Rate my brake ;)

[Solar]

Hey everyone

Ok next problem....So the van, 1967 PA wanderer, hasn’t moved in 5 years so i was expected things to be a bit creaky, however one rear wheel was making a grinding sound. First i tried the micram adjuster through the wheel as i thought pulling the brakes away from the drum would work, it helped a tiny bit but not much. I can spin the wheel by hand but it comes to a stop quickly whilst making that grinding noise. When i tightened the micram adjuster fully i could still move the wheel, but when i did this on the opposite rear side the wheel locked. I presume the wheel should lock when the micram adjuster is fully tightened?

On inspection the shoe lining has got deep lines on it and i think uneven wearing. How thick should the shoe lining be?
The inside of the drum seemed to look ok,
(The PA has one cylinder at the rear brakes, and two on the front.) If the cylinder is oily/messy is that a sign it has failed? If so can i repair or do i need to replace?
I also noticed that the shoe had a bit of moment, it felt like the springs were pulling the shoes outwards, not by much but there was movement. The opposite side was solid.

The second but less offending wheel was the front left. I opened that up and the two cylinders look quite oily. And the inside of the drum had a few raised rusty parts.

I’ve cleaned the drums with brake cleaner but haven’t touched the brake lining, i wasn’t sure if it was asbestos?

Any opinion greatly appreciated again!

 

[Panky]

It looks like something has got into the drum and gouged the shoe, it's a bit to coarse for the damage to be caused by a brake fluid and dust combination. It could have been rust braking away from the back plate, or the shoes themselves, getting trapped under the surface, either way they will need replacing. Personally I would do all four corners as it does look like you have a few leakers. It would be cheaper to replace the seals (if the cylinder bores are OK) but I've found they don't last. For now I think you will get away with just replacing the rear shoes but they are quite difficult to find, you might have a better chance of finding a company that will re-line them for you.
It's possible they contain asbestos but it was mostly removed from brake linings many years ago and since you've already washed the dust away just use sensible precautions like gloves and a mask if unsure

 

[JJ Autosleeper]

As Panky says I think you are going to need to take your cylinders apart and see how they all are. If it’s been off the road for a few years and are old they are probably seized/ partly seized. Some may need replacing or new seals and plenty of red rubber grease to stop them seizing up in future. The springs look OK. You are going to need your shoes relining in one instance or new ones. Not sure how common they are.

I would beware of new old stock cylinders. If you do buy any they will need rebuilding with fresh grease as I fitted a new pair but they seized within a year leading to a near accident.

Power Track/David Kingerlee do most brake parts.

Not sure how good your drums are. But they may need a light skim. If you have an engineering company near you that can do it it’s not too expensive. I got away with mine. But the vans are heavy and the brakes are on the edge performance wise so they need to work as well as they can. I still get a burning smell and some brake fade on long downhill runs when fully loaded. But I think that may be just how they are.

Good luck. It’s a messy/hard job but worth getting right.

 

[Solar]

Merci encore Panky ! Thanks once again Panky for your response and thank you JJAutosleeper for your valuable input also. Sorry to hear about your near accident, sounds scary. You've given me great advice for me to take forward.

How bad is my situation? The right rear is the wheel that make the grinding noise. The other wheels are ok. I have to drive 50 miles in my van in 2 weeks time, but it seems too quick to do everything i need to in that time. Is my situation serious as in to not drive the van, or can i drive the van carefully and then after 2 weeks change everything?

I managed to find somewhere in France to reline the brake shoes, 200€ plus vat for all of them. Not sure if that is a great price or not but at least that is an option.

I actually had emailed Powertrack and got an email back. I have included it here as it may help people in the future;

"We know the Commer PA very well and have been dealing with them for over 40 years.
We can offer the following new correct parts from stock:
Front wheel cylinder ( produced by us with the correct internal bore size) £26.75 each.
New rear wheel cylinders £32.00 each - Produced by us
Rear Brake shoes - relined exchange in a British made bonded FERODO lining material of the correct grade £75.00 - set of 4.
Front brake shoes. We would need your own to reline (As the above description for the rears) Cost for these would be about £25.00 per shoe. We would need your shoes in advance and the work would take about a week to complete.
All prices are + VAT. Shipping would be extra."

I was also in contact with Rootesparts.com in the netherland, their quote was more expensive. (See attachment)

The brakes shoes getting relined will take the longest. Is it best to change everything at once. Could i change the cylinders and then do the brake shoes at later date? Or could i do the drive in two weeks and then after replace everything.

Thanks once again for everyones input.

 

[JJ Autosleeper]

I’d focus on the rear right cylinder then and see if you can get that working. I’d check the flexible hoses as well. I have heard the inner hose linings can break down and cause the brakes to jam on. If you can free it up and get the brakes working I’d take it for a short test drive and see how much braking you get with shoes you have. But it’s over to you.

They are scary with no brakes downhill…or if you need to stop in hurry, and people don’t give you as much room as they used to as everyone is used to power brakes.
Good luck again. JJ

 

[JJ Autosleeper]

Re David Kingerley try here: https://obsoletecarspares.co.uk/

Not sure if Humber Spares may have what you need also. Some parts in the big Humber’s crossed over to Commer. https://humberspares.co.uk/

I have bought parts from Power Track though and they were spot on.