Itinerant Air-Cooled

Hi, all!

New to working on vehicles...please keep that in mind...

When I purchased my bus, it was missing the two components inside of the brake drum that allow the emergency brake to engage: the spreader bar and the parking brake lever.

I have tracked these pieces down and plan to install them tomorrow.

First: what should I use to remove the castellated nut? The Bentley does a little glossing here, and I don't know.

Second: any general advice on the common roadblocks I may/will run into while removing the brake drum, installing these parts, and putting things back together? I had the brakes done by a good shop when I first got it, so it's not like the drums haven't been removed in years.

Third: the Bentley all but writes in capital letters that it is imperative that I torque the nuts to the appropriate setting. I've done a little reading on this site and it doesn't seem like everyone agrees. Is this true?

I have the Bentley and the Muir book, so please feel free to refer me to that if I'm just missing the answer.

Thanks in advance for sharing your expertise.


Dave

I use a 46 mm (or 1-13/16"), 3/4" drive socket and bar with a 4' long piece of pipe over it...or one of those things you put on the nut and slug it off with a hammer. Make sure you have a correct cotter pin on hand to replace the old one. Can't re-use that.
Yes you will need to torque it back on. I don't remember the setting. I usually calculate how many inches to stand away from the center of the breaker bar when it is horizontal. If the hole doesn't line up for the cotter pin, I tighten it more until it does. I think that's the right way, although it's best to use a torque wrench.

Loosen the brakes with the adjuster stars before pulling the drum. Also, have the wheel on and the Bus on the ground and secure from rolling before attempting to loosen the bug nut. I do that, and then jack it up, put on stands, loosen the nut the rest of the way, and take the wheel and drum off together.

Most people use something like this to loosen and re-torque them....

http://www2.cip1.com/ProductDetails.asp ... C10%2D7036

This will do for occasional use:
http://www.mamotorworkstv.com/vw/produc ... mm_301619/

I carry it with me. Needs a big hammer and safety glasses though.

You don't have to remove the nut to get to the brakes, Colin and I just did mine this past weekend and didn't touch the nut. The brakes can come off and back on without the nut coming off.

Sylvester wrote:The brakes can come off and back on without the nut coming off.

How?

I just looked at your pics and figured it out. You have a '71 with the drums you can remove without taking off the big nut. '70 and earlier requires it to be removed to get the drum off. It's a character-building experience. The above suggestions are all good.

Hippie wrote:This will do for occasional use:
http://www.mamotorworkstv.com/vw/produc ... mm_301619/

I carry it with me. Needs a big hammer and safety glasses though.

Definitely yes on the safety glasses but you shouldn't need anything larger than a "regular" hammer. You put a breaker bar in the square hole and keep a steady force (your weight) on that while rapping on the lobe of the "socket" with your hammer. Just beating on the thing with a large hammer seems like it would be tough going!

Sylvester wrote:You don't have to remove the nut to get to the brakes, Colin and I just did mine this past weekend and didn't touch the nut. The brakes can come off and back on without the nut coming off.

You are blessed with "composite" drums introduced in the 1971 model year with flat hubcaps.

Earlier buses with the wide five lugs have brake drums that are actually structural components. Axle nuts must be removed to access the the brakes.
Colin

sped372 wrote: Just beating on the thing with a large hammer seems like it would be tough going!

It pops right off for me with a 3-5 lb baby sledge. I never bother with the breaker bar with this tool.

Randy in Maine wrote:Most people use something like this to loosen and re-torque them....

http://www2.cip1.com/ProductDetails.asp ... C10%2D7036

The torque converter doesn't work on the bays, but apparently does on splitties. It does make removal and re-torquing the flywheel gland nut a piece of cake.

I broke down and bought a 3/4 inch drive click torque wrench from Harbor Freight for $80 to re-torque the axle nuts. Goes up to 300#, well above the 253# spec.

Cheryle's Dad had a 3/4 in drive socket set, so used the breaker bar, the 1-13/16 socket with an extra foot of cheater pipe for removal, and the clique torque to put back together. Hit 253#, and had to nudge it a itty bit further to get the cotter pin in.

I have the very cost effective offset one for the road, with a 1/2 inch drive breaker bar, but it makes me nervous to stand on it bouncing up and down, hasn't broken though.

I've heard the hammering isn't a good idea, but have resorted to it in the past with a baby sledge.


neal