Don't know which way to turn!

[Retap]

Originally Posted by Arctic

HI John.
As above it will be the compensator that as stretched not the front cable or the rear cables as they are to robust to stretch, i have not seen any cables stretched in the last 11 years since doing HB

https://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/for...d.php?t=152526

Fair does i was in need of a quick fix to get the handbrake up to spec which was achieved but this car always has had a weak handbrake never mentioned in past mot's the tester i went to this time seemed a bit strict giving advisorys out like free sweets. Havent had sight of the compensator yet but will investigate thanks so long as i dont have to remove the engine to do so lol.

[COLVERT]

The original compensator gets stretched when the driver tries, by force, to overcome the lack of friction in the drum as it slowly rusts up.--A bit of help can be given by now and then driving a short distance at slow speed with hand brake on.-Helps to remove the rust and increase the friction.

[SD1too]

Originally Posted by sylvester

It surprises me that the shoes wear given that they are not used to retard the car ...

The handbrake shoes don't wear Eddie, provided that they've not been adjusted too tightly of course. My car still has its originals after 22 years and over 100,000 miles!

Simon

[bl52krz]

As Simon says, the handbrake shoes should not wear because you should only use it as a parking brake, therefore no wear should take place.My friends handbrake on his diesel Connie has never been adjusted after 20 years.He occasionally lightly pulls it up when driving into the garage to take the inevitable rust off the drum face. Mine on the diesel are also original after 19 years treated the same way. Along with my KV6, which is 18 years old..

[T-Cut]

Peering through a wheel bolt hole to locate the adjuster can be a palaver if you've become as ham-fisted as me. So next time you have the rear brake disc-drum off, try to remember this tip.

u
Use a straight edge to line up the hub centre and the adjuster sprocket so you can place a dab of white paint on the outer edge of the backplate to mark the position. Paint it so you can see it when the disc is fitted of course. Then when you next have to adjust the shoes, you know exactly where to turn a bolt hole and position a screwdriver/your custom adjuster thingy and turn the cogs.
TC

[COLVERT]

It's easy to see the adjuster if you use a small LED torch to look through the hole.--

[SD1too]

Originally Posted by COLVERT

... the lack of friction in the drum as it slowly rusts up.

Originally Posted by bl52krz

to take the inevitable rust off the drum face.

I know that you're both referring to the instruction in RAVE to drive the car for 100 yards at 6 mph with the handbrake applied before adjusting the shoes, but nowhere is there any mention of rust.

Whenever I have removed the disc/drum from my 75 there has never been any rust. Has anyone else had any on their car?

I'm not convinced that rust is the reason for MGR's instruction. They don't explain it. I suspect that it was written without any practical experience to justify it. Or perhaps it was just copied from BMW?

Simon

[bsafly]

Here is a picture of some I changed when I first got my car, as you can see the inner face and the handbrake ‘drum’ were excessively rusted and unserviceable.

[COLVERT]

Originally Posted by SD1too

I know that you're both referring to the instruction in RAVE to drive the car for 100 yards at 6 mph with the handbrake applied before adjusting the shoes, but nowhere is there any mention of rust.

Whenever I have removed the disc/drum from my 75 there has never been any rust. Has anyone else had any on their car?

I'm not convinced that rust is the reason for MGR's instruction. They don't explain it. I suspect that it was written without any practical experience to justify it. Or perhaps it was just copied from BMW?

Simon

Mine were badly rusted.--In the end I fitted new discs.---If I pull the hand brake up at say 5mph the wheels lock.---


MGR's instructions were simply to centralise the shoes to aid adjustment. Not to clean the drums.

[Arctic]

It is mainly dust that builds up in the disc drums, and as above because the shoes are not used for stopping the car, that dust gets ingrained into the drum thus creating what looks like rust on the meeting face of the drum to the shoes, the outer edge does get rusted as in some of the photos above.

at least once a year it's worth removing the drums to clean them free of dust and also dress the face with some emery paper, wear mask at all times.

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The above could most likely have been dressed but i chose to replace, as i had only just bought the car.
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old drum.
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New drum
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as always maintain is the answer.