Brake job...part 1... - Page 3 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

E150GT · #31 02-13-2013, 08:08 AM

I hate working on GM cars. I still get pissed when I see side post terminals on their batteries crammed into a tight spot when there is an abundance of room on top to put them.

Air&Road · #32 02-13-2013, 08:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jplinville

One major advantage of drum brakes on the rear axle of a truck versus discs all around...parking brakes. If you look closely at the parking brake system, it's basic, but does the job very well

Many of the newer systems incorporate a drum bake system for the parking brake inside of the rear discs, but the cost of that is still higher than plain discs.

With many of the manufacturing sites int he US going robotic, I suspect the old drum brake system will fall to the wayside in the next couple of years...you don't have to pay for insurance and benefits for robots.

JP, the newer rear disc vehicles have a mechanism that uses the pads for the parking brake. the drum inside the rotor hat is old tech now.

Air&Road · #33 02-13-2013, 08:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by E150GT

I hate working on GM cars. I still get pissed when I see side post terminals on their batteries crammed into a tight spot when there is an abundance of room on top to put them.

The EPITOME of a tough side post battery to change is in a GM vehicle, the fourth generation Vette. You have to remove a fender panel and slide the battery sideways.

I agree, the sidepost battery was a BAD idea.

DieselPaul · #34 02-13-2013, 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim B.

My latest acquisition has brand new 4 wheel drum brakes!

That is the one thing I *hate* ABOUT IT. That and the manual unassisted steering.

No smog tests - though - ever.. is nice.

So is having just 41k on it...

My 190SL has four wheel drums, I don't know how cougars are, but most people who dislike 190SL brakes have never driven one where they are set up properly. Are your front brakes all iron? On my car I've got aluminum drums with steel liners and aluminum shoes.

The manual steering is a bummer on my car as well, but luckily I have the a steering wheel from a cruise ship on my car, all the money Mercedes spent making steering wheels so large, they could have developed power steering.

rscurtis · #35 02-13-2013, 01:08 PM

Change both front wheel bearings, the other won't be far behind.

iwrock · #36 02-13-2013, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rscurtis

Change both front wheel bearings, the other won't be far behind.

This.

Seems that GMCs like to eat wheel bearings... Especially ones like mine, lifted with big'ol tires on it...

Air&Road · #37 02-13-2013, 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iwrock

This.

Seems that GMCs like to eat wheel bearings... Especially ones like mine, lifted with big'ol tires on it...

Big, and I mean really big, not just a few sizes larger, will eat a LOT more than wheel bearings. Transmission shops around here will not offer any warranty at all on a transmission rebuild that's going in a truck with siginificantly oversize tires. The added torque it takes to turn those things is tremendous.

Air&Road · #38 02-13-2013, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DieselPaul

My 190SL has four wheel drums, I don't know how cougars are, but most people who dislike 190SL brakes have never driven one where they are set up properly. Are your front brakes all iron? On my car I've got aluminum drums with steel liners and aluminum shoes.

The manual steering is a bummer on my car as well, but luckily I have the a steering wheel from a cruise ship on my car, all the money Mercedes spent making steering wheels so large, they could have developed power steering.

Yes, there were a few cars with superior drum brakes. The buicks of the late fifties and sixties had big finned aluminum drums with iron liners. They made the very best brakes for the front of a hot rod in the days before disc brakes. Do a quality turning on them and tru arc some quality shoes to fit them, and they were very impressive even if they were still on that land yacht Buick.

Getting rid of drums on the front made such a huge improvement that the makers found that they could get by with leaving the drums on the rear, because they had a minimal effect.

In the fifties when the mid level and high level cars, e.g, Buick, Olds, Cadillac, Mercury, Lincoln, etc. started getting really heavy, the drums really started being marginal. I remember my Dad ca. 1956 invested in a quality drum lathe and a TruArc machine. He would turn the drums and the use the TruArc machine to fit some quality shoes to the drums. If one were to simply use normal wear to make the shoes fit the drums, they would have hot spots and would not break in as effectively. He had a reputation in town as being someone who could do a really good brake job.

A few years back I was at a Friday night cruise where a young fellow had a well done rat rod. I made a comment about the Buick brakes on the front and he asked me how I knew that they were Buick brakes. I didn't really know how to answer the question. He said that they did work really well. Of course the car probably didn't weigh much more than 2,000 pounds.

Another set of superior drum brakes I remember were the ones I put on my '69 Roadrunner. These were relatively light cars with components meant for heavier cars. When it came brake time, a friend of mine at a local brake and alignment shop told me that he would make a set of great brakes for it for nothing.

I took him the drums and shoes. He took scraps of quality lining material and riveted them in place on the shoes in three sections per shoe with about a 1/2" between each section. He then turned the drums and Tru Arced the shoes to fit the drums. When I got it all back together I was amazed. Up until that point I had never owned a car with better brakes. I don't think I ever did until my new 240D in '77.

Like anything else, there are good and bad within the category. I still prefer disc brakes hands down, but there are some drums that are better than others.

Simpler=Better · #39 02-13-2013, 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Air&Road

The people who do not put the self adjusters back on are screwing up badly IMHO. Put the adjusters back on and lube the rub points with white grease. Then when you back out of the driveway or parking space bring it to a moderately hard stop and let the vehicle then rock forward. Do this and they will stay adjusted.

New adjusters are worth the $20 or so, my truck's drums stay tight now it's incredible.

Also, preheating and painting the outside of the drums has kept them from rusting at all....shoe checks are much less messy than ever before

Hatterasguy · #40 02-13-2013, 04:44 PM

Yeah if I get bored I might paint the drums before putting them on, I don't really care enough on this vehicle though. Its just a work truck.

iwrock · #41 02-13-2013, 04:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hatterasguy

Yeah if I get bored I might paint the drums before putting them on, I don't really care enough on this vehicle though. Its just a work truck.

Paint them pink and Ill send you $20.

Hatterasguy · #42 02-13-2013, 04:51 PM

LMAO, heck no!

iwrock · #43 02-13-2013, 04:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hatterasguy

LMAO, heck no!

Whatttt....?

Why not?

Not comfortable enough in your manhood?

rscurtis · #44 02-13-2013, 05:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Air&Road

JP, the newer rear disc vehicles have a mechanism that uses the pads for the parking brake. the drum inside the rotor hat is old tech now.

It's old tech, but it works. Ford and GM have used a caliper-applied parking brake and they are frought with issues. Mercedes had the right idea, and so does Ram with its rear parking drums. GM goes cheap and just uses drum brakes on their LD trucks.

cmbdiesel · #45 02-13-2013, 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iwrock

Paint them pink and Ill send you $20.

Maybe you should throw in a copy of 50 shades.....