IAC in MN-Colin visits the miz

[the miz]

Plan A for my visit with Colin had been quite straight forward: help me to complete installation, break in and verify general road worthiness of my new Headflow Masters turnkey engine...ahead of my family camping trip to Colorado the following week...alas, here was the state of my dear Vana on Friday morning when Colin arrived:

Long story short, I'd ordered the engine at the end of February and for no apparent reason, it was now 7 weeks delayed beyond the delivery time frame initially promised. The fact that it would miss Colin's visit by a matter of days was disheartening and meant that a family vacation in the Westy was no longer a foregone conclusion. It is supposed to arrive today...I maintain a shred of hope that it will and that BellePlaine and I will have an "easy" time of installing it...and everything will go smoothly...and we'll be off to Colordo with Vana at the end of the week.

Luckily, I'd come up with another job to do in the event that Colin and I would be long on time, because the engine install, etc., would be so straight forward! In Colorado(and, really, pretty much anywhere), as import as it is to go, it is perhaps more important to be able to stop. I knew my front brakes were AOK, did them recently...but I'd never looked at the rears...and I hadn't the first idea about drum brakes...this was now Plan B.


Colin arrived

and after a bit of a chat, we got to work
.

Initial inspection of the right side indicated brake fluid leakage; there was quite a bit of fluid emanating from the forward facing piston on the wheel cylinder.

Colin explained that he would show me how to hone the cylinder and that would likely remedy the leak:


So, thanks to Colin, I now know how to hone a wheel cylinder:


Due to my lack of engine and Colin's complicated MN schedule, we just spent 1/2 day on the brake job. It was definitely a good idea. I think this is about as far as you can push a brake shoe without regretting it:


All in all, a good half day. I now know infinitely more about drum brakes than I did before. Friday, mid afternoon and I was sending Colin on his way back to St. Peter:


I think I heard him exclaim, as he drove out of sight: "Happy Volkswagening to all and to all a good night!"


miz

[asiab3]

Nice write-up! :)

Honing brake cylinders is one of those things you learn from an experienced hand IN PERSON, and rarely ever seem to read about. Common thinking was "new cylinders are cheap, why spend time on old ones?"

New cylinders are cheap. And they're cheap too! I think you'll have nice results with your old cylinders and careful love.

Let us know how the engine goes!
Robbie

[the miz]

Nice write-up! :)
Let us know how the engine goes!
Robbie

Thanks, Robbie.
I'll be sure to keep the forum updated on the engine. Right now it is bouncing around my general vicinity...they are trying to figure out to deliver it, as my neighborhood is not exactly semi-friendly (but most neighborhoods are not semi-friendly, he thought, wondering why they didn't just put it on a straight-truck).

miz

[the miz]

...it's here: with a surprise California exhaust ...


...hoping all of my federal blower pipes, etc will fit???

I've started a thread in Engine: Headflow Masters Turnkey Engine, about the engine install...
viewtopic.php?f=46&t=12582

-miz

[Amskeptic]

If you had the type of exhaust that accepts the '72-'74 muffler on your old engine, I would use that system. Then you can sell the California exhaust to someone who desperately needs it in California.
Colin

[the miz]

If you had the type of exhaust that accepts the '72-'74 muffler on your old engine, I would use that system. Then you can sell the California exhaust to someone who desperately needs it in California.
Colin

Yeah, I'd bough a new Ernst exhaust kit from Bus Depot expecting to put it onto the Federal Heater boxes directly.
I might consider stripping my old heater boxes from the old engine before I send it back, only problem is that they have some holes in them...I might do this regardless, as we were having a hell of a time getting the heating duct pipes to mate to the driver side wacky Cali heater box last night...

miz

[the miz]

Post joyride brakes update:

Parking brake=ineffective...must try to adjust, perhaps via cable tension?

Brakes...thought them to be a bit mooshy.

...not necessarily in the pedal, which can be a bit low, but pumps up nicely...but more in the "stopping performance". I mean, there's no way these would ever lock up...not that I ever could've done that before...but hopefully, I won't need to make a short, hard stop from high speed, because it ain't happenin'. I'd need to channel thoughts from my Cyclocross racing days: "brakes are for scrubbing speed, not for stopping".
I performed the suggested short reverse hard stops to "self adjust" the rears...it seemed to help. Really, I am wondering if they need to "burn in" a bit and they'll get better...more like the barely adequate Vanagon braking performance I am used to .
miz

[Amskeptic]

Post joyride brakes update:

Parking brake=ineffective...must try to adjust, perhaps via cable tension?

Brakes...thought them to be a bit mooshy.

...not necessarily in the pedal, which can be a bit low, but pumps up nicely...but more in the "stopping performance". I mean, there's no way these would ever lock up...not that I ever could've done that before...but hopefully, I won't need to make a short, hard stop from high speed, because it ain't happenin'. I'd need to channel thoughts from my Cyclocross racing days: "brakes are for scrubbing speed, not for stopping".
I performed the suggested short reverse hard stops to "self adjust" the rears...it seemed to help. Really, I am wondering if they need to "burn in" a bit and they'll get better...more like the barely adequate Vanagon braking performance I am used to .
miz

For the readership, always have rear shoes adjusted before snugging down parking brake adjustment.
Yes, shoes need about 100 miles to bed in.
Yes, you must be able to apply sufficient pressure to lock front wheels, whether it be with the help of a booster or just your leg. Go practice.
Colin