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The dreaded handbrake

Finally got the calipers and discs off. It didn't look awful inside (to me) is this worn section of the inner disc wear and tear or is this the result of the truck being driven with the handbrake on? Just interested.

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I'll look to replace discs, shoes, dogbones, handbrake shoe wires and bell cranks. As its my first stab at this I thought it would be sensible to have the Roughtrax handbrake shoe kit to hand too. One question I have is that once I've (hopefully) put it all back together how do you know how tight or not to make the adjuster at the bottom of the set up? Or is it test, adjust, test ,adjust until the trucks firmly held?
 
All of that is covered in the sticky on how to get the most from your handbrake you know. The cog at the bottom needs to be tightened to push the linings against the drum. Then you remove all the slack from the adjusters on the back and then rotate the cog back until the drum is just free. But that is only part of the story and of course there's the whole dog bone story to consider. It all looks pretty good in there.
 
It is indeed... hadn't read it for a week or so!

Cheers
 
I adjusted my handbrake iaw the FSM and Chris' post. They are basically the same other than the number of 'clicks' you release the cog by. The handbrake was still rubbish so I suspect my dogbones but I nursed the handbrake through the MoT by undoing the nuts on the top of the handbrake lever and then adding a 1/2" depth of washers before replacing the nuts. It was a bit of a bodge and I'll add a handbrake cable to my next box of bits I order but if people are struggling, it might be worth a temporary try.
 
Guy, Nooooooooooooooooooo! OK it got you through but it's absolutely not the answer.

Actually, when I had that 80, I did adjust the brake for the MOT and it was brilliant. I got to the MOT station a few days later and out of nowhere it had no effect (iirc events) I got home, took the disc off on the NS and the friction lining had completely disintegrated and disappeared. Nothing in there at all. I put some new shoes in and drove with the handle pulled on for a mile or so and it went straight through on the next attempt. I don't think the dog bones will be the cause. Neither should it really be the cable.

The fact is that the difference between the brake not being on and being fully on is very very small. If all of the slack is removed from the mech then a couple of clicks on the lever should be enough to set the brake. If you have to pull it up around your ears then there's something not right at all.
 
I always found the first adjust is a waste of time so wind it in until you can't turn the wheel by hand , slack it off some until you can turn the wheel but brakes are rubbing , do a couple of mile around town then readjust .
 
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Guy, Nooooooooooooooooooo! OK it got you through but it's absolutely not the answer.

Actually, when I had that 80, I did adjust the brake for the MOT and it was brilliant. I got to the MOT station a few days later and out of nowhere it had no effect (iirc events) I got home, took the disc off on the NS and the friction lining had completely disintegrated and disappeared. Nothing in there at all. I put some new shoes in and drove with the handle pulled on for a mile or so and it went straight through on the next attempt. I don't think the dog bones will be the cause. Neither should it really be the cable.

The fact is that the difference between the brake not being on and being fully on is very very small. If all of the slack is removed from the mech then a couple of clicks on the lever should be enough to set the brake. If you have to pull it up around your ears then there's something not right at all.

I will pay it some proper attention now that I've not got an MoT deadline. It may have been a combination of releasing the adjuster too much and only doing it once. I also need to turn the adjuster over as one side is down to expand and the other is up. It must have been a previous owner's fiddling! It did cause me a bit of confusion though.
 
The cable must stretch over time especially if it's on all the time when the car is parked. There is the cable adjuster but that might not be enough.
The shoes must be made accurately as any shortness where the dog bones attach will have a big effect on lever travel.
 
Who you accusing of fiddling? :whistle:

I do tend to set them the same way each time. I know what you mean about up and down, but it's a sort of convention in my head from the very first time I did it. Doesn't make it right, it's old habits die hard

It doesn't really matter about the stretch in the cable. As long as there is the correct amount of movement where it matters and the shoes are set to touch evenly then the brake should work. Set up properly, every handbrake I have done has worked well. Flexing it seem to be the enemy.
 
Does anyone have the torque setting for the bolts that hold the rear calipers onto the backing plate? Swore it was in the Handbrake thread...
 
Does anyone have the torque setting for the bolts that hold the rear calipers onto the backing plate? Swore it was in the Handbrake thread...
65 FT Ibs I think
 
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