Am finishing swapping from a 4.55 axle to a 3.77 power-loc. While in there of course I cleaned up the calipers and parking brake hardware.

Upon installation of parking brake, the pads seem too thick as the are tight and I cannot get them to loosen to allow the axle to turn freely.

Do I have them in the right orientation? I have loosened the adjusting screw but as can see the pads contact the rotor near the pivot points.

Any comments? Perhaps I just have new pads that are too thick?

Thanks
jjsandsms

 

 

Looks like per the diagram I got them correct. I had referenced the schematic before but wanted some verification.

It appears that the pads I have are too thick. I found some (new) others that came as spares with the car and they are indeed thinner. So I will install and see what effect they have.

Thanks
jjsandsms

 

These are typical thickness & you have them correct.

 

Corrected the binding. Had to shave (sand) of a bit from each pad. These new pads all had a nominal thickness of around 0.710+-.00 inches. We shaved off approximately 0.010 from each and now they fit perfect with no binding. Hand brake does tighten up as it should, but we will see as we use the brake how the self adjustment mechanism works. Car will not be on the road for a few more days.

Thanks
jjsandsms

 

People actually talk a lot of nonsense about S Type handbrakes (you are talking Mk2). Yes ~ everything is new or restored on my car but the handbrake holds the car perfectly on the steepest of hills without any excessive tugging on the brake lever. I guess if you have leaking diff seals and everything is drenched with oil matters might be different. My pads were provided by Barratts in about 2014 & slotted straight in.

 

OT, sort of...i often wonder how a parking brake pad ever wears out. are people (not the OP) using them to stop the car while it's still moving or what?

 

The pads I used came with the car so I have no idea who the vendor is. Living in Florida where the biggest hills encountered in my area are speed bumps, so the parking brake is not as important. Yes I do apply it every time I park. I not sure I trust the Moss gearbox to hold much, as when I park as when I drive I'm not ever sure what gear I am actually selecting!

Thanks
jjsandsms
1960-MK2 originally a 2.4 now 3.8 installed and soon to test drive with the now proper 3.77 power-loc rear axle replacing the stump pulling 4.55 original axle.

 

Some Mk2s & very early Series 1 E Types had a different part number to later cars. Otherwise they looked the same. There might have been a slight difference in thickness of Handbrake pad.

 

You don't send 100mph handbrake turns in your 1950's S-Type? 🤣🤣

 

i got a leaky brake reservoir and a cracked block... can't go 60.

 

Because of the way they act, the rear pads don't sit flat when new and don't wear evenly, but it's not a problem and I never worried about it.

Ineffectiveness of the handbrake is often caused by mechanics taking up play by tightening the main cable running along the length of the car when the adjustment is required at the axle. It results in the 'compensator' (a big word for the wobbly stick that transfers motion of the main cable to motion of the cables on the rear axle) rotating to a position where it has little effect in moving the brake pads.

 

I had to replace the park pads on my S-type as the pad material had come loose from their back plates. I was able to make them work correctly by adjusting the pivot bolt. Maybe I got lucky?

 

In none of the six MK2s I have owned have I ever had to adjust the hand brake cables.
Every time a handbrake problem was found it was due to failure to correctly adjust the handbrake pad clearances except in one case of missing handbrake pads.
The workshop manual specifies a 4 thou (.004 in) "nip" with the pad adjusting screw.
I am familiar with the cable adjusting procedure but as I have said I never had to use it.
The majority of my MK2s were early models requiring manual adjustment, but I also encountered self-adjusting brakes which had frozen in the adjusting system.
The quickest way to get them back into action was to use the early manual adjustment system to set the pad clearances.

 

I used to adjust mine (at the caliper) every year prior to the MoT (state inspection). I don't know how it arose, but one side of the car was self-adjusting and the other manual, but both worked better after manual adjustment. Mine looked as if they'd passed 50 years in a junk yard, but worked fine.