<VV> rear brakes on 64 Monza

[Frank DuVal]

You have other problems! That bar is there to engage the shoes when 
using the hand brake. No bar, no hand brake. I hope you don't have a 
powerglide car! ggg

The spring is supposed to be strong enough to hold the bar in place 
between the shoes when the parking brake is off. I cannot see the spring 
ever being too strong and applying the opposite shoe. If the spring is 
too weak, the bar could fall down and spread the shoes to engagement.

The hole is on the drum so you can pull the adjustment lever away from 
the star wheel with a hooked tool while adjusting the brakes. See shop 
manual for most any GM product in the mid to late 60s. This is difficult 
to do through the hole in the backing plate. This lever was added to 
make the brakes self adjusting. 60 to 62 Corvairs do not have self 
adjusters, so the hole is in the backing plate and not the drum. Also, 
the star wheel on self adjusting brakes has very fine teeth compared to 
the non-self adjusting style. And of course there are right and left 
star wheel assemblies. Use the wrong one and the brakes get looser.

Since you think the problem is related to the emergency brake bar, check 
to see if the parking brake cables are lubricated and moving freely. A 
sticking cable can cause this problem.

Another BIG problem we are seeing now causing brake lockup is the 
deterioration of the inside of the rubber brake hoses. The insides come 
apart and form check valves, allowing brake pressure to apply the shoes, 
but not allow the pressure to relieve through the master cylinder when 
the brake pedal is released. Result-smoking brakes.

Frank DuVal

Jay Ciampi wrote:

>I have had problems with the bar that goes between the brake shoes and has a small spring on one end, jamming the shoes apart and locking the brakes up. This happened with the left wheel  so I removed the bar and spring, then a few weeks later the right one did the same thing. I removed that bar too, at least until I find out why this is happening.  Maybe the spring is the wrong size and doesn't work correctly.  The parts on the car are what was there when I bought it last year.
>
>AND  BTW:  whose idea was it to put the star-wheel adjustment hole on the brake DRUM, instead of the backing plate like on NORMAL  cars.
>
>Jay Ciampi
>64 Monza Coupe
>CORSA member
>
>  
>