I'm trying to fit the parkbrake on my LH which has a BW diff with Commodore rear discs & i've run into a problem that i hope someone can help me with. I read in a thread awhile back that the cable out of a VN-VS wagon can be used, so i sourced one out of a VS. The problem i have is after fitting the cable & the two brackets that hold the cable to the floorpan, the park brake pedal is very stiff & only goes done one notch (with alot of force) There is no more adjustment left on the original parkbrake cable & it appears the Commodore cable is too short. This appears to be a common conversion on LH-LX Toranas these days so i'm wondering what i've done wrong considering so many others with basic mechanical knowledge have been successful in doing this conversion.
REAR DISC PARK BRAKE ON LH
Started by
_LH SLR 3300_
, Nov 23 2009 09:13 PM
17 replies to this topic
#2
_Squarepants_
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Posted 24 November 2009 - 04:23 PM
So... It's holding the park brake on?
Is there any more adjustment in the drums to wind the shoes in?
Is there any more adjustment in the drums to wind the shoes in?
#3
Posted 24 November 2009 - 07:27 PM
Sounds like you would have had a heck of a job getting the cables connected and the brake will be dragging all the time?
Or perhaps the angles aren't right and its not actually pulling the brake on correctly?
Or perhaps the angles aren't right and its not actually pulling the brake on correctly?
#4
_LH SLR 3300_
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Posted 24 November 2009 - 08:01 PM
Even with the cable unclipped, free of any brackets etc & routed the most direct way to the Torana cable, it will go on & there will be slack in the cable but when i apply the brake it will go down one, maybe two clicks. It appears the cable is physically too short but it is definately a VS wagon cable as I pulled it from the car myself. I've checked that the parkbrake mechanism is working OK & the cable is fully extended when released, the only thing i can think of that may be a problem is the diff originally came from a VL so the parkbrake levers on the diff itself are on the top of the housing where as VN, VR are on the bottom. This shouldn't make that much of a difference though should it? Has anyone got any pics? I tried a thread search but couldn't find one that deals with fitting the Commodore cable.
#5
fuzzypumper
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Posted 24 November 2009 - 08:28 PM
Squarepants question still stands, is the actual handbrake applying?
Im nor sure about the commodeor dif and caliper but have are you actually routed the cable at
caliper round the right way or are you just pulling on the lever against the stopper?
Im nor sure about the commodeor dif and caliper but have are you actually routed the cable at
caliper round the right way or are you just pulling on the lever against the stopper?
#6
_LH SLR 3300_
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Posted 24 November 2009 - 09:10 PM
Yeah the brake does apply & the levers don't hit the stoppers. The brake does work, but my concern is as the cable is at the end of the adjustment on the original Torana cable & the pedal only goes down 3/4 of an inch before the brake is applied, if i drive over a bump in the road, especially with weight in the rear of the car, the suspension movement will apply the brake. With the car on chassis stands & the diff lowered, the pedal will go down an inch or two, but with the wheels on the ground at normal suspension height, you have to really force the pedal down to get otherwise it won't engage the brake. I've run the cable straight from the brakes, over the rear control arm & along the floorpan directly to the centre cable. Even without any brackets to hold it in place it only just reaches the centre cable & if i wind the locating nut on more than an inch it applys the brake. I'm 100% certain i've fitted the brakes correctly as a mechanic mate who works for Holden helped me fit them along with the diff. I can post pics tomorrow if it will help with diagnosing what i've done wrong with this conversion.
#7
Posted 24 November 2009 - 09:52 PM
The pics may help as I'm having trouble visualising. Two things come to mind:
1) if you have slack in the cable with the brake released but it only takes a small amount of movement to apply then somehow you've altered the lever ratio
2) the cable should be installed in such a manner that the sleeved portion moves with the suspension and the unsleeved part doesn't change, which means that suspension movement cannot apply the brake
1) if you have slack in the cable with the brake released but it only takes a small amount of movement to apply then somehow you've altered the lever ratio
2) the cable should be installed in such a manner that the sleeved portion moves with the suspension and the unsleeved part doesn't change, which means that suspension movement cannot apply the brake
#8
_Squarepants_
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Posted 25 November 2009 - 06:44 PM
I think this is easier said than done, considering the cable is connected to the body in the first place.2) the cable should be installed in such a manner that the sleeved portion moves with the suspension and the unsleeved part doesn't change, which means that suspension movement cannot apply the brake
Have you wound the drum shoe adjustment all the way in?
My only other thought atm is to get a custom cable made. They don't cost too much. Even if you still have the original you could prolly just get it cut and the commode ends crimped on to it. You really should try to get it running in the same path as the original so it's pulling the drum levers at the right angle.
#9
_LH SLR 3300_
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Posted 25 November 2009 - 09:37 PM
Thanks for the input everyone. Squarepants, i haven't touched the brake shoe adjustment yet, i'm going to try using the drum housings off the VS i grabbed the cable from as the levers are under the axle housing/flange as opposed the the VL ones in the car at the moment, which sit above the housing/flange. I'm hoping that repositioning the levers will change the angle of the cable & possibly give the extra length i need. Failing that, i'll look into getting the cable lengthened. Haven't had a chance to get any pics yet as i've been wiring up the EFI harness all afternoon. Will try to get some pics of it tomorrow.
Cheers Matt
Cheers Matt
#10
Posted 26 November 2009 - 07:34 AM
As long as the cable follows the trailing arm from the pivot point it shouldn't be a hassle. Don't try to shortcut away from it unless you mount the sheath on the diff or the arm.I think this is easier said than done, considering the cable is connected to the body in the first place.
2) the cable should be installed in such a manner that the sleeved portion moves with the suspension and the unsleeved part doesn't change, which means that suspension movement cannot apply the brake
I still don't understand how you could have such a small amount of movement between brake applied and released, the lever at the drum has to move a certain amount to achieve this.
#11
_Squarepants_
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Posted 26 November 2009 - 04:15 PM
So wind them in already!Thanks for the input everyone. Squarepants, i haven't touched the brake shoe adjustment yet
#13
_Viper_
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Posted 26 November 2009 - 07:30 PM
I too have VN discs on the rear of mine... A workshop setup the handbrake cable for me (i think they used a commodore cable with mounts welded too the floor) And mine is the same... Can only just get 1 click out of it! Its setup dodgy tho as the handbrake cable is rubbing on the tailshaft at ride height!
Its one of the things on the list to attend to but havnt gotten around to it at all so is interesting to see if LH SLR 3300 fixes his.
Its one of the things on the list to attend to but havnt gotten around to it at all so is interesting to see if LH SLR 3300 fixes his.
Edited by Viper, 26 November 2009 - 07:32 PM.
#14
sl308
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Posted 26 November 2009 - 08:39 PM
i had the same problem, only mine was with a skyline diff and calipers.
cable was at the end of its adjustment, one click and it was tight.
there are two locating hooks?? that hold the secondary cable in place. i sourced one of these hooks from a hx sedan, heated it up to twist the ends so that they were in line instead of 90 degrees to each other, (if you get one you will see what i mean).
the hook from the H series was slightly longer and gave me a bit more freeplay.
fixed the problem
cable was at the end of its adjustment, one click and it was tight.
there are two locating hooks?? that hold the secondary cable in place. i sourced one of these hooks from a hx sedan, heated it up to twist the ends so that they were in line instead of 90 degrees to each other, (if you get one you will see what i mean).
the hook from the H series was slightly longer and gave me a bit more freeplay.
fixed the problem
#15
sl308
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Posted 29 November 2009 - 12:06 PM
i had the same problem, only mine was with a skyline diff and calipers.
cable was at the end of its adjustment, one click and it was tight.
there are two locating hooks?? that hold the secondary cable in place. i sourced one of these hooks from a hx sedan, heated it up to twist the ends so that they were in line instead of 90 degrees to each other, (if you get one you will see what i mean).
the hook from the H series was slightly longer and gave me a bit more freeplay.
fixed the problem
#16
_LH SLR 3300_
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Posted 29 November 2009 - 05:57 PM
I didn't even use these hooks, if i had, the cable wouldn't of reached the centre cable at all. I chisled the cable retaining brackets off the VS wagon & bolted them to the Torana floor. I tried adjusting the parkbrake shoes but it didn't make alot of difference. I'll be fitting the parkbrake drums off the VS to bring the cables down & hopefully that may solve my problem. Here are some pics of how the parkbrake is set up at the moment.
#17
_LH SLR 3300_
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Posted 01 December 2009 - 07:05 PM
Problem fixed. Changed the VL hubs over to VN-VS type & without doing anything else, parkbrake works as it did with the standard drums if not better. Now there is plenty of adjustment. Word of advice to any others contemplating doing this conversion, make sure the pull levers for the parkbrake shoes exit the hubs/drums UNDER the axle housing, not above. Also when fitting the locating brackets to the floor make sure the cable ends are seated properly in the brackets that bolt to the drum/hub before you drill any holes or do any welding. This was a hard lesson to learn, & i hope no one else has to learn it the way i did. Thanks to everyone who offered their advice in this thread.
Cheers Matt
Cheers Matt
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