Hit The Brakes!

03.08.2009
One of the things I had hoped would be in good shape was the brake system. The previous owner mentioned that it had both axles worked on prior to the tear down.... but that was over a decade ago, and brake fluid has a nasty way of rotting out the rubber seals that hold the system together.


Here are some of the parts we got together to prepare for the brake job... included a turkey baster with an attached hose to siphon out the old brake fluid from the reservoir.


I invited my friend Andy over to simply adjust the drum brake set up.... and while we had some initial success, our first test drive produced that lovely burning asbestosis shoe smell.


The shoes were fairly new, but the seals on the brake pistons were leaking and need to be replaced. The brake cylinders were hard to match, and had to be returned to get the right fit.



The rear wheels are attached to the half shaft driveline and are placed on with over 250 foot pounds of torque. We used our favorite sledge hammer to break them loose.

While the rear set held together, the front drums would not stay adjusted, a failure of the holding brackets that had worn out over the years. It would be costly to replace everything so.... we decided to bite the bullet and upgrade to a front disk conversion. Topline parts out of Anaheim, CA had just what we were looking for (they specialize in SuperBeetles). The kit was indeed "top of the line" and went together like a dream with Andy's help.



It made a big difference in our stopping power, and gives a lot more confidence when driving this 38 year old car on the road.  Pictured here is the driver's side:

Lookin' good, Hulda!