Best way to adjust emergency/parking brake?
09-08-2006, 08:08 PM
#1
Racer
Thread Starter
Best way to adjust emergency/parking brake?
77 of course...
I think I am just about ready to get my car safety-ed and insured to actually drive it. One of the things on the list is the so-called emergency brake. I have taken the car for a spin around the neighborhood, and yanked back on the handle (all new cables, new stainless hardware), and I don't think I'll be doing donuts with it.
I think I have pretty well burnished the pads, but I can't get a good adjustment on the racheting to have a strong grip that will even hold the car against 1500 RPM. I basically tightened the pinwheel in the rotor until I can't turn the rotor, and then backed off 2 or 3 notches, until there is no sound from them rubbing. But the brake handle still pulls all the way back.
I'm starting to think I should loosen the pinwheels alot more, and then take up the slack in the cable adjustment, so that the cable is fully taught and the e-brakes are essentially 3/4 engaged all the time, and pulling the handle just pulls the cable the last little bit.
Any thoughts or better ideas?
I think I am just about ready to get my car safety-ed and insured to actually drive it. One of the things on the list is the so-called emergency brake. I have taken the car for a spin around the neighborhood, and yanked back on the handle (all new cables, new stainless hardware), and I don't think I'll be doing donuts with it.
I think I have pretty well burnished the pads, but I can't get a good adjustment on the racheting to have a strong grip that will even hold the car against 1500 RPM. I basically tightened the pinwheel in the rotor until I can't turn the rotor, and then backed off 2 or 3 notches, until there is no sound from them rubbing. But the brake handle still pulls all the way back.
I'm starting to think I should loosen the pinwheels alot more, and then take up the slack in the cable adjustment, so that the cable is fully taught and the e-brakes are essentially 3/4 engaged all the time, and pulling the handle just pulls the cable the last little bit.
Any thoughts or better ideas?
09-08-2006, 09:03 PM
#2
Le Mans Master
to adjust the parking brake:
jack up car
remove wheel rear wheels
loosen the equalizer check nuts until the levers move freely to the "off" position with slack in the cable
turn disc until adjusting screw is visible thru hole in disc
insert screwdriver and tighten adjusting screw by moving screwdriver upwards
adjust both sides.
tighten until the disc will not move than back off 6-8 notches
reinstall wheels and place the brake handle in the applied position - 13 notches.
Tighten check nuts until an 80lb pull is required to pull the handle into the 14th notch.
Torgue check nuts to 70in/lbs
with brake handle off there should be no drag on either of the rear wheels.
** after making sure it's adjusted correctly be aware that it still usually doesn't hold worth a d*mn. Even when brand new on the showroom floor the parking brakes never seemed to hold all that well.
I never park either of my vettes anywhere that would require depending on the parking brake to hold the car - they aren't that trustworthy
jack up car
remove wheel rear wheels
loosen the equalizer check nuts until the levers move freely to the "off" position with slack in the cable
turn disc until adjusting screw is visible thru hole in disc
insert screwdriver and tighten adjusting screw by moving screwdriver upwards
adjust both sides.
tighten until the disc will not move than back off 6-8 notches
reinstall wheels and place the brake handle in the applied position - 13 notches.
Tighten check nuts until an 80lb pull is required to pull the handle into the 14th notch.
Torgue check nuts to 70in/lbs
with brake handle off there should be no drag on either of the rear wheels.
** after making sure it's adjusted correctly be aware that it still usually doesn't hold worth a d*mn. Even when brand new on the showroom floor the parking brakes never seemed to hold all that well.
I never park either of my vettes anywhere that would require depending on the parking brake to hold the car - they aren't that trustworthy
09-08-2006, 09:03 PM
#3
Safety Car
You first have to adjust the top of the shoe by tensioning the cable. Once you have the contact from the top, you can then adjust the pinwheel. The best results are achieved by removing the halfshafts so that you have a true feel for shoe contact. There is everything to hate about the PB in C3 Corvettes, but they do work pretty well when carefully and properly adjusted.
09-08-2006, 09:19 PM
#4
Safety Car
It appears Barry and I are giving you conflicting information. Barry is giving you the method right out of the FSM, if that wasn't obvious. While my method appears to be the Bubba method. I suggest that you try the FSM method first and if you don't have the result you were looking for, give my method a shot and see which works better.
09-10-2006, 08:14 PM
#7
Racer
Member Since: Feb 2004
Location: Murrells Inlet SC
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Originally Posted by BarryK
to adjust the parking brake:
** after making sure it's adjusted correctly be aware that it still usually doesn't hold worth a d*mn. Even when brand new on the showroom floor the parking brakes never seemed to hold all that well.
I never park either of my vettes anywhere that would require depending on the parking brake to hold the car - they aren't that trustworthy
** after making sure it's adjusted correctly be aware that it still usually doesn't hold worth a d*mn. Even when brand new on the showroom floor the parking brakes never seemed to hold all that well.
I never park either of my vettes anywhere that would require depending on the parking brake to hold the car - they aren't that trustworthy
I gave up adjusting mine years ago.
Last edited by MEAN72; 09-10-2006 at 08:17 PM.
09-11-2006, 01:24 AM
#8
Team Owner
Member Since: Oct 2004
Location: Springfield MO
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St. Jude Donor '07
My factory parking brake held just fine. I'm currently rebuilding the T/As, so everything will be stainless when I'm done. I still expect them to hold quite well.
09-11-2006, 08:41 AM
#9
Team Owner
Originally Posted by I'm Batman
My factory parking brake held just fine. I'm currently rebuilding the T/As, so everything will be stainless when I'm done. I still expect them to hold quite well.
The stainless PADS are not worth a damn, too boot they sometimes stick/won't release....
the stainless hardware is good.....
fought that war some ten years ago or so.....Tony's Corvette shop, G'burg Md.....Tony and I were going over the install, and finally came to that unfortunate conclusion....
09-11-2006, 01:38 PM
#10
Team Owner
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St. Jude Donor '07
The stainless pads have been seriously re-engineered since then. The ones I just got from tracdogg look great, seem to be the right size and shape, and he swears by them.
09-14-2006, 05:06 PM
#12
Racer
Originally Posted by martinsw
What parking brake?
We all know these C3's dont have a working parking brake system, unless you count the block, or rock, one puts under the tires 
We all know these C3's dont have a working parking brake system, unless you count the block, or rock, one puts under the tires 
09-14-2006, 08:21 PM
#13
Melting Slicks
Glad to hear things are fine. Sounds like a lot of owners are unable to adjust them to hold. Mine worked fine before redoing the rear and work fine afterwards. I only adjusted them once after installing the hardware. I can put the car in gear and it will stay put but think a little more adjustment is needed. Several years ago I had to travel 100+ miles with a bad master cylinder. I did rely on the parking brake when needed for additional braking.
