I may be out in left field here, being relatively new to Vanagons
but......Does the point at which it transitions from easy to hard
coincide with the shoe contacting the drum? If so I'd say you have a
"normally functioning handbrake with free moving parts (cables, shoes
etc).  The handbrake is marginal at best on most vehicles and should
only be relied upon for parking.
On Tuesday, August 5, 2003, at 09:53 PM, Automatic digest processor
wrote:

> Date:    Tue, 5 Aug 2003 16:17:28 -0700
> From:    Zoran Mladen <zmaninco@YAHOO.COM>
> Subject: Handbrake Problem - Can't figure it out...
>
> Hey folks,
>
> I am having a strange problem on my 84 GL.  The
> handbrake doesn't work very well.  On my late model
> Vanagon, as you pull the handbrake, you feel the
> tension build as you pull the handbrake higher.
>
> On my 84, it seems like there is no tension, and then
> it gets very hard to pull all of a sudden.  The brakes
> only hold marginally.
>
> I have removed both rear drums and watched the
> mechnaisms work as someone else pulled the handbrake.
> I have replaced both handbrake cables to no avail.  I
> also replaced both rear drums with new drums and
> installed new rear brakes.  I have tried adjustment as
> well - all that does is move the point at which the
> brake goes from pulling easy to pulling hard.
>
> I am stumped.  Any thoughts on this?  Anyone else
> experiencing this?