Parking brakes

[bubbl]

The parking brake on my '69 280 SL would barely hold the car on a quite moderate hill.  I had the shop replace the brake shoes, checked the drum surface, which was smooth and even, etc.  The repaired brakes perform even worse!  The size of the drum and shoes appear to be quite small compared to the force they must exert to keep the car on a steep hill, so I wonder whether this is a built-in weakness of the design.  One shop told me that the drums should be cross-hatched to increase friction.  Does anyone know anything about this?

Charles Ostrofe.  510-654-6626

[badali]

See if the cable is tight enough.  I think the adjustment is on the handle inside the car.

[jameshoward]

I think you need to find a decent mechanic. The handbrake is perfectly adequate and will lock up moving wheels when pulled up if adjusted properly. It will certainly hold a car on a steep hill. And they don't need to be cross hatched. There is an adjustment on the handbrake lever. It's a chromed, knurled knob with small holes in it. But that's more for fine adjustment. If the brakes are set up properly, you won't need to rely on the nut to carry out major adjustments. The process may be set out in the Wiki or a search on the site may produce something. It's certainly in the BBB and the Haynes Manual. That said, any decent mechanic should be able to set up the handbrake for you. The handbrake ratchet should come up 4-5 clicks, as I recall.

Lastly, you mention a 'drum.' I assume you're referring to the inside of the brake disk onto which the brake pads activate to slow the car when using the foot brake. The 230 has rear drum brakes, and a therefore completely different setup and different brake cables.