They are super cheap to make and install on the assembly line...

On Thu, Apr 30, 2009 at 8:20 PM, Don Hanson <dhanson928@gmail.com> wrote:

>  I guess I'm 'easily amused' then.  I've not seen any drum brakes other
> than the ones on my  motorcycles..or perhaps I haven't paid much attention
> to them. on trucks and stuff....Maybe 'leading shoe' is what I envision
> when
> I think of drum brakes.
> ..Yeah, they do work ok,  but it seems like a mistake in the design if they
> only wear out one end of the shoe always.  Why have that other end even
> in there,  if it never really touches the drum or helps stop the vehicle,
>  execpt perhaps when you pull on the parking brake?  Don't go all huffy on
> me...I am not trash-talking the Vanagon...just sayin'....
>   Don Hanson
>
> On Thu, Apr 30, 2009 at 3:07 PM, Mike <mbucchino@charter.net> wrote:
>
> >    If that's true, then most production vehicle's drum brakes must also
> be
> > laughable.  They practically all use this same design, not just in the
> rear,
> > but in the front, too.
> >   Oh yeah, it really works, too, and has for millions of vehicles, over
> > millions of miles, for decades, even on Vanagons..........believe it or
> not!
> >
> > Mike B.
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > *From:* Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
> > *To:* vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> > *Sent:* Thursday, April 30, 2009 2:45 PM
> > *Subject:* Re: Rear Brake Shoe Design Questions
> >
> > The rear drum brakes on MY van..an '84..they are laughable.  First time I
> > looked at them, I was amazed..."This is how it was sold?" I thought.  The
> > brake shoe mechanisim in the rear hub reminded me of what you might see
> on
> > a
> > stagecoach...except the stagecoach ones must have worked better with just
> a
> > single 'center'.rather than pretty much pivoting on one end and moving
> only
> > the other end....  I bet you can find vanagon rear shoes with linings
> that
> > are untouched on one end and worn to steel on the other.
> >   They do help stop the van, I guess.  Musta been a Friday when
> > the VW engineers sent in that design to Managment..I am not complaining
> > though..they work.
> >   If I lived and worked somewhere involving a commute through the
> mountains
> > or over a pass, I guess I'd swap them for something different, a set up
> > that
> > actually used the braking surface that you pay for on the shoes...
> >   Don Hanson
> >
> > On Thu, Apr 30, 2009 at 10:27 AM, neil N <musomuso@gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > > Hi all.
> > >
> > > I read of details regarding spacers (Dennis Haynes) one could install
> > > at anchor end of the brake shoes. My understanding is that this would
> > > help ensure more of the shoe contacts the drum.
> > >
> > > Does adding spacers accomplish something similar to arcing the shoes?
> > > (not done much these days from what I've read)
> > >
> > > Were VW shoes shaped to fit the drum better than aftermarket shoes?
> > >
> > > If so, would one be wise to install these spacers when installing new
> > > shoes and hardware?
> > >
> > > AFAIK, my braking system is working right. But, I notice that with
> > > foot on brake engine running, I pull up the handbrake and feel the
> > > pedal drop a *little*. Is this because the lower portion of shoe is
> > > pushed out to contact drum?
> > >
> > > Curious minds just need to know,
> > >
> > > Neil.
> > >
> > > --
> > > Neil Nicholson '81 VanaJetta 2.0 "Jaco"
> > >
> > > http://tubaneil.googlepages.com/
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> http://groups.google.com/group/vanagons-with-vw-inline-4-cylinder-gas-engines
> > >
> >
> >
>

--
Jake

1984 Vanagon GL
1986 Westy Weekender "Dixie"

Crescent Beach, BC

www.crescentbeachguitar.com
http://subyjake.googlepages.com/mydixiedarlin%27