Brake Levers Attached to Brake Shoes

[PWS]

On youtube I encountered the following video discussing the installation of the two brake levers for the rear brakes. He states that the two brake levers for both left and right sides are identical parts, but that it matters how you place them on the two sides. He had a situation in which, after adjusting the tension on two new cables, there was a significant difference in the amount of thread remaining above the two nuts at the E-brake handle up front. He ended up switching the two levers between the two sides and solved his problem. He claims that they can be installed either way, and either way may look OK, but there's only one correct way to do this. Any comments? I may have the problem he describes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAN3wIz-yXM
(1961 VW Beetle--Fixing Rear Brake Mistake). I have a '65 Beetle. Maybe what he says does not apply to my Bug.

[Cusser]

Yes, for some weird reason VW did not make a "mirror image" brake lever for the other side. So on one side the spring will sit in the oval depression on the lever, and on the other side the spring will ride on the oval hump. That's just the way it is.
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1970 VW (owned since 1972) and 1971 VW Convertible (owned since 1976), second owner of each. The '71 now has the 1835 engine, swapped from the '70. Second owner of each. 1988 Mazda B2200 truck, 1998 Frontier, 2014 Yukon, 2004 Frontier King Cab. All manual transmission except for the Yukon. http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335294 http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335297

[PWS]

Thanks for the reply. I understand perfectly what you are saying. But my concern is not with the linkage between the 2 brake shoes but with the actual lever--the piece that the emergency brake cable attaches to.

[mukluk]

The lever that you attach the parking brake cable to and which is held to the trailing shoe with a clip is not the same for both sides. As can be seen in the video and the reason why he swapped them side to side is there is a definite left and right version (they are mirrored) -- when installed on the correct side the lower end of the lever angles away from the shoe, not toward it. What is the exact same part on both sides is the spreader link that spans between the leading and trailing shoe, whose purpose is to mechanically force the two shoes apart via actuation of the aforementioned lever attached to the brake cables. When properly installed, the double/stepped notch in the link goes toward the trailing shoe, with the parking brake lever resting in the deeper part of the notch. This will result in the upper shoe retraction spring resting down in the reinforcing rib of the link on one side of the car and on top of the rib on the other side -- this is perfectly normal. Over time the notch in the link has a tendency to wear or deepen, which can result in uneven cable adjustment. In some cases swapping the link side to side can even things up, other times it may be best to replace the link(s) with new or less worn.
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1960 Ragtop w/Semaphores "Inga"

[PWS]

Thanks so much for the detailed information. Exactly the help I've been looking for! Tomorrow I'll re-examine my brakes on the two sides. Just to be sure, I'll probably post photos of the two sides. My '65 will be 60 years old next month, and since the linkage has never been replaced, maybe it's past time for some new parts.

[Cusser]

All vehicles: I always do one side at a time, so I can use the other side as a template if necessary.
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1970 VW (owned since 1972) and 1971 VW Convertible (owned since 1976), second owner of each. The '71 now has the 1835 engine, swapped from the '70. Second owner of each. 1988 Mazda B2200 truck, 1998 Frontier, 2014 Yukon, 2004 Frontier King Cab. All manual transmission except for the Yukon. http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335294 http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335297

[PWS]

Before checking out the rear brakes this morning, I screwed the bolts for the adjusting stars all the way in on both sides. On the right hand side the lever is very tight--no free play. And when I pull it toward the opposite side, the shoe on that side begins to move outward, pulling away from its notch in the wheel cylinder. The left hand side is very different. The lever there has a tremendous amount of slack, seems to have no tension on it whatsoever. When I pull it all the way to the left, there is a very, very slight movement in the linkage and the opposite shoe stays completely stationary, unlike the right hand side. I'm not sure whether interchanging the two levers will solve this problem. Maybe there are some brake components I need to replace before considering this. Attaching photos for the two sides. Thanks for your continued help. This is driving me crazy!

[mukluk]

Something is wrong. Looking at the spreader link on both sides, yours are both oriented with the reinforcing rib facing down. Since that part is the same for both sides, ie, there is no right and left version, then you should have the rib facing up on one side and down on the other.

The spreader link has a slot at either end. One slot is a single width and goes into a corresponding slot in the front brake shoe. The other slot is roughly twice as wide with a double depth or stepped appearance. The shallower of the two steps goes into a corresponding slot on the rear brake shoe and the deeper of the two accepts the lever that the parking brake cable attaches to.

Attached to the spreader link is a spring clip that goes over the upper brake shoe retraction spring. In your first picture that clip is facing down and slid all the way to the left, in a position where it may even be fouling on the backing plate. Due to the fact it appears to me the parking brake lever is sitting not as deep into its link as that in the second picture, plus the fact the spring clip is facing down instead of up where it can go over the retraction spring, I'd say most likely the problem is you have the spreader link on your right rear drum installed upside down.

PS, you may also need to reseal the right axle judging by the fluid leaking down onto the adjuster block.
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1960 Ragtop w/Semaphores "Inga"

[Cusser]

[KTPhil]

[PWS]

Today I went back to my right hand side and reoriented the spreader link as Mukluk suggested. I then carefully examined the brakes on both sides. I believe I have the brake levers on their proper sides and that the spreader link is also properly installed at both of its ends. The only discrepancy I noticed between the two sides is in the position of the brake lever when I gently move it up against the notch in the spreader link. On the left hand side I'm in 3/8 inch more than I am on the right hand side. Moreover, the right hand side seems to be working properly; as I now pull on the brake lever by hand, the spreader link moves and the brake shoe is pushed outward. On the left hand side, as I pull on the brake lever, there is very little movement in the spreader link, and the brake shoe moves not at all. So, I'm thinking, install new brake levers and spreader links. Unless you see anything else that is messed up. I reinstalled the clip on the right hand side, but forgot to do so until I had everything assembled. But, installing it from the front (nearest me) I got it around the spring on top but couldn't get the notch snug against the front edge of the link. Do I just need to push it on tighter or go back and install it from the back? And yes, I know I have an axle seal to do; you have good eyes!

[Cusser]

[Dan22]

Looks like it is not engaged in the slot of the shoe on the left. The spreader bar should have a step to the notch. One step touches the shoe and one the lever. I forget which one is deeper, but the design is supposed to keep the spreader bar engaged in the shoe slot.
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1-0900722 die langsame grüne Schildkröte
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=765074

[Schnitzelfuss]

Point of comparison. It may or may not be correct but here’s what I found when I pulled the wheel off my ‘66 Bug when I brought it home.

[meranda]

This is the Handbrake equilising bar,for want of a better name. The single slot always is at the front of the rear brakes and longest of the double slot always faces outwards

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Currently filling the garage
1961 beetle cabrio
1971 Superbug
1974 Porsche 911S Targa
1968 1500 Beetle A Project!
Past Garage fillers dozens of type1 &type3 VWs
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Lancia Flavia Coupe
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[PWS]

I am attaching two final photos of the rear brakes, after having installed the spring clip properly on the right-hand side. Once again, as in my post of 11/27, I measured the difference in the positions of the brake levers and found it to now be a tad bit more than 1/8". Compared with the spreader link on the right, the one on the left seems tilted quite a bit more. Also, when I grasp the spreader link on the right and pull it down, there's a slight movement; on the left, the movement is much more pronounced. I believe I have the links properly installed, so it must be a wear issue. There just seems to be a lot of "slop" on the left side, and the link has no effect on the brake shoe. So, I'll be ordering new parts, some of which are out of stock, so it may be awhile before I can report back. Thanks again for all the help and suggestions.