Hi Ken!

My symptom is that when I slam on the brakes, the van just doesn't stop
very quickly.  The van doesn't pull, there is no noise, etc., but it takes
too long to stop.  In particular, I am unable to get the tires to lock.
Should I still be looking at the rear brakes then, even if they are a
relatively small part of the stopping equation?

Thanks as always for advice!

On Thu, Jun 14, 2018 at 10:25 PM, kenneth wilford (Van-Again) <
kenwilfy@comcast.net> wrote:

> Back breaks do very little on the van.  Mainly for parking break.  Does
> maybe 20 percent of stopping.  So why put rear discs where they will do the
> least good?  The front if anywhere is where you would want more stopping
> power.
>
> However, unless you are traveling in the mountains with a fully loaded van
> and an engine conversion, the stock brakes should be fine provided they are
> in good condition and the rear shoes are installed and adjusted properly.
> Most of the time poor pedal feel is actually due to improperly installed or
> adjusted rear brake shoes.  I know that sounds counter intuitive but that
> has been my experience with these vans.
>
> Ken
>
>
> On Thu, Jun 14, 2018, 10:12 PM pickle vanagon <greenvanagon@gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> Pickle's stopping power has long been on my list of things to address.
>>
>> We have 16" CLK wheels so a bigger brake kit seems like a natural idea.
>> But are late model front spindles in good condition readily obtainable?
>>
>> Basically here is what I'm considering:
>> 1) Overhaul the rear brakes, hope for an improvement there
>> 2) Rear disc brakes (i.e., the smallcar or burley kits)
>> 3) somehow get some late model spindles and do the big brakes up front, in
>> addition to either 1) or 2).
>>
>> Maybe I am being naive, but coming from an 83.5, #2 seems like it may have
>> a better ratio of effectiveness to hastle than #3.
>>
>>
>> Thoughts?
>> -Wes
>>
>