i cant seem to get the e brake to work on my car spite the countless adjustments at the lever and inside the rotor where the drums are. ive heard several times before taht they just DONT work. any body actually had any success or have a c3 with a WORKING e/parking brake? - Bob

edit: its a 69 with disc allaround as most of you experienced folk know there is a drum within the disk brakes in the rear


[Modified by corvtt1969, 11:06 PM 1/20/2004]

 

I will be watching this thread because mine isnt working at the moment either. Dont know how I pasted my safety inspection without it but I did.

 

Works great on level ground :lol:

 

First off I have no clue about a C5 ebrake, but on a disc brake C2-3 or C4 vette, they do not work worth crap, and never will, the diameter of the inner drum is plainly too small ...period....if they ever DO work they have to be adjusted way too tightly for the car to drive very far.....that's how I got my C4 through inspection in Maryland...one of the toughest inspection states....
tighten hell out of it, then release the adjustment when car leaves the station....to keep from burning up the brakes....same for any C3.....

I feel any Ebrake is a superflous addition to any car these days....useless....

GENE

 

I am interested in this also. The same kind of setup is used on the C5. Is the C5 setup better? What's the difference?

 

Nope.

 

Just curious...In states which require inspection, would installing a line-lock device on the brakes (front or rear) allow the vehicle to pass?

No hills in SoFLA (and no inspection)...

D. Ocean
Miami, FLA

 

The Engineer who designed the c3 E brake missed a Physics class or two.

 

Yes, this is deninately true, BUT....the early disc brakes were adapted from aircraft, which have no ebrake.....so they were the 'first shot outta the barrell' type thing.....

talk about inertia though....once in production...stays forever....

GENE

 

I rebuilt mine with the stainless steel kit from Mid America, a bitch by the way. They work just fine even on steep hills. Adjusting took some time also.

 

I've seen e-brakes mounted in front of the differential on some streetrods. Somehow the "caliper" is mounted to the diff and the rotor looks to be sandwiched in between the end of the driveshaft and the differential yoke. Anyone else seen this and know what the deal is? I've considered adding this to my Vette.

 

:withstupid:

 

I have heard of using a motorcycle disk and caliper for a parking brake in the configuration you describe. I think this should work but I am unfamiliar with using a hydraulic caliper for a parking brake.
What about the C5 drum parking brake setup? Does it work better 9and why)?

 

thanks for all the replys! it seems like no ones ebrake works, none of my buddies i know have working ones either :lol: i spent a hour or so rippin off the wheels calipers and rotors just to figure out how the heck theywork. it seems to work pretty well facing UP HILL but facing down hill, seems theres no hope at all, my car unfortunately rolled backwards down my driveway while it was sitting warming up, fortunately the chrome bumpers saved the car from any damage and escaped unscathed! thanks guys - Bob

 

I rebuilt mine and it works fairly well. :cheers:

 

mine's never worked on my 81 since i've had it. it's an auto tho, so i don't really need it. and after installing my 200r4, i never messed with re-locating it since it didn't work anyways

 

Mine does not work either. I removed all the E-Brake hardware form the rear.
:steering:

 

You mean mines not the only one? Never has probably never will

 

If all the parts are up to snuff, then the brake can be made to function correctly. By correctly, I don't mean using the brake as an emergency brake with any hope of stopping the car from 60mph in anything under a quarter mile. Correct will hold the car on a hill and with light throttle application in gear. The trick is in the adjustment between the cable and the shoe expander. But to have any hope of doing it right, you have to jack up the control arm or remove the half shaft. The problem with just letting the suspension hang is that you put the shaft joints in a bind and it makes it very difficult to get a feel for when you are starting to get some drag on the drum. And with a limited slip, with the half shafts in you get the drag from the other axle being applied to the one you're trying to adjust. The adjustment itself is covered in any of the better repair manuals and completely in the shop manual. Essentially, you completely relax the cable and adjust the expander first, then tension the cable. If there is any tension on the cable when you start your adjustment, it will never hold. What you're trying to do is create the light contact with the expander first. This puts the bottom of the shoes in contact with the drum. When you tension the cable, you're bringing the tops of the shoes into contact with the drum. If it's done right, you'll have equal shoe contact once you apply the brake.

 

I'm planning on doing mine this winter. It's getting harder and harder to sneak through inspection.
Not looking forward to it.
:cry