Itinerant Air-Cooled

Went to assemble the sunroof today so I could drive my new Bus to Mom's on Thanksgiving. Then saw a puddle under my tire. All that brake bleeding must have been the last straw for the original right rear brake cylinder.

Can I pull the known good caliper from my '72 shell and use it on my '77? I know '72 has many one year only parts and they changed a lot of things during those 5 years. I'll be replacing the pads with new ones & the drums with the 2 year old ones from the '72 while I'm in there. They have the original drums and the pads, although thick, look glazed.

Calipers are front brake parts, not rear. Everything is different both front and rear for all brake components between the '72 and the '77. The brake changes happened in '73. and they aren't interchangeable. DRums and shoes are definitely different (shoes are thicker for the later brakes). The wheel cylinders look to be the same from '72-'79, but for the cost of a wheel cylinder (new german is $15) it simply isn't worth the time, effort or risk to put a used one on.

Thanks for the info. So the drums (according to every parts site I looked at) & cylinders are the same but the pads are different. Good thing I ordered pads for a '77.

Sluggo wrote:Thanks for the info. So the drums (according to every parts site I looked at) & cylinders are the same but the pads are different. Good thing I ordered pads for a '77.

Pads are for front disk brakes. Are you talking pads for the front, or shoes for the rear? Rear shoes got wider mid-73, and the ebrake actuation changed from those lovely pinned levers to those hopelessly cheap bars with slots.
Colincrab

Amskeptic wrote:

Sluggo wrote:Thanks for the info. So the drums (according to every parts site I looked at) & cylinders are the same but the pads are different. Good thing I ordered pads for a '77.

Pads are for front disk brakes. Are you talking pads for the front, or shoes for the rear? Rear shoes got wider mid-73, and the ebrake actuation changed from those lovely pinned levers to those hopelessly cheap bars with slots.
Colincrab

I should pay more attention to what I type. Yes. I mean rears. I already have brand new '77 appropriate shoes. From what I can tell the drums from a '72 are the same as a "77 and so are the cylinders. I wanted to pull the good working right cylinder & both drums from the '72 and put them on the '77.

Autobone has the cylinders for $9.99 each. I'll be doing the brakes tomorrow morning.

Sluggo wrote:Autobone has the cylinders for $9.99 each. I'll be doing the brakes tomorrow morning.

How did it go. After I changed mine, it was like a new bus.

Much better. I need to adjust the rears again slightly but I can stop on a dime. Thanks for asking! Had t o bleed it all again though. I hate doing the same job twice.

Sluggo wrote:Much better. I need to adjust the rears again slightly but I can stop on a dime. Thanks for asking! Had t o bleed it all again though. I hate doing the same job twice.

I can't tell you how many times I've been cut off or find myself on a very steep incline and thank the powers that be that I rebuilt my brakes.