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Brakes

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Taz

Taz

Jedi Trainee
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need some information. my winter project is a complete rebuild of the brake system. My brakes worked but did not seem optimal. when I purchased the car 1 1/2 yr ago the front pads were new and the rotors look ok. Looking in bendex book they say tht the rotors new are .300 and should be thrown away at .290. Mine are about .280 this could be part of my problem. I can not find a measurment in my manual. Dose anybody know if these are correct. Also the rear drums are at 7 in and do not seem to have been cut. the rear shoes are at6/32. how much lining should be on new shoes. I have the rears adjusted to the widest point on the adjuster and they still are not touching the drums. I believe a leaking axel sealis my biggest problem with the brakes.

Any comments please

Carl
 
"I believe a leaking axel sealis my biggest problem with the brakes."

Think new pads are in order at the very least. Put em on and see how it goes. If your seals are leaking brakes would be covered with oil? er brake fluid.
 
axle seal are pretty easy to do. and it sounds like you need rear shoes anyhow. and if your front rotors are below spec , Replace them. According to my old chiltons here, there is no permissable returning of rotors.

mark
 
According to the workshop manual, .29 is the limit. Nominal for OE is .30 to .305 if I remember correctly. This means that you pretty much can't ever turn them if they get any grooves in them. Of course this data is for a 1500 midget. Not sure what you have but the minimum thickness is stamped on the rotor. New ones aren't that expensive and they do make a huge difference in the way it stops. I've got a caliper on the passenger side that doesn't release all that well. It seems to drag a little more than I would like. I plan to order the rebuild kit from VB along with new rotors and bearings. This weekend I'm putting the swivel axles back on so it is time to get the front brakes in order. If you have a persistant leaking rear axle you might check the bearings. If they allow a little slop. No amount of permatex on that flimsy paper gasket will get it to seal as it should. FWIW
JC
 
have not completely taken everything apart yet just sitting on 4 jack stands with wheels off. My plan will be to replace everything except maybe the drums. I do not think it is the paper gasket. I think it is the seal behind the bearing. will find out when I take it apart. I put new bearing in when I got the car but do not remember replacing the seal. My fault do not know what I was thing.

Carl
 
Mainly just checking to see if anybody had specs. everything will be new when I put it back together.

thanks
 
If you can get your hands on a copy of the official workshop manual (~30 bucks at most places) for you particular year/model it will contain all the specs you could ever ask for. If your midget is a 1500, I have a copy and will gladly transpose whatever specs you need.
JC
 
Mine is a 63 (see other post ) I do have a manual. Went cover to cover and can not find any spec on the brakes.

Thanks for the offer
Carl
 
Be sure to check your flex lines. They will swell and implode. this will pinch off flow from the wheel cylinders. What happens is you press the pedal and force the fluid through the imploded lines then the lines collapse and the fluid will not flow back through holding the pressure. This holds the shoe/pad against the drum/rotor till the pressure is releived by brake wear. About 50% of all the flex lines I remove are in this condition. As a result I only use steel braided flex lines, goodrich/aeroquip type units. They are not much more in cost.
If they are old ones, I bet if you cut the flex lines in two you will find they are closed.
 
The rubber lines are new just before I bought the car , but I am going to put the braded lines on it along with everything else

Carl
 
Boy, what Jolly said. That really happens and was tough for me to figure out.
 
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