It may have been a Friday when the engineers sent that design, but it
was a Friday back in the 1940's...

Cheers,

Jeff

On Thu, Apr 30, 2009 at 2:45 PM, Don Hanson <dhanson928@gmail.com> wrote:
> The rear drum brakes on MY van..an '84..they are laughable. �First time I
> looked at them, I was amazed..."This is how it was sold?" I thought. �The
> brake shoe mechanisim in the rear hub reminded me of what you might see on a
> stagecoach...except the stagecoach ones must have worked better with just a
> single 'center'.rather than pretty much pivoting on one end and moving only
> the other end.... �I bet you can find vanagon rear shoes with linings that
> are untouched on one end and worn to steel on the other.
> �They do help stop the van, I guess. �Musta been a Friday when
> the VW engineers sent in that design to Managment..I am not complaining
> though..they work.
> �If I lived and worked somewhere involving a commute through the mountains
> or over a pass, I guess I'd swap them for something different, a set up that
> actually used the braking surface that you pay for on the shoes...
> �Don Hanson
>
> On Thu, Apr 30, 2009 at 10:27 AM, neil N <musomuso@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Hi all.
>>
>> I read of details regarding spacers (Dennis Haynes) one could install
>> at anchor end of the brake shoes. My understanding is that this would
>> help ensure more of the shoe contacts the drum.
>>
>> Does adding spacers accomplish something similar to arcing the shoes?
>> (not done much these days from what I've read)
>>
>> Were VW shoes shaped to fit the drum better than aftermarket shoes?
>>
>> If so, would one be wise to install these spacers when installing new
>> shoes and hardware?
>>
>> AFAIK, my braking system is working right. But, I notice that with
>> foot on brake engine running, I pull up the handbrake and feel the
>> pedal drop a *little*. Is this because the lower portion of shoe is
>> pushed out to contact drum?
>>
>> Curious minds just need to know,
>>
>> Neil.
>>
>> --
>> Neil Nicholson '81 VanaJetta 2.0 "Jaco"
>>
>> http://tubaneil.googlepages.com/
>>
>>
>> http://groups.google.com/group/vanagons-with-vw-inline-4-cylinder-gas-engines
>>
>