Parking Brake Problem

[Phil D.]

My 69 has developed a knocking from the right rear wheel. I got this notion to hang a cheap web cam under the car and see if I could record what was going on. Nothing visually evident but you can hear the noise.

Brake Noise

It seems that the front parking shoe is not being retained flat against the backing plate. I read somewhere that there was a possibility of the shoes catching on the wheel studs, but I see no evidence of that.

Anchor Pin

I bent those tabs flat on the retainer pin, and drove it again, but the noise did not go away. Then I removed the parking brake shoes completely and drove it and this time the noise did go away so that confirms it has something to do with the parking brake.

My next thought was possibly that one or more of the caliper pistons were jammed, but they all move freely. Now my dilemma. I don't understand why activating the disk brake is causing the parking brake to grab. I hate to just go and order all new parking brake stuff and that not fix it. Anyone have any insight?

[Michael G.]

Re: Parking Brake Problem

You should check for movement in either the spindle or the brake backing plate. Apparently your disc brakes are able to pull the rotor slightly offsetting the parking brake pads and drum alignment. Are the rear bearings original, and how many miles are on them?

[Phil D.]

Re: Parking Brake Problem

You should check for movement in either the spindle or the brake backing plate. Apparently your disc brakes are able to pull the rotor slightly offsetting the parking brake pads and drum alignment. Are the rear bearings original, and how many miles are on them?

I have no idea if the rear bearings are original or not. Showing over 130K on the odometer and went through something of a restoration between about 2000 and 2004 by a previous owner. Possibly the trailer arms have been redone, but mabe not. How can I check for spindle movement? Pulling and pushing on it with my own strength doesn't seem to budge anything and everything seems very tight.

[Gerard F.]

Re: Parking Brake Problem

Phil,

That clank, clank, clank from the rear wheel sounds like a wheel bearing going to me. You don't want to wind up like this:



I thought it was the parking brake too, and that I could limp on home after a chapter meet.

You can test them by grabbing the spindle with both hands and trying to rock the spindle back and forth, up and down, not in and out. You will notice an excessive play.

The rear wheel bearings were "lubed for life" with "life" being 50K miles.

I learned my lesson. After 2 new trailing arms and about $2500. I'm back on the road, and consider myself lucky.

[Michael G.]

Re: Parking Brake Problem

It's better to have the wheel attached. This will give you a bit more leverage to check for wobble. You can use whatever method you feel safe with, but have the wheel off the ground slightly but not resting in the lower most position of travel. This may put enough tension from the half shaft to give you a false sense of tightness. Grab the tire in various positions and check for movement. Spin the wheel a quarter turn and try again. Acceptable endplay is almost undetectable by this test. If you have movement, you have a problem.

[Phil D.]

Re: Parking Brake Problem

Thanks guys. Y'all pegged it. At a certain point, there is movement. Looks like its time for trailing arms. I sure would have thought it had something to do with the parking brakes tho since removing the parking brake shoes made the noise go away, but apparently, as Michael said, applying the disk brake was forcing a change in the geometry between the parking brake shoes and the hub, causing them to grab and let go once each revolution. Wonder how long this is going to take me? I was looking forward to the Lone Star Corvette Classic on the 16th.

Phil

[Gerard F.]

Re: Parking Brake Problem

Phil,

I got the two new trailing arms for my 67 from Paragon, but they actually came from Ikerd's. They came complete with the parking brake and riveted on rotors ready to be bolted on. I bought new pivot bolts, shims and brake lines to be sure I had everything necessary.

It took me a week to make the decision, called Paragon and told them my situation, and I had the two trailing arms on my doorstep in a week. Then a week to get a mechanic to make a house call and change the failed one in the yard. (I could not move the car from the yard where the tow truck dropped it). It only took 2 1/2 hours in the yard. Then a few days later, a couple of hours in a shop for the other one with a rear end alignment.

I was back on the road in 3 weeks.

Paragon gave me a 10% discount and I'm now on their 15% discount program for many items. Although the complete package in parts was expensive, it sure saved a lot of shop time, and was the quickest way to get back on the road. And the bonus was that my parking brake finally worked correctly (You can also order them with or without the holes for the rear torsion bar mount)

I think there's a story on this in the upcoming summer Restorer.

[Gerard F.]

Re: Parking Brake Problem

Phil,

Here's the thread on my wheel bearing saga:
https://www.forums.ncrs.org/showthre...72618&uid=9162

[Clark K.]

Re: Parking Brake Problem

Phil, if time is short, consider taking your car to Mid-Cities Classics in Euless, Texas. Sounds like you must live in North Texas since you are planning to attend the Lone Star Corvette Club's Corvette Classic at Texas Motor Speedway mid-May. I am going, too. Call Jim Welch, the owner of Mid-Cities: 817-685-9433. He completely rebuilt my '65's trailing arms in March in only a few days. -Clark

[Jim T.]

Re: Parking Brake Problem

Phil you can go here www.bairs.com and check out what they do in rebuilding your control arms.
Bairs will supply shipping boxes. Lots of new parts are installed with their rebuilding services and they guarantee their work. Have been in business a long time.
Rotors rivetted to spindles and trued as an assembly, not many rebuilders do this.
Mine were done by Bairs 20 years ago. Only wish I had know of Bairs services earlier.
Bairs advertises in the NCRS Driveline.

[John S.]

Re: Parking Brake Problem

Jerry,
You mention a parking brake issue before you replaced the bearings. What was the issue? I am asking because I can not get my parking brake to work as well as it should. i.e.: on a slight incline car will still roll with it applied. My car only has 34k miles. I am going to go out on Tuesday and check for wheel bearing play. Crossing my fingers there as I am going to Tahoe in a few weeks!

John Seeley
67 Black/Teal coupe

[Phil D.]

Re: Parking Brake Problem

Hey thanks. You're name is familiar. We met a couple weeks ago at the Christian Classic Cruisers. I was the Lemans Blue 69. I also got the name of a guy in Weatherford who does them and supposedly knows what NCRS judges look for. And there's the Andersons shop here in Fort Worth. Seems there's lots of resources around Fort Worth to do them locally. I'll try to make the LSCC but its not even quite three weeks away, the trailing arms are still in the car, and I can't get them out till this weekend. Or at least I'm guessing I might as well do both sides at the same time.

Phil, if time is short, consider taking your car to .... -Clark

[John S.]

Re: Parking Brake Problem

Phil,
Name is familiar because there are 2 John Seeleys in the NCRS. Unbelievable huh? I have tried contacting the other one but he has not responded. I am in California and as far as I know we have not met. One day maybe! Good luck with your fix.

John Seeley

[Phil D.]

Re: Parking Brake Problem

Phil,
Name is familiar because there are 2 John Seeleys in the NCRS. Unbelievable huh? I have tried contacting the other one but he has not responded. I am in California and as far as I know we have not met. One day maybe! Good luck with your fix.

John Seeley

No, I meant I met Clark Kirby. But he's two people too. Or at least he's got two first names, or is that two last names?

[Gerard F.]

Re: Parking Brake Problem

John,

My 67 with 65k miles had the same parking brake issue you describe, in that it wouldn't set on a slight incline. I went through the adjustment a number of times, but no cigar.

Before the wheel bearing incident, I had bought a new stainless steel parking brake kit and was getting prepared to drill out the rotor rivets.
But I had to make this one chapter meet before addressing the brake.

In leaving the chapter meet only 100 miles from home, I started to hear this clank, clank, clank from the left rear. Playing with the parking brake, the noise seemed to go away, so I figured that was it. But 10 miles down the road, I found out differently.

At 34K, your bearings are probably OK. I would go through the parking brake adjustment if you think it is not holding correctly. Remember it is not an emergency brake, and most don't really hold well anyway.

As it turned out with mine, one of the mickey mouse clips which hold the cable in place was missing after the wheel bearing incident. This may have been the root of the parking brake problem all along.

Now that I have two new trailing arms, the parking brake issue is resolved with all new parking brake gear and riveted on rotors. Maybe I'll bring up my parking brake kit to Tahoe, see you there.