How good should my brakes be?

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[December 30, 2008, 04:29:43 PM] brand70: its fuel injected

[December 30, 2008, 05:34:19 PM] rusty71: We have a 1971 VW Bus and would like to shorten it.  Does anyone out there know how to cut the bus in half.  Do you have pics

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[December 30, 2008, 10:30:12 PM] zenos1988: i heard about a place in alamogordo new mexico where they can build a vw bus fromth  ground up for 12000.

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[January 03, 2009, 09:03:52 PM] rusty71: http://www.lovemybus.com/forum/index.php?action=activate;u=1710;code=d31dc185bf

[January 03, 2009, 09:04:09 PM] nwflgirl: I sewed new bus curtains and they ROCK..pics in the morning..

[January 03, 2009, 09:07:03 PM] rusty71:  We have a 1971 VW Bus and would like to shorten it.  Does anyone out there know how to cut the bus in half.  Do you have 

[January 04, 2009, 07:18:08 AM] edwin .s.nathan: I live in a tropical country ie malaysia.Need to install air conditioning.Any idea on where to put the vents

[January 05, 2009, 10:21:13 AM] BusManVW70: Hello everyone Im new to the site and I have just added some pictures of my 1970 VW Camper his name is Fred enjoy..

[olylawnboy]

Ok, I have a 68 with drums on all fours. Have replaced all the shoes, rebuilt all the wheel cyliders, and patched up my resivor so it does not leak (have a new one but haven't installed it yet). Ther're all blead and there is very little free play at all to the pedal. There is no pull at all to either side and I have had no problems with stopping  Yet I have never tried a real panic stop. I've thought about it but have not really tried it (too much stuff inside). Should a bus with just drum brakes come to a screaching stop? I guess speed would be a factor here so how about slamming on the brakes at say 25 mph or 35 or 50? Would you expect the brakes to lock up at those speeds and skid? And what about the parking brake? Is it a parking brake or a E-brake? And if one yanked that, would it lock up the rear brakes and skid the bus to a stop?
Should I just not worry about all this brake stuff and just teach my wife how to drive the bus?

[In_Tow]

Kevin does his best to keep lots of distance between him and the car ahead. But, this is Houston....the last "slam on the brake" stop produced a nice little skid. Woogie is a '71 with disc brakes in front and drums in the back.

I am not quite driving the 63 beetle.... he's got a pedal issue... but he's drums all around. Of course, there's a weight difference, too, so the effect would not be exactly the same, but similar.

Guess this is not a very helpful answer.  I'd say not to worry about it and keep as much distance as possible between you and the other cars out there. Someone up here is bound to have the answer you're looking for.

[Gekko]

If your bus has all drum brakes, don't expect to come to a s creeching hault, especiallly if you have a load in your bus. The bus is heavy and when you add a load it makes it that much heavier and stopping is somewhat impaired. I'm not saying it's not possible, as In_Tow mentioned, Woogie did a nice little skid when I had to apply the brakes quickly the other day. But he didn't just stop, I had to really push down on that brake pedal, I thought I was going to brake it. (Get it? Brake it?)

A lot I guess, will depend on your load and how well your brakes are adjusted. Adjustment is a key factor as well. If your brakes aren't adjusted properly then not-so-good things can happen.

Your hand brake is both an E-brake and a parking brake, at least I've used mine as both. Will it lock up your back brakes and bring you to a screeching hault? Again, how well are your brakes adjusted?

Distance is my "best friend". I always pump my brakes before aproaching any stop. People don't realize when you pull in front of a 37 year old bus, your putting yourself, and others in danger. Since, I do realized this, I keep my distance. But there are occassion where I have still had to brake hard.

Don't fret too much over this. Just keep some distance, know your load, pump your brakes to slow you before a stop, and keep those brakes adjusted.

If you want, try a few panic stops in your bus and get know what your bus will or won't do in that type of situation.

I hope this helps some.

Take care and have fun!!!

[olylawnboy]

Once again thanks for your replys Just so you know, I learned to drive in the early 70's and the thing at the time was to "drive defensively" so leaving lots of room between me and the next vehicle is second nature Also driving this 40 yo bus and it's old school braking system is turning me into a brake geek. Like I said in another thread, I've replaced the shoes, rebuilt the wheel cyliders, blead, and adjusted Winnies brakes to just shy of perfection. OK maybe I didn't put it just like that I really just have not put them to a full panic stop test yet and will do so real soon. I really have to clean things up inside first so not to have things from the back flying towards me and the windscreen
Gekko, when you say you always pump your brakes before any stop, do you mean pump them like you would to slow yourself down on snow or ice for control? Or do you mean to pump them to compress any air you may have in your hydraulic system? You said twice "pump your brakes" and I'm just not sure what you mean by that cause in my thinking a tight hydraulic system would just require a constant pressure to the pedal not a pumping action. In a perfect hydrlaulic world the same pressure applied to the pedal would be applied to the shoes right? Anyway.... thanks

[Gekko]

Hey Oly,

Answer to your question is in blue below.

Gekko, when you say you always pump your brakes before any stop, do you mean pump them like you would to slow yourself down on snow or ice for control? Or do you mean to pump them to compress any air you may have in your hydraulic system?

I always begin to slow Woogie before approaching to close to a stop. In a more modern vehicle I don't have to start slowing until I'm much closer to where I need to stop. Woogie doesn't stop that fast, so to keep from having to come to a screeching hault, like I did the other day, I pump my brakes to slow before applying constant pressure. I've learned in the past that pumping brakes will help decrease the wear and tear on the brake pads and can also help with gas mileage.

The Smith Driving System was a defensive class I've taken a couple of times while woking for DHL in the past. Not a bad system. They use the All Good Kids Like Milk system (AGKLM).

A - Aim high in driving - look ahead
G - Get the big picture - look around and anticipate the actions of other drivers
K - Keep your eyes moving - look ahead and use your mirrors constantly
L - Leave yourself an out - always leave room on either side of your vehicle in case you need to swerve around someone.
M - Make sure they see you - tap that horn to catch a driver's or pedestrian's attention

I know there was no need for the above mentioned Smith System, but....

Okay, I'm going to bed!

Peace

[vdubyah73]

I've always liked my brakes to be a wee bit better than the guy in front of me!

[vwbuscrazy]

Fun topic, At high speeds I just pray ...." o Lord, please keep that light green' I'm not kidding either! My bus is the only vehicle where I will usually always run a yellow as the stopping power in my 64 is well....hard to stop! I have just had new brakes installed along with a new master cylinder and same ol same old! As another poster stated ....distance is key!

[olylawnboy]

Thanks Gekko! I think. Maybe things are not quite the same as I don't have brake pads, I have shoes. Though I do understand what you mean. The AG... well we learned that in drivers ed in high school in 71.
Bill...
buscrazy... "At high speeds"...

[Dj:Eep]

Yes the drums should bring you to a screeching halt, if you have a strong leg.  No you don't want to do that.

And the disc brakes should stop on a dime.  I've had my '71 doing a screeching nose wheelie before, when a woman pulled out about 50ft in front of me while I was going 30mph.  Stopped just in time.  She didn't seem to care that she was almost broadsided by a two ton hunk of steel.