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Handbrake adjustment

losh1971

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Is there any reason i can't adjust my handbrake with the cable, instead of ripping the rear rotors off?
 

vs-lover

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I've just done my lads car and simply adjusted the long threaded rod operated by the handbrake. It's always worked ok for me.
 

losh1971

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Great thanks VS-lover. I was hoping i could just adjust the rod. It's a fair bit of messing around to adjust the shoes. I'd rather do that when i have lots of time. Rod is 5 min job with the pit. I will do it with the oil change tomorrow.
 

shane_3800

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Great thanks VS-lover. I was hoping i could just adjust the rod. It's a fair bit of messing around to adjust the shoes. I'd rather do that when i have lots of time. Rod is 5 min job with the pit. I will do it with the oil change tomorrow.
Is it IRS or live axle? if its live axle you'll never get a good hand brake.
but if you adjust the cable and the shoes are out of adjustment you can get to a point where the cable is tensioning the shoes just of engagement. This is bad as the cable is meant to have no load on it while the brakes are disengaged.
 

vs-lover

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Hi Shane,

I get all that and totally understand how the absolute correct way is to adjust the handbrake assembly, but really its "6 of one half a dozen of the other". If the cable can't handle a small amount of pre load spring tension then I'll give the game away and buy a Hyundai and get it serviced by a stealer. LOL !

If I'm correct they discontinued the threaded rod at the base of the handbrake lever on VT onwards.

BTW Shane, why do you state you'll never get a good handbrake on a Live Axle set up as the principals of components are pretty much the same, just that you don't have the 5 extra adjuster holes in the rotor faces.
 
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Trevor loves holden.

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Why do you need take off the rotors, the vr adjusting wheel access is from the hole on the rotor, correct way to get both to have the same tension is by adjusting the shoes, doing the cable up wont put equal pressure on each side. Back off the handbrake nut and then adjust the cog until rotor stops spinning and then back it off 3-4 turns or until they spin freely, both wheels off and on car stands of course, then adjust the nut on handbrake cable if needs doing till you get around 5 clicks, VT are the same but I like the cog on the VR better its more like a star the VT have little notches and it makes it harder to turn without it slipping, after adjusting the back shoes I then pull up the handbrake to 5 clicks and tighten the nut to 14Nm.
 

losh1971

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Why do you need take off the rotors, the vr adjusting wheel access is from the hole on the rotor.
VR ute doesn't have the holes Trevor, if it did I wouldn't have asked the question. ;);)
 

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losh1971

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My rotors are 12 months old, won't be replacing them just to adjust a handbrake. Mine could have 50 holes it still won't work ;). There is no access to the rotor. Here is a pic for those who think i don't know what I'm talking about.
20191105_122611.jpg
 

woteva

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My rotors are 12 months old, won't be replacing them just to adjust a handbrake. Mine could have 50 holes it still won't work ;). There is no access to the rotor. Here is a pic for those who think i don't know what I'm talking about. View attachment 207699
Adjsutment is done from the outside
 
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