Parking Brake ???
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 2,088
Likes: 0
From: Troutville Virginia USA1
Parking Brake ???
Simple question. Is there an adjustment for the parking brake? I would think there would be. If so where and how. My parking brake don't hold and I thought I read somewhere there is no adjustment. Maybe I just need new parking brake shoes. 
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 2,088
Likes: 0
From: Troutville Virginia USA1
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 2,088
Likes: 0
From: Troutville Virginia USA1
I guess the trick would be in how much to turn the adjustment. If you have the rotor off it would be difficult to know how much to adjust. You would think there would be a slot on the backside to adjust with rotor still in place. Like you had before disc brakes come out, like on the old brake shoe systems. In any case I would try to turn left and right adjustments the same, put rotors back on and give it a try.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 6,654
Likes: 5
From: Silver Spring MD
There was a thread a long time ago posted by Evil-Twin with exactly how to adjust your parking break, I'm sure you can find it in a search. Good luck, did mine a while ago and have been happy ever since!
Le Mans Master
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 6,993
Likes: 25
I guess the trick would be in how much to turn the adjustment. If you have the rotor off it would be difficult to know how much to adjust. You would think there would be a slot on the backside to adjust with rotor still in place. Like you had before disc brakes come out, like on the old brake shoe systems. In any case I would try to turn left and right adjustments the same, put rotors back on and give it a try.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 6,993
Likes: 25
No slot. There is a cable adjustment done by pulling the handle several times but it does NOT adjust this adjuster inside the drum.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 2,088
Likes: 0
From: Troutville Virginia USA1
Drum brakes a long time ago. As I recall there was a slot or hole on the backside to adjust drum brakes. I beleive they could be adjusted with wheels and drum still on the car.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 6,937
Likes: 21
From: Waldorf MD
Pull up onthe handbrake 3 times while going in reverse, it will adjust the cable.
There is no slot, you must remove rear rotor to adjust the star wheel. To remove rotor, you must remove caliper and the 125 ft-lbs bolts, not easy.
When I put new rear rotors on my C5, the brake lever went way down. Hard to believe the rotors wore where the parking brake hits them, but it must have! I did not adjust the drum pads.
There is no slot, you must remove rear rotor to adjust the star wheel. To remove rotor, you must remove caliper and the 125 ft-lbs bolts, not easy.
When I put new rear rotors on my C5, the brake lever went way down. Hard to believe the rotors wore where the parking brake hits them, but it must have! I did not adjust the drum pads.
Last edited by Oldvetter; Mar 25, 2009 at 11:27 PM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 6,654
Likes: 5
From: Silver Spring MD
Sorry if you misunderstood my post, the thread by Evil Twin consisted of removing the rear brake rotors and adjusting the star nut around the parking brake shoes... I did it when I cleaned up my rear rotors...
Le Mans Master
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 6,993
Likes: 25
I had to lube my adjuster up a little to get it to move nice. When you adjust it you'll know if your going in the right direction if it opens up. The manual has you measure the drum and the pads but just adjust till there is slight resistance putting the rotor back on. If there is a lip on the drum, you might have to have them turned.
