Topic: Emergency Brake Adjustment
in Forum: C3 Handling Components
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Good Morning All,
Can the emergency brake shoes be adjusted without having to disassemble anything on my '79 such as removing the rear wheels or anything suspension-wise? Is it as simple as getting at the star adjuster with a brake spoon or is it more involved than that? Can the cable system be adjusted for any help or is it all about the shoes when it comes to any adjustability? Is the shoe adjustment like on a normal drum brake car, run them out until the rear tire won't turn and then back off until the wheel turns freely again? Thanks for any help you can provide.
Cheers,
KC
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Lifetime MemberModerator
Duncanville, TX - USA
Joined: 11/8/2003
Posts: 20214
Vette(s): #1-1974 L-48 4spd Cp Med Red Metallic/Black deluxe int w/AC/tilt/tele./p/w-p/b/
Am-Fm/map light National/Regional/Chapter NCRS "Top Flight"
#2-1985 Bright Red/Carmine Cp.L-98/auto
Member: NCRS, NCRS Texas, Corvette Legends of Texas
Well...kinda sorta. You will need to remove the rear wheels. The adjustment is done thru the front side of the brake rotor...assuming someone has not turned the rotors on the hub the wrong way, and has the hole is blocked. 
You can also do some adjustment on the cable, but the shoe adjustment really needs to be done first. The cable adjustment is on the cable itself, right smack in the center of the car, underneath.
There MAY be some info here somewhere on doing the adjustment for the p-brake shoes....just need to search for it to see....
You can also do some adjustment on the cable, but the shoe adjustment really needs to be done first. The cable adjustment is on the cable itself, right smack in the center of the car, underneath.
There MAY be some info here somewhere on doing the adjustment for the p-brake shoes....just need to search for it to see....
Joel Adams
C3VR Lifetime Member #56 
My Link 
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"Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comforting to cry in a CORVETTE than in a Kia"
Thanks much Joel. I have a service manual that I was just too lazy to open so I will dive into that this weekend and learn about all the work I didn't really want to have to do for this procedure. I just hope the shoes aren't shot because that will entail even more tear-down fun. Will there be an inspection hole large enough that I can actually see how much lining is left on the shoes or do the drums need to come off for that?
KC
Lifetime MemberLemon Grove, CA - USA
Joined: 10/17/2007
Posts: 2041
Vette(s): 1982 C3 Collectors Edition 44000 miles, sat in the sun most of its life, My wife purchased it for me for Father's Day in 2007 from her girlfriend that had it for 19 years. It is on the road again. I'm retired but it is now my daily driver.
Not that I can remember. Also on mine the star adjust was so bad off that I had to replace one of them. The other one I was able to clean up enough to get it adjusted.
The problem I had is figuring how tight to get the adjustment. I kept on making it to loose. It is easy to get it tight enough that you can not move the hub but when you put the wheel back on it is moves easily.
I have to take mine a part again an make it tighter. That is one of the things I pay for. I guess I'm lucky in that regards we have a friend of a family friend that works for $10 an hour. I have him do a lot of work for me that my back would not like me doing.
Lifetime MemberModerator
Duncanville, TX - USA
Joined: 11/8/2003
Posts: 20214
Vette(s): #1-1974 L-48 4spd Cp Med Red Metallic/Black deluxe int w/AC/tilt/tele./p/w-p/b/
Am-Fm/map light National/Regional/Chapter NCRS "Top Flight"
#2-1985 Bright Red/Carmine Cp.L-98/auto
Member: NCRS, NCRS Texas, Corvette Legends of Texas
KC, remember that the parking brake is INSIDE of the rear brake rotors. Innovative design at the time, but a real pita to work on, and they rarely worked well to start with.
The lever used to actually apply the p-brake is just a pivot...not really attached to anything. Talk about cheap....
But yes, the adjustment is made just like a regular drum brake(except the access hole is much smaller)...turn the star adjuster until the rotor is locked, then back it off. Once you get the wheels off, use the lug nuts to hold the rotor tight, and it will not flop around, making it harder to adjust. Once you get both sides adjusted, then you can make an adjustment on the cable.
If you're lucky, someone has already had the rotors off, and the rivets will have been drilled out. If so, you can pull the rotors off and have a look-see at the p-brake shoes, and adjusters....it'll give you a better idea of how to turn the adjustment....
The lever used to actually apply the p-brake is just a pivot...not really attached to anything. Talk about cheap....
But yes, the adjustment is made just like a regular drum brake(except the access hole is much smaller)...turn the star adjuster until the rotor is locked, then back it off. Once you get the wheels off, use the lug nuts to hold the rotor tight, and it will not flop around, making it harder to adjust. Once you get both sides adjusted, then you can make an adjustment on the cable.
If you're lucky, someone has already had the rotors off, and the rivets will have been drilled out. If so, you can pull the rotors off and have a look-see at the p-brake shoes, and adjusters....it'll give you a better idea of how to turn the adjustment....
Joel Adams
C3VR Lifetime Member #56
My Link
(click for Texas-sized view!) NCRS
"Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comforting to cry in a CORVETTE than in a Kia"
in Forum: C3 Handling Components
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