Regardless of the name we give them, the rear brakes threw me a
curve last night, just when I was hoping to fire it up and drive it
around the block. :^(
The rear wheels would not go on straight. Usually that means I
had stuck the jackstands too close and they fouled the wheels, but not
this time. The wheels, 13x6 Revolutions in my case, hit the calipers.
Yikes! I guess that, when the "kit" was developed, that not every wheel
type could be checked (although Rev's are supposed to be a popular
racing wheel, and I had chosen them after seeing them on various
Sunbeams). At first it looked like the problem was the edge of the
little sliding part that fits between the fixed and moving halves of the
caliper, the one with the two little clips to retain it. So, I pulled
those out, one at a time, and ground off the offending corners (4
parts). Then I tried the wheels again. Now it was clear that the entire
arc of the caliper housing sat against the edge of the "drop-center"
section of the wheel. Grind the wheel? Grind the caliper? Neither
appealed. The alternative would be to space the wheels out (!) but I
don't want clearance problems against the fender. I stuck a couple of
washers behind the wheel and tried again; and it fit - but not by a
lot. It seems about 1/4" would do, and still leave fender clearance. I
didn't want to search the web, and have to air-fright any spacers, so I
called around, and found that the local truck-accessory shop that I
bought the alloy diff cover from could have them from their regional
warehouse by Friday, and $14.95 per pair. I'm not a fan of spacers, but
I don't see an option, and 1/4" is not much.
BTW, the Rev's have long-shank lug nuts that fit _tight_ into
the holes in the wheel. I mean _really_ tight, and it's a bear to get
the wheels on. What about lubrication? I don't want the wheels to come
off, but what about a bit of anti-seize between the nut's shanks and the
wheels?
Steve Laifman wrote:
>Although it is common for people to call the device a
>"hand brake", I'd be willing to bet you that no American
>automobile manufacturer has referred to this device as
>anything other than a "Parking Brake" since the first
>consumer liability suit.
I'm not taking that bet, Mr. Steve Laifman, MHS (Master of
Handbrake Semantics), you're probably right. Not having owned a
domesticar in a long time, I cannot remember when I last saw "Emer.
Brake" on the little T-handle under the dash. The, ahem, "parking
brakes" haven't become weaker, nor are drivers using them differently;
it's just a name game to protect mfgr's. Anyhow, I guess I don't care
what American car makers call 'em, as I'm not in the market for their
products.
>My Sunbeam 260 Owner's Handbook, on the other hand,
>does call it a "handbrake", while my 1966 Mustang Shop
>Manual refers only to a "Parking Brake". Guess the liability
>laws in England aren't like the U.S.
You've probably been in an old Mustang at least twenty years
more recently than I have. A friend had one when I was in college, and
it had (?!?!) a bench seat; that would suggest that the han... er,
emerg.... er, parking brake was a domestic-style foot pedal, making it
even harder to describe as a handbrake -- but I really don't remember.
Lawrence R. Wright, Purchasing Analyst
U S Office Products, Mid-Atlantic District
Formerly Andrews Office Products
larry.wright@usop.com (new)
Ph. 301.386.7923 Fx. 301.386.5333
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