The Ragtop Express
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Piledriver
- Moderator
- Posts: 22777
- Joined: Sat Feb 16, 2002 12:01 am
Re: The Ragtop Express
I was going to suggest Evaporust, great stuff if you have time to let parts sit.
Addendum to Newtons first law:
zero vehicles on jackstands, square gets a fresh 090 and 1911, cabby gets a blower.
EZ3.6 Vanagon after that.(mounted, needs everything finished) then Creamsicle.
zero vehicles on jackstands, square gets a fresh 090 and 1911, cabby gets a blower.
EZ3.6 Vanagon after that.(mounted, needs everything finished) then Creamsicle.
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TPB_Karl
- Posts: 60
- Joined: Thu Aug 03, 2023 1:59 am
Re: The Ragtop Express
I've been on vacation for a little over a week and never got around to updating what was done before i left...
The bearing caps were painted, as may have been seen in the beckground in earlier pictures.
Then I started disassembling the rear brakes...
I also ground in the new brake shoes to match the drum. These had maybe 10% contact when I started sanding... Dust mask on!!
And just like that, one side was assembled!
I also replaced both parking brake cables
With the bearing cap in place and new seals installed, it was just a matter of fitting the drum, which had gotten a thin layer of black high-temp paint.
The bearing caps were painted, as may have been seen in the beckground in earlier pictures.
Then I started disassembling the rear brakes...
I also ground in the new brake shoes to match the drum. These had maybe 10% contact when I started sanding... Dust mask on!!
And just like that, one side was assembled!
I also replaced both parking brake cables
With the bearing cap in place and new seals installed, it was just a matter of fitting the drum, which had gotten a thin layer of black high-temp paint.
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TPB_Karl
- Posts: 60
- Joined: Thu Aug 03, 2023 1:59 am
Re: The Ragtop Express
With that done, it was time to move on to the front brakes.
The drum was quite a sorry sight, to say the least... But cleanable!
Someone has definitely been here before and replaced the wheel bearings at some point...
After a soak, some sanding, and a bit of paint, that drum turned out nice too.
Once again I sanded the shoes to fit the drum. Here you can see how little contact area there is even after some sanding.
As you can see, the brake shoe is thicker in the middle after sanding. This is something I haven’t tried before… But it kind of feels like it should give better braking power right from the start. Even though the shoes will wear in over time.
With the drum painted and warm after lying in the sun, there was no issue getting the new bearing races in.
Plenty of SKF wheel bearing grease was used to fill the cavity in the drum and pack the bearings.
The brakes were assembled and installed on the car
I had bought these EMPI aluminum locknuts with hex screws to avoid those slightly annoying double nuts. But the aluminum locknuts are huge! And I don't think the center caps for my BRMs will fit over the grease cap. Whether I should cut down and reweld the grease caps, or just bash them in with a hammer, I'll end up going back to double nuts... Right now, it's temporarily tightened since I haven't mounted any locking plates.
Next time I'm in the garage, I'll bring a wheel and test it out! Should be exciting…
Until then!
The drum was quite a sorry sight, to say the least... But cleanable!
Someone has definitely been here before and replaced the wheel bearings at some point...
After a soak, some sanding, and a bit of paint, that drum turned out nice too.
Once again I sanded the shoes to fit the drum. Here you can see how little contact area there is even after some sanding.
As you can see, the brake shoe is thicker in the middle after sanding. This is something I haven’t tried before… But it kind of feels like it should give better braking power right from the start. Even though the shoes will wear in over time.
With the drum painted and warm after lying in the sun, there was no issue getting the new bearing races in.
Plenty of SKF wheel bearing grease was used to fill the cavity in the drum and pack the bearings.
The brakes were assembled and installed on the car
I had bought these EMPI aluminum locknuts with hex screws to avoid those slightly annoying double nuts. But the aluminum locknuts are huge! And I don't think the center caps for my BRMs will fit over the grease cap. Whether I should cut down and reweld the grease caps, or just bash them in with a hammer, I'll end up going back to double nuts... Right now, it's temporarily tightened since I haven't mounted any locking plates.
Next time I'm in the garage, I'll bring a wheel and test it out! Should be exciting…
Until then!
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TPB_Karl
- Posts: 60
- Joined: Thu Aug 03, 2023 1:59 am
Re: The Ragtop Express
The front wheel's center cap fit perfectly over the grease cap. However, it looks like it's taken a bit of a beating earlier in its life.
It fits in the back without any problems too.
I read a bit on the forums about the Flat4 BRM wheels, and apparently the speedometer cable is also supposed to fit inside the center cap if you grind down the grease cap where it bottoms out in the drum. So I ground it down about 3–4 mm and also ground down the end of the speedo cable.
The brakes are mounted on the driver’s side too.
The cable just barely fit!
Had to snap a little inspiration photo with the fender on!
The transmission has also been filled with fluid as well.
It fits in the back without any problems too.
I read a bit on the forums about the Flat4 BRM wheels, and apparently the speedometer cable is also supposed to fit inside the center cap if you grind down the grease cap where it bottoms out in the drum. So I ground it down about 3–4 mm and also ground down the end of the speedo cable.
The brakes are mounted on the driver’s side too.
The cable just barely fit!
Had to snap a little inspiration photo with the fender on!
The transmission has also been filled with fluid as well.
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TPB_Karl
- Posts: 60
- Joined: Thu Aug 03, 2023 1:59 am
Re: The Ragtop Express
Next step was a bit of plumbing. All brake lines and hoses will be replaced, as well as the master cylinder.
The old brake fluid reservoir came out too.
Old and new! Upgrading to a dual-circuit master cylinder.
First, a bit of paint.
Assembled
I reused the original boot for the pedal since it had a better fit and was surprisingly fresh.
Installed in the car and brake lines made.
New lines in the back too, of course.
Before the pedal assembly was mounted, I cleaned the rubber section of the mat behind it.
Then it was just a matter of filling the system and bleeding it. Thanks to Roger (Local Twin Peak Boxers-member) who helped me with this!
Now she’s out! Rolling and braking!
We did discover, however, that one side in the front needs to be adjusted for correct camber… I’ll need to move a few shims in the spindle to correct this.
This also means everything has been filmed for Episode 2. Coming soon! Next step is to get some paint on the repaired areas and fenders.
The old brake fluid reservoir came out too.
Old and new! Upgrading to a dual-circuit master cylinder.
First, a bit of paint.
Assembled
I reused the original boot for the pedal since it had a better fit and was surprisingly fresh.
Installed in the car and brake lines made.
New lines in the back too, of course.
Before the pedal assembly was mounted, I cleaned the rubber section of the mat behind it.
Then it was just a matter of filling the system and bleeding it. Thanks to Roger (Local Twin Peak Boxers-member) who helped me with this!
Now she’s out! Rolling and braking!
We did discover, however, that one side in the front needs to be adjusted for correct camber… I’ll need to move a few shims in the spindle to correct this.
This also means everything has been filmed for Episode 2. Coming soon! Next step is to get some paint on the repaired areas and fenders.
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TPB_Karl
- Posts: 60
- Joined: Thu Aug 03, 2023 1:59 am
Re: The Ragtop Express
These past months work can now be seen in video format on Youtube.. This episode turned out to be longer than expected...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5payLHdEbnU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5payLHdEbnU