[FC] E- brake

Fri Jan 13 17:55:26 EST 2012

If you have ever had a brake line failure with a dual master cylinder, you 
will realize that the dual cylinder doesn't give you that much more ability 
to stop.  It is minimal at best.  The best thing to do, is to properly 
maintain the braking system, as has been said.
Paul in CT

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <RoboMan91324 at aol.com>
To: <corvanatics at corvair.org>; <virtualvairs at corvair.org>; <wern3 at juno.com>; 
<andrew_sego at yahoo.com>
Sent: Friday, January 13, 2012 3:13 PM
Subject: [FC] E- brake

> (From Corvanatics but applies to cars too.)
>
> Absolutely correct.
>
> To add more info and warnings .... If you adjust the  E-brake so there is
> minimal travel before the shoe adjustment, several bad  things could 
> happen.
>
> First, your E-brake cable will be in 24/7 tension from both  the return
> springs on your shoes and the cable's return springs.
>
> Second, the brake shoe return springs will be continuously  stretched from
> their intended at-rest position 24/7.  I don't have a brake  assembly to
> look at but this could be an issue with the bottom and/or the top 
> springs.
>
> Third, the cable return spring inside the drum assembly will  be at least
> partially, if not fully, compressed 24/7.  This is the  spring which is 
> part
> of the cable assembly where it attaches to the brake  hardware.
>
> Fourth, since the shoes will not be in their at-rest position  against
> their stops on the brake adjustor and/or wheel cylinder, you may get  some
> rattling noise.  You could search forever for the source of the noise  but 
> never
> find it.  The rattling itself could cause wear and damage.   The shoes
> probably will not rattle but your adjuster or brake cylinder push-rods 
> will
> likely be the source of the noise.
>
> Fifth, it is unlikely but there is a  possibility that with enough play,
> the brake adjustor could fall out, come apart  and cause much worse 
> problems
> than noise.
>
> Sixth, If the cable is adjusted first, when the hydraulic  brakes come 
> into
> play, the shoes' lower pivot point will be around the E-brake  hardware
> attachment points and not around the adjustor as designed.  This  will 
> reduce
> the brake-drum contact surface significantly (probably more than 30 
> percent)
> with a respective reduction in braking force.  The portion of the  shoes
> beneath the E-brake attachment point will pull away from the drum instead 
> of
> move toward it.  In other words, your bad E-brake adjustment will reduce
> your foot-brake stopping power.  Not good.  Also, the shoes will wear
> unevenly and shorten their life span.
>
> So, as wern3 (name?) says, adjusting the brakes with the  adjustor before
> playing with the cable may solve a cable problem, but there  are many more
> technical and safety issues involved.
>
> This is just my opinion but, if you are short on funds and  must limit 
> what
> you spend on your car, your first investment should be in your  brakes.
> The Hard-Harder test is the first thing you should do before  driving a 
> recent
> purchase home (or borrowed car anywhere) as well as  periodically during
> the life of the car.  How many of us do this on a  regular basis with our
> toys?  By the way, the brake lines often rust  from the inside out and 
> this
> cannot be detected with a visual inspection.   In addition, much of the
> right-front brake line is hidden above the gas tank  where even a visual 
> inspection
> is impossible.  The invisible issues with  brake lines, hoses and seals 
> are
> why the Hard-Harder test is so important.   Once you are home, a full 
> brake
> inspection should be done by someone who knows  what to look for.  (Master
> cylinder, fluid, brake lines/hoses, wheel  cylinders, drums, E-brake, 
> shoes
> and hardware.)  I have owned many  collector cars in my life and have seen
> more than a few borderline situations  with brakes even when they seemed 
> to
> give good braking.  Saving a little  time or money will become 
> insignificant
> if you risk your life and limb or  the life and limb of others and 
> something
> bad happens.
>
> Remember, most of our cars and all of our FCs have a single  master
> cylinder unless you have upgraded the vehicle with a dual cylinder.   This 
> means
> that if you lose one wheel cylinder or line/hose, you lose the brakes  on 
> all
> four wheels.  This most often happens without warning and in a panic 
> stop.
> If you have a dual master cylinder you may lose only two  brakes.  Keep in
> mind that the E-brake was designed for parking and only as  a minimal 
> backup
> for properly working brakes on all four wheels.  In  addition, if you lose
> your brakes without warning, how quickly will you think to  go for the
> E-brake handle and then act to pull it.  In most  situations, your braking 
> will
> be done by the car or truck in front of  you that you just hit.
>
> Doc
>
> 1960 Corvette, 1961 Rampside, 1962 Rampside, 1964 Spyder  coupe, 1965
> Greenbrier, 1966 Canadian Corsa turbo coupe, 1967 Nova SS, 1968  Camaro 
> ragtop
> and more.
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
> In a message dated 1/13/2012 9:00:04 A.M. Pacific Standard Time,
> corvanatics-request at corvair.org writes:
>
> Message:  1
> Date: Thu, 12 Jan 2012 17:57:21 GMT
> From: "wern3 at juno.com"  <wern3 at juno.com>
> Subject: [FC] E- brake
> To:  corvanatics at corvair.org
> Message-ID:  <20120112.195721.24730.1 at webmail06.vgs.untd.com>
> Content-Type:  text/plain; charset=windows-1252
>
> AndrewI too was running out of e -  brake holding power. I re- adjusted 
> the
> rear brake shoes, and that really  tightened/shortened the "pull" on the E
> - brake lever. somnething worth trying  before you do anything to the
> cables.Tim W '61 Rampy 140 4  sp.
>
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