[T3] Early Front Brake Cylinders?

Soren Jacobsen snj at pobox.com
Wed Jul 31 22:21:16 PDT 2013


On Jul 11, 2013, at 6:42 AM, Jim Adney <jadney at vwtype3.org> wrote:

> Soren, thanks for the info. I wonder why the microfilm doesn't 
> mention the earliest version. At least this clears up my question 
> about the differences between versions 3 & 4.
> 
> You posted the same link for versions 2 & 3. Just to be sure, could 
> you post the correct link for version 3 please.

Oops, sorry about the link mis-paste. The 64-65 cylinders look like this (these particular ones are 65s): http://blef.org/vw/t3/20121123-frontdrumbrakes.jpg  P.S. If anyone's got VW-stamped front brake shoe cores for a '65, drop me a line.

> Can you explain why VW made version 4? It appears that the brake 
> shoes were the same, and if the narrow slots of version 3 caused a 
> problem, why wouldn't version 4 superceed version 3?

I've wondered about the reason for widening the slots, and have never been able to come up with a good reason for it. As you note, the same brake shoes are used for both applications.

> I bought a tube of the Brake Cylinder Paste from VW many years ago. 
> It came with the cap cracked so it could not be sealed and the 
> contents were "spoiled." Russ confirmed that they tended to do this, 
> even in a shop where it would get used up rather quickly. Is your 
> experience similar?

I've not had that problem, fortunately. The main problem I have is keeping the damn tube clean. I make a mess of it every time I use the stuff, somehow.

> Where do you buy yours?

I've never seen it in the states, unfortunately. I bought this tube from a guy in Germany.  If you do some searching online, you can find a few people in Europe selling it.

Soren

P.S. Sorry about the delay here. After composing this message, I forgot to hit send and didn't realize it until just now.






> On 11 Jul 2013 at 2:56, snj at pobox.com wrote:
> 
>> On 07/08 14:34, Jim Adney wrote:
> 
>>> I've never had a Type 3 early enough to have front drum brakes,
>> 
>> Consider yourself lucky! ;)  Discs are wonderful.
>> 
>>> so I'm not familiar with the different versions that were used on the
>>> '61-65 cars. The microfilm shows 3 versions. Version 2 & 3 look alike
>>> and use the same illustration; version 1 looks completely different.
>> 
>> There are four different versions, and two distinct shapes.  I guess
>> three versions if you exclude adjusters and pistons and refer only to
>> cylinder bodies.
>> 
>> Early (first 27k) Notchbacks and T34s used 20.64mm cylinders, which look
>> like this: http://images.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/pix/4202947.jpg
>> 
>> Squarebacks used 22.22mm cylinders from the beginning, and Notchbacks
>> and T34s joined the party in March of 62.  These cylinders share the
>> same overall shape as the early 20.64mm versions.  Here's one:
>> http://images.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/pix/4202961.jpg
>> 
>> For 1964 and 1965, a new shape of cylinder was introduced.  They look
>> like this: http://images.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/pix/4202961.jpg
>> 
>>> I have some of those version 2 or 3 cylinders here that people have 
>>> sent me, and they all look alike except for one little detail: The 
>>> slot in the piston, for the brake shoe, is ~4mm wide in some and ~6mm 
>>> wide in others. From looking at the parts lists, only the pistons and 
>>> adjusters seem to be different. (VW did not sell the body castings 
>>> separately, so there might be some minor difference that I haven't 
>>> noticed.) All are 22.2 mm (7/8") dia. I don't have most of the 
>>> adjusters, so I can't check the slot widths in them, but I assume 
>>> they were the same 2 widths.
>>> 
>>> Can anyone tell me if this is the difference and, if so, which one is 
>>> the earlier version?
>> 
>> Yes, this is indeed the difference.  The earlier (1964) one is the
>> narrower version.  I've not seen any differences in the bodies.
>> 
>>> And, BTW, if you have brake parts that you think might be useful 
>>> someday. Please don't just set them aside to rebuild later, when you 
>>> need them. Brake parts left sitting with brake fluid in them will 
>>> rust badly in storage and become much less likely to be rebuildable. 
>>> Rebuild them NOW, then store them dry.
>> 
>> And since we're on the topic of best practices for brake components, be
>> sure to apply some brake paste on the sealing surfaces when reassembling
>> the cylinders.  I use ATe's paste (Bremszylinder-Paste), pictured here:
>> http://blef.org/vw/brakepaste.jpg
>> 
>> That only applies to glycol-based brake fluid users, of course.  I'm
>> sure Jim will correct me if I'm wrong, but those of you using silicone
>> brake fluid should just use a bit of fluid for lubrication upon
>> assembly.
>> 
>> Soren
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> 
> 
> -- 
> *******************************
> Jim Adney, jadney at vwtype3.org
> Madison, Wisconsin, USA
> *******************************
> 
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