Rear Brake Backing Plate Replacement '75 Westfalia

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drober23
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Rear Brake Backing Plate Replacement '75 Westfalia

Post by drober23 » Thu Jan 24, 2013 2:20 pm

Just ordered backing plates, wheel cylinders, and rubber brake hoses for my '75 Westfalia. I want to have them installed before the "Big Trip West" we are planning this summer.

My current backing plates are heavily rusted (perforated in some areas), and the little spring-clips that keep the stars from backing out are long gone. This causes my rear brakes to not be able to hold adjustment, and needs to be corrected before driving in the mountains.

Anyway... no questions yet. Once I start the project I will update this thread with pictures. My plan is to re-pack the rear wheel bearings, but not replace them unless they don't pass inspection.

Installation will take place when it is reasonably warm. Perhaps March or April.
DJ

'75 Westfalia, '79 Deluxe
(plus more busses than sense)

In a time of chimpanzees I was a monkey

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satchmo
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Re: Rear Brake Backing Plate Replacement '75 Westfalia

Post by satchmo » Thu Jan 24, 2013 7:38 pm

Get ready for a good wrestling match. If the backing plates are rusted, they won't let go without a fight.

Also, be aware that besides the two bolts just above the adjusting stars, there is a steel pin between the bolts and the adjusters that must be driven out. It may not be obvious on first inspection due to rust On the one I did, it was really rusted in there. A three pound mallet and a drift finally got it out, but not before my right forearm started to look like Popeye.

Here are a couple pics:

Old rusted plate with pin still in place:

Image

New plate without pin:

Image

You can see the insertion hole for the steel pin located near the V in the adjuster.

Cheers, Tim
By three methods we may learn wisdom:
First, by reflection, which is noblest;
second, by immitation, which is easiest;
and third, by experience, which is bitterest. -Confucius

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Amskeptic
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Re: Rear Brake Backing Plate Replacement '75 Westfalia

Post by Amskeptic » Thu Jan 24, 2013 8:43 pm

satchmo wrote:Get ready for a good wrestling match.
You can see the insertion hole for the steel pin located near the V in the adjuster.
Cheers, Tim
Tim, did you have any problem with scraping between the drum and the new backing plate?
Iwantmybustorun and I had a terrible issue with new black backing plates for his '73, we finally had to dremel the inner edge down. The factory calls for sealant between the wheel bearing housing and the new backing plate. We were careful not to glop it with dimension-changing RTV, but it still bit us there at the end of a long day. Is that silver how it came? If so, who supplies it?
Colin
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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satchmo
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Re: Rear Brake Backing Plate Replacement '75 Westfalia

Post by satchmo » Thu Jan 24, 2013 11:53 pm

Amskeptic wrote:
satchmo wrote:Get ready for a good wrestling match.
You can see the insertion hole for the steel pin located near the V in the adjuster.
Cheers, Tim
Tim, did you have any problem with scraping between the drum and the new backing plate?
Iwantmybustorun and I had a terrible issue with new black backing plates for his '73, we finally had to dremel the inner edge down. The factory calls for sealant between the wheel bearing housing and the new backing plate. We were careful not to glop it with dimension-changing RTV, but it still bit us there at the end of a long day. Is that silver how it came? If so, who supplies it?
Colin
The photos were from the '73 Riviera I did a number of years ago. I bought the backing plates from Bus Depot ("Genuine VW" they said). The plates were painted black from the factory, which I assumed was just a rust inhibiting coat for storage. I sanded the plates down and rattle can painted them with several coats of something - rustoleum maybe - and they are more of a manifold grey than silver in color. The plates were installed with a thin coat of Hylomar between the plate and bearing carrier to prevent water intrusion and rust. I think a liberal coat of boat trailer wheel bearing grease there would have done the trick as well, but RTV is probably the wrong product for this application.

I do remember the plates were a little bent around the edges and it caused some scraping. Gentle persuasion of the backing plate got this taken care of.

Tim
By three methods we may learn wisdom:
First, by reflection, which is noblest;
second, by immitation, which is easiest;
and third, by experience, which is bitterest. -Confucius

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Re: Rear Brake Backing Plate Replacement '75 Westfalia

Post by RussellK » Fri Jan 25, 2013 6:47 am

I've grown to like Syl-Glide for all metal to metal contact points around my brakes.

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drober23
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Re: Rear Brake Backing Plate Replacement '75 Westfalia

Post by drober23 » Fri Jan 25, 2013 8:06 am

Thanks for the ideas guys! Especially Tim's warning about the pin.

Don't have my Bentley handy. Does that pin have to come out? Or can the backing plate be pried off the bus with the pin still intact?
DJ

'75 Westfalia, '79 Deluxe
(plus more busses than sense)

In a time of chimpanzees I was a monkey

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Re: Rear Brake Backing Plate Replacement '75 Westfalia

Post by RussellK » Fri Jan 25, 2013 8:29 am

IIRC that pin has to come out. Mine was a little stubborn after 30 years but some well placed whacks took care of that.

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satchmo
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Re: Rear Brake Backing Plate Replacement '75 Westfalia

Post by satchmo » Fri Jan 25, 2013 8:55 am

drober23 wrote:Thanks for the ideas guys! Especially Tim's warning about the pin.

Don't have my Bentley handy. Does that pin have to come out? Or can the backing plate be pried off the bus with the pin still intact?
Sadly, the pin must come all the way out. There is usually too much rust between the bearing carrier and the plate to allow the plate to move with the pin in place.

Pound the pin from outside (wheel side) to inside (axle side) both to remove the pin and to install the pin. You might think you could just push it in a bit until the pin is out of the backing plate, but when you reinstall, pounding the pin into the backing plate from the inside (axle side) will just bend the plate. And that is the last thing you want to happen, of course.

Tim
By three methods we may learn wisdom:
First, by reflection, which is noblest;
second, by immitation, which is easiest;
and third, by experience, which is bitterest. -Confucius

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drober23
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Re: Rear Brake Backing Plate Replacement '75 Westfalia

Post by drober23 » Sat May 25, 2013 1:33 pm

Finally getting around to starting this job. Everything was going smoothly... too smoothly. Then I got to Tim's pin. The thing simply does not want to move at all. Just wanted to vent a little before I go out and start whacking it some more.
DJ

'75 Westfalia, '79 Deluxe
(plus more busses than sense)

In a time of chimpanzees I was a monkey

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drober23
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Re: Rear Brake Backing Plate Replacement '75 Westfalia

Post by drober23 » Sat May 25, 2013 4:22 pm

Eventually got the pin off. Now to clean things up a bit and pack the rear wheel bearing before re-assembly.
DJ

'75 Westfalia, '79 Deluxe
(plus more busses than sense)

In a time of chimpanzees I was a monkey

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Amskeptic
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Re: Rear Brake Backing Plate Replacement '75 Westfalia

Post by Amskeptic » Mon May 27, 2013 12:06 pm

drober23 wrote:Eventually got the pin off. Now to clean things up a bit and pack the rear wheel bearing before re-assembly.
This is what it is . . . . perseverence.
Colin
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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