Rear brake adjustment

[scotty57]

Thanks for the advice, I assume I can do this through the access hole on the drum ? I'm away at the moment so will try next weekend and report back.

[ukbiggles]

Yes, that's right.

Cheers

Gord

[scotty57]

I've had a couple of hours on the problem today with no resolution. I followed the advice you guys gave me but there was no re-adjustment. In the workshop manual it suggests taking off the drum and pressing the brake pedal. I interrupted the wife's gardening and got her to push the brake pedal while I watched what happened. The shoes pivoted slightly at the top, the cylinder pistons both came out and moved the bottom of the shoes and the adjuster moved. When the pedal was released the pistons retracted but the adjuster did not move, I lifted the top part with a small screwdriver but there was no discernible movement.

I bought the car last summer as a running project but it has done very few miles in the last 10 years and virtually none in the last 4 (garaged). My thoughts are that the adjuster and/or springs need replacing due to lack of use so I can only think I'd better do a full refurb of the rear brakes before I go anywhere near the MOT station.

Any thoughts/advice ?

[Lingen]

Scotty. I doubt if any of the parts will need replacing, but if the car has had very little use, then it may be that some freeing/lubricating is necessary. I would advise that you remove the shoes, and the handbrake levers, and check that all the moving parts are free to do so. The two-piece handbrake linkage often either seizes at the rivet connecting them, or there is a lot of wear there. This can usually be taken up by hammering the pin against something solid. Do it a bit at a time till the slack is taken up. If you re-assemble everything correctly, the ratchet should start to click up as the cylinders push the shoes apart. They should not return when you release the pedal.
Once you have got it working, release the adjuster enough to allow you to get the drum back on. Then, with the handbrake cable disconnected, push the pedal hard several times to set the adjusters. Then reconnect the cable, adjusting the length as necessary.
I suggest you do one side at a time. Assuming that the brakes were assembled correctly before you started, (?) you will still have the other side to remind you how it all goes together again.
Mike.

[scotty57]

Thanks Lingen, I'll follow your advice. The only thing I can see wrong so far is the top spring is 'outbound' not 'inbound' as stated in the manual.

UPDATE : Success ! Dismantled the shoes, springs etc and cleaned everything. It was clear that was part of the problem and also a very tight handbrake cable. Everything back together and working. I'll tackle the n/s later this week. What is clear is that having just had my 60th birthday I need a car lift as grovelling about on the floor is not as fun as it was 30-40 years ago............