hi, i'm working on my 37 ford panel and i'm redoing the brakes. i've attached a picture of a c type clamp that holds the shoes and e brake leavers in place. mine are damaged and i was wondering if i can just substitute a regular c clip instead of the original which seem very fragile at this point. thanks
I probably wouldn’t put a c clip unless it was very heavy duty and fit really tight. Used to be able to get those clips at any part store. Can’t take a hammer and mash that flat and reuse it?
No it won't And that's terrible advice.... The part he is looking for is called is a parking brake lever to brake shoe clip. Or horseshoe brake clip. They are meant to be 1 time use only. They are designed to positively lock the lever to the shoe without the chance to come off or being removed and reused. The clip you have shown can and will come loose. If it was an acceptable substitute, there wouldn't be a specific piece of hardware designed for the intended use. Don't cheap out on a .40 cent parts on brakes. The damage it will do is much more expensive than replacing them with correct parts.
I (almost) fully agree. These grip roughly 3/4 of the circumference of the shaft, unlike a E clip that only has those three small tabs. I have however reused these. If I can get it off without boogering it up and it doesn't show much wear (and they usually don't) I'll reinstall them, 'pinching' the open side closed. I've never had one fail when properly installed, new or used, ever.
Oh I'm great. There is nothing I love more than proving a know it all wrong.... So by YOUR posted dimensions...the E clip is 0.025 thick. This is a ford horseshoe clip. And this is the pin diameter. Slightly over a .250. So your 1/4 inch e clip wont even fit it.... Do e clips even come in that odd of a size? What about correct thickness?
I have reused them as well...if they come off not mangled. I've also had them split while attempting to reuse them.(probably cheap Chinese ones) Not saying they can't be resused....just that they're intended not to be. Also when I was doing brakes daily we had a bucket full of them. So they weren't hard to locate.
Not knowing op’s required size I used 1/4 as referance. As you well know, e-clips come in a variety of sizes and grades. So pick accordingly.
NICE TRY. BRAKE CABLE FOR DISK BRAKES....WAIT FOR It....ON A VW. WRONG PART. USED IN A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT CONTEXT. NEXT!
hey ya'll who would think i'd start such a controversy over a clip! well thanks for all the great advice and i think i'll just get them from o reilly. cheers!
Brakes are a safety item. Dispensing bad advice and doubling down on it should be discouraged. Good luck with your project!
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