Hello,

I also had a problem with incorrectly assembled rear brakes. I purchased my Vanagon thinking it needed brakes because it had a bad pedal feel and marginal stopping power.  However when I got it home and saw good pads and shoes, and good hydraulics I was stumped and took it to the Van Cafe.  They found that the back brakes had been assembled incorrectly and fix the problem.  

Raymond

> On May 18, 2015, at 8:51 AM, jondvo@GMAIL.COM wrote:
> 
> Excellent advice, i did my rear brakes and initially had problems because one of the parts were installed backwards - the rears make a big difference in pedal feel.
> Jon
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On May 18, 2015, at 9:08 AM, kenneth wilford (Van-Again) <kenwilfy@COMCAST.NET> wrote:
>> 
>> Neil, I have done many, many full brake system refurbishments over the
>> years.  One of the first ones I did was on an early Vanagon like yours.
>> Everything was brand new, yet I could tell that the pedal feel was low and
>> soft.  Someone on the list recommended adjusting the rear drums properly.
>> That is where all of the problems were.  I have seen the rear brakes put
>> together incorrectly so many times, that will do it as well.  I would pull
>> the rear drums, use the diagram from the Bentley to be sure that the
>> adjusters and springs are all installed correctly.  Then you want to adjust
>> the drums until the rear shoes are just kissing the drum (you will hear a
>> little rubbing when you turn the drum but not dragging and the wheel can
>> still turn easily).  Do this and see if this helps your situation.  It
>> should bring your brakes up to par without spending any more money (unless
>> you find something missing or broken).  If this helps you out and you want
>> to donate to us, we have a paypal link on our site.  I know you don't buy
>> parts from us so I thought I would mention the donation button.
>> 
>> Let us know how you make out.
>> 
>> Ken Wilford
>> John 3:16
>> www.vanagain.com
>> 
>>> On Sun, May 17, 2015 at 7:34 PM, Neil N <musomuso@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Hi all.
>>> 
>>> The back ground info is below, but here's the bottom line; I need to
>>> improve the braking on my '81 Westy. I suspect the rebuilt calipers I
>>> installed
>>> several years ago, never worked 100% correctly due to poor quality
>>> assembly or
>>> parts. i.e. one leaked right away. Image: http://tinyurl.com/lqsx4gf
>>> 
>>> My choices:
>>> 
>>> - upgrade steering knuckles, install a "Bigger Brake Kit"
>>> - upgrade steering knuckles, install new '86 + calipers etc.
>>> - rebuild a spare set of Girling calipers.
>>> 
>>> Is rebuilding the old style calipers a waste of time? Most of those
>>> cores are pretty old now,
>>> have likely been rebuilt at least a few times, and I've heard that
>>> some rebuild kits may not be of good quality. However. I have what may
>>> be a decent set of calipers I could clean up and rebuild.
>>> 
>>> Thanks,
>>> 
>>> Neil.
>>> 
>>> Since I'd been driving my '88 Westy the last while, I've since
>>> discovered that the brakes in my '81 Westy pale terribly in
>>> comparison. I had a Vanagon mechanic road test the '81 brakes. His
>>> first comment about them was something akin to 'they're crappy'.
>>> He also suggested it could be a caliper issue; I'd installed rebuilt
>>> calipers
>>> several years ago (along with doing a bunch of other brake work)
>>> The brake system is in otherwise good condition but the brakes just
>>> don't "bite" as well as my '88 brakes, there is considerable fade,
>>> pedal doesn't feel as hard as that on my '88.
>>> Rear shoe were is normal and even. I'm certain no air is in the
>>> hydraulic system.
>>> The mechanic said he'd run into a problem like this before. He removed the
>>> pads,
>>> and carefully pushed the brake pedal down to move the pistons further out
>>> in an
>>> effort to (reseat?) the piston O ring. He said this improved the
>>> brakes and that the
>>> issue had to do with either the piston position or the O ring itself
>>> (not flexing enough?)
>>> 
>>> --
>>> Neil n
>>> 
>>> Blog: Vanagons, Westfalia, general <http://tubaneil.blogspot.ca>
>>> 
>>> 1988 Westy Images <https://picasaweb.google.com/musomuso/New1988Westy>
>>> 
>>> 1981 Westfalia "Jaco" Images, technical <http://tubaneil.googlepages.com/>
>>> 
>>> Vanagon-Bus VAG Gas Engine Swap Group <http://tinyurl.com/khalbay>
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> --
>> Thanks,
>> Ken Wilford
>> John 3:16
>> www.vanagain.com