downs, and after 4 years, the parking brake still works as good as new, which as you may know, is still not very good.

I try to use my parking brake during the summer when I'm driving the vette, but do not apply the parking brake when I store it for the winter, just in case it might want to freeze up during winter storage, but like I said, it still is working good after 4 years.

 

If your original shoes are still good use them again. If the shoe isn't grease covered, worn away then paint the rusted backing with POR15 and buy a ss hardware kit. I just rebuilt the t arms and used new SS shoes and hardware and had to modify them to work.
I have the arms on a bench in New Haven if you want to see the setup before deciding.
Gary

 

Thanks.. This turned out to be the typical PIA.. I took off the drivers side first. Rivits were already drilled out so BUBBA was here before! Pads still had life but rusted. I got everything out.. Wire wheeled what I could then rotozipped the rest of the rust off..Came out pretty good.. Put the hardware in a jar with some wd-40 and then went to the passenger side. Rivits still in.. Drilled them out..real easy job.. and as I was removing the rotor I hear clunking inside.. Top spring had broken and the pads were trashed... Rotor gouged. I tried to get the rotor cut but the guy said he couldn't get the cutting arm in there.. I ordered a new one from Zip along with SS hardware and steel shoes. Steel shoes were $49.. SS shoes were $90.. The guy at ZIP didn't reccommend the SS shoes.. Some Fit problems and cost is what he said.. So now I wait. I'm hearing more and more about this POR15.. Does the back plate just come off by removing the 5 nuts or is this another project? I suspect painting the back plate should be done off the car.. right? Nice to see another Connecticut guy out there! :seeya

 

Steve,
The backing plate will not come off unless you remomve the top bolt and locking tab. The remove this you have to pull the spindle and bearings out. If your beairngs are ok then don't touch anything there.
Gary

 

How would you know if the bearing needs work?

Also, would you apply the POR-15 right on the car? This area is not heavily rusted to start with but since I'm in here.. well.. you know the rest!


[Modified by Koz, 3:20 PM 3/25/2002]

 

How would you know if the bearing needs work?

 

Steve,
If you have an indicator you can check the bearing end play and rotor runout. usually when the bearings go bad they go quickly. With the car jacked up and the 1/2 shaft disconnected you can rotate the rotor slowly and feel for roughness, it should rotate smooth, you may get some drag from the caliper so keep that in mind. Bearings could last a long time, 100k miles if setup correctly. I wouldn't take them apart for the parking brakes.

POR 15 is good stuff. I used it on the Trailing arms, differential, 1/2 shafts, most of the metal pieces. It takes a while to cover things if you go by their procedure but I like the results. If you're into NCRS type showings then this stuff isn't any good. Be sure to use gloves and DON'T spray it,once it's atomized it's pretty bad and a paint respirator won't protect you against it. You'll need a fresh air system to spray it. There will be a guy at the Stafford Springs Swap meet selling it on 4/14.

Gary


[Modified by gtr1999, 4:36 PM 3/25/2002]

 

I have the calipers removed..(waiting for parts) so all I have to do is disconnect the 1/2 shafts and I should be able to tell.. What color did you paint the half shafts and diff? Did you paint the diff on the car?

I was looking at the trailing arms. Doesn't look like much to remove them..then again it doesn't look like much to remove anything.. :lol: :lol: Guess this is how it starts.. Just check the parking brake and end up with a frame off restoration.. :lol: :lol:

Where is Stafford Springs? Guess it's time for the map!

 

The trailing arms can be hard to remove because the bolt going through them many times rust welds them in place and you have to cut them out. I have to do this to my 69 this weekend or next.
If yo want to check the rotor runout and bearing end play on the car then you have to disconnect the 1/2 shaft at the Ujoint at the spindle end. If you have the 1/2 shafts out check the in/out play of the rear yokes, the bearings, and paint them.

I used POR15 to paint them with the POR 15 Metal mask top coat that's looks silver/gray. I like the way they look but they would never pass NCRS judging.
The POR procedure is longer then spraying them with a spray can of paint but is supposed to last forever. You have to clean the part of grease, then apply an primer and wash it off, then POR 15 gloss black. If the part isn't going to see daylight then you could apply a 2nd coat of the black and leave it, I wanted them to look like new castings so I used the Metal Mask. I'm now in the middle of ripping apart two cars so everything was disassembled, cleaned,and then painted.

Stafford Springs is up past Manchester about 1 hour North of New Haven off Rt 86. It's held at the speedway track and grounds.I think they have a web site if you do a search you should be able to find it. If you go, get there early,rain or shine it will be packed by 7:00 am. It's an all auto swap meet that takes several hours to walk through.

Gary


[Modified by gtr1999, 12:08 PM 3/26/2002]

 

Thanks for the info! :cheers:

 

Just wanted to give a follow up.. My parts came last night.. New rotor, pads and SS hardware. It's the closest feeling to being a kid at Christmas that I can remember. :) I got the brakes installed with the help of the spring tool I purchased from ZIP.. best $8 you could spend.. anyway I was putting the passenger side brake caliper back on I had to push in the caliper pistons.. I should have known better BUT by pushing in the passenger side I popped out the driver side.... I didn't think it was that bad.. just have to pop it back in.. wrong.. I just couldn't get it in.. I should have put it on the bench instead of working on the garage floor but after a few tries I examined the piston and the rubber washer was cut.. After work I'll be pickup up a new caliper from Auto Zone.. $55. I was going to order a seal kit from ZIP and play with this one but for $55 bucks I don't think so.. Just thought I'd pass this along so someone doesn't do what I did..! :cheers: