Adjusting Rear Brakes
- Neil Evans
- Posts: 12180
- Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 1:06 am
- Committee Role: Technical Officer
- Location: Boston, Lincolnshire
- x 11
- x 25
Adjusting Rear Brakes
Make sure all of the clevis pins, expanders and the brake compensator are in good mechanical order and well lubricated, then adjust the rear brakes as follows....
With the car supported on the rear axle....
Disconnect the brake cable from the compensator whippletree on the rear axle.
Adjust the brake shoes up in both rear wheels until they lock the drums.
Remove the clevis pin from the handbrake lever sliding joint.
Push the linkage towards the rear as far as it will go (until the frame cylinder is fully retracted).
With the handbrake lever in the fully off position, adjust the position of the sliding link on the rod so that there is 1/6in of free play.
Reconnect the handbrake cable and set the eye bolt adjuster (by the frame cylinder) till the handbrake lever is correctly positioned when on.
If there's insufficient adjustment available to enable the above the brake compensator can be moved up or down its threaded rod to give more scope* (either nearer to or further away from the axle). If you remove the grease nipple it will usually (just) unwind without removing the mounting bracket.
Slacken the rear brake adjusters until the wheels revolve freely.
*I've known loads of people throw away a perfectly serviceable brake cable thinking it had stretched....
With the car supported on the rear axle....
Disconnect the brake cable from the compensator whippletree on the rear axle.
Adjust the brake shoes up in both rear wheels until they lock the drums.
Remove the clevis pin from the handbrake lever sliding joint.
Push the linkage towards the rear as far as it will go (until the frame cylinder is fully retracted).
With the handbrake lever in the fully off position, adjust the position of the sliding link on the rod so that there is 1/6in of free play.
Reconnect the handbrake cable and set the eye bolt adjuster (by the frame cylinder) till the handbrake lever is correctly positioned when on.
If there's insufficient adjustment available to enable the above the brake compensator can be moved up or down its threaded rod to give more scope* (either nearer to or further away from the axle). If you remove the grease nipple it will usually (just) unwind without removing the mounting bracket.
Slacken the rear brake adjusters until the wheels revolve freely.
*I've known loads of people throw away a perfectly serviceable brake cable thinking it had stretched....
Last edited by Neil Evans on Tue Feb 22, 2022 9:19 am, edited 3 times in total.
Club Technical Information Officer
A30/A35 Club Member A191 (since 1972)
Father of the club's only love child
A30/A35 Club Member A191 (since 1972)
Father of the club's only love child
Re: Adjusting Rear Brakes
That's helpful, but you may have as well been speaking French. Think I will get my mate to do it.
Re: Adjusting Rear Brakes
Actually those superb instructions are easier to follow than you might expect, even for the uninitiated. There’s no ambiguity and those technical terms quickly fall into place once you’ve studied the workshop manual diagrams and/or crawled under the car.simonA30 wrote:you may have as well been speaking French. Think I will get my mate to do it.
Chris T.
400,000+ A30 miles in 40 years
Austins <=> sustAin
Austins <=> sustAin
-
- Posts: 5896
- Joined: Mon Apr 21, 2008 1:00 pm
- Location: High Wycombe, Bucks
Re: Adjusting Rear Brakes
As Chris says.
There is no one with more knowledge of A30/A35,s than Neil.
There is no one with more knowledge of A30/A35,s than Neil.
- Neil Evans
- Posts: 12180
- Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 1:06 am
- Committee Role: Technical Officer
- Location: Boston, Lincolnshire
- x 11
- x 25
Re: Adjusting Rear Brakes
Avec la voiture appuyée sur l'essieu arrière....
Débranchez le câble de frein du whippletree du compensateur sur l'essieu arrière.
Ajustez les sabots de frein vers le haut dans les deux roues arrière jusqu'à ce qu'ils bloquent les tambours.
Retirez l'axe de chape du joint coulissant du levier de frein à main.
Poussez la tringlerie vers l'arrière aussi loin que possible (jusqu'à ce que le vérin du cadre soit complètement rétracté).
Avec le levier de frein à main en position complètement éteinte, ajustez la position de la liaison coulissante sur la tige de sorte qu'il y ait 1/6 po de jeu libre.
Rebranchez le câble de frein à main et réglez le dispositif de réglage du boulon à œil (près du cylindre du cadre) jusqu'à ce que le levier de frein à main soit correctement positionné lorsqu'il est activé.
Si le réglage du câble de frein est insuffisant pour activer ce qui précède, le compensateur de freinage peut être déplacé vers le haut ou vers le bas de sa tige filetée pour donner plus de portée * (plus près ou plus loin de l'essieu). Si vous retirez le graisseur, il se déroulera généralement (juste) sans retirer le support de montage.
Desserrez les régleurs de frein arrière jusqu'à ce que les roues tournent librement.
* J'ai connu des tas de gens qui jetaient un câble de frein parfaitement utilisable en pensant qu'il s'était étiré...
Club Technical Information Officer
A30/A35 Club Member A191 (since 1972)
Father of the club's only love child
A30/A35 Club Member A191 (since 1972)
Father of the club's only love child
Re: Adjusting Rear Brakes
I hadn't heard the term "Whippletree" before & somehow know exactly what you're talking about!
- Neil Evans
- Posts: 12180
- Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 1:06 am
- Committee Role: Technical Officer
- Location: Boston, Lincolnshire
- x 11
- x 25
Re: Adjusting Rear Brakes
It would seem the french haven't either...
Club Technical Information Officer
A30/A35 Club Member A191 (since 1972)
Father of the club's only love child
A30/A35 Club Member A191 (since 1972)
Father of the club's only love child
- A40FARINAGURU
- Posts: 16413
- Joined: Tue Mar 30, 2010 8:14 am
- Committee Role: A35 Registrar
- Location: Birmingham (Home of the Austin)
- x 21
Re: Adjusting Rear Brakes
I always call it a compensator
Nick Bayliss
Club's A35 (Saloon) Registrar, South Midlands Area Contact
Email, a35@austina30a35ownersclub.co.uk
Connected with A30/A35's for 63 years
A30/A35 Member A1372 (since 1981)
Club's A35 (Saloon) Registrar, South Midlands Area Contact
Email, a35@austina30a35ownersclub.co.uk
Connected with A30/A35's for 63 years
A30/A35 Member A1372 (since 1981)
Re: Adjusting Rear Brakes
Me too. I always dismissed whippletree/whiffletree/swingletree as just nonsense engineer dialect for thingummybob. How wrong: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whippletr ... chanism%29
Beautiful!
Chris T.
P.S. Where's Curtis for that French translation?
400,000+ A30 miles in 40 years
Austins <=> sustAin
Austins <=> sustAin
- A40FARINAGURU
- Posts: 16413
- Joined: Tue Mar 30, 2010 8:14 am
- Committee Role: A35 Registrar
- Location: Birmingham (Home of the Austin)
- x 21
Re: Adjusting Rear Brakes
When i worked on commercials we called them compensators, haven't you heard of google translateChris T wrote: ↑Thu Feb 24, 2022 2:40 pmMe too. I always dismissed whippletree/whiffletree/swingletree as just nonsense engineer dialect for thingummybob. How wrong: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whippletr ... chanism%29
Beautiful!
Chris T.
P.S. Where's Curtis for that French translation?
Nick Bayliss
Club's A35 (Saloon) Registrar, South Midlands Area Contact
Email, a35@austina30a35ownersclub.co.uk
Connected with A30/A35's for 63 years
A30/A35 Member A1372 (since 1981)
Club's A35 (Saloon) Registrar, South Midlands Area Contact
Email, a35@austina30a35ownersclub.co.uk
Connected with A30/A35's for 63 years
A30/A35 Member A1372 (since 1981)
- A40FARINAGURU
- Posts: 16413
- Joined: Tue Mar 30, 2010 8:14 am
- Committee Role: A35 Registrar
- Location: Birmingham (Home of the Austin)
- x 21
Re: Adjusting Rear Brakes
Just for Chris (google translate)
With the car leaning on the rear axle...
Disconnect the brake cable from the compensator whippletree on the rear axle.
Adjust the brake shoes upwards in both rear wheels until they lock the drums.
Remove the clevis pin from the handbrake lever slip joint.
Push the linkage rearward as far as it will go (until the frame cylinder is fully retracted).
With the handbrake lever in the full off position, adjust the position of the sliding link on the rod so that there is 1/6 in. of free play.
Reconnect the handbrake cable and adjust the eyebolt adjuster (near the frame cylinder) until the handbrake lever is correctly positioned when activated.
If the brake cable adjustment is insufficient to activate the above, the brake compensator can be moved up or down its threaded rod to give more reach* (closer or farther from the axle) . If you remove the grease fitting, it will usually (just) unwind without removing the mounting bracket.
Loosen the rear brake adjusters until the wheels spin freely.
* I've known loads of people who threw away a perfectly serviceable brake cable thinking it had stretched...
With the car leaning on the rear axle...
Disconnect the brake cable from the compensator whippletree on the rear axle.
Adjust the brake shoes upwards in both rear wheels until they lock the drums.
Remove the clevis pin from the handbrake lever slip joint.
Push the linkage rearward as far as it will go (until the frame cylinder is fully retracted).
With the handbrake lever in the full off position, adjust the position of the sliding link on the rod so that there is 1/6 in. of free play.
Reconnect the handbrake cable and adjust the eyebolt adjuster (near the frame cylinder) until the handbrake lever is correctly positioned when activated.
If the brake cable adjustment is insufficient to activate the above, the brake compensator can be moved up or down its threaded rod to give more reach* (closer or farther from the axle) . If you remove the grease fitting, it will usually (just) unwind without removing the mounting bracket.
Loosen the rear brake adjusters until the wheels spin freely.
* I've known loads of people who threw away a perfectly serviceable brake cable thinking it had stretched...
Nick Bayliss
Club's A35 (Saloon) Registrar, South Midlands Area Contact
Email, a35@austina30a35ownersclub.co.uk
Connected with A30/A35's for 63 years
A30/A35 Member A1372 (since 1981)
Club's A35 (Saloon) Registrar, South Midlands Area Contact
Email, a35@austina30a35ownersclub.co.uk
Connected with A30/A35's for 63 years
A30/A35 Member A1372 (since 1981)
Re: Adjusting Rear Brakes
Nick, the procedure is in plain English at the top of this thread! I was really interested in the translation of whippletree. As it happens, swingletree translates as balançoire...
Chris T
400,000+ A30 miles in 40 years
Austins <=> sustAin
Austins <=> sustAin
- A40FARINAGURU
- Posts: 16413
- Joined: Tue Mar 30, 2010 8:14 am
- Committee Role: A35 Registrar
- Location: Birmingham (Home of the Austin)
- x 21
Re: Adjusting Rear Brakes
Nick Bayliss
Club's A35 (Saloon) Registrar, South Midlands Area Contact
Email, a35@austina30a35ownersclub.co.uk
Connected with A30/A35's for 63 years
A30/A35 Member A1372 (since 1981)
Club's A35 (Saloon) Registrar, South Midlands Area Contact
Email, a35@austina30a35ownersclub.co.uk
Connected with A30/A35's for 63 years
A30/A35 Member A1372 (since 1981)
- Neil Evans
- Posts: 12180
- Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 1:06 am
- Committee Role: Technical Officer
- Location: Boston, Lincolnshire
- x 11
- x 25
Re: Adjusting Rear Brakes
Should have gone to Specsavers...A40FARINAGURU wrote: ↑Fri Feb 25, 2022 5:06 pm
Club Technical Information Officer
A30/A35 Club Member A191 (since 1972)
Father of the club's only love child
A30/A35 Club Member A191 (since 1972)
Father of the club's only love child
-
- Posts: 1752
- Joined: Mon Apr 07, 2008 10:19 pm
- Committee Role: Chairman
- Location: Newton Abbot, Devon
- x 1
Re: Adjusting Rear Brakes
Referred to this when doing mine yesterday.....most helpful and a great handbrake
Mark Bouskill
Chairman
Van and Countryman Registrar
Chairman
Van and Countryman Registrar