Practically Classics Forum

Mitsuru's friend from another forum wrote:Just a thought and correct me if this has been updated but the Construction and Use
Regulations 1974 dictate that the handbrake needs to be efficient enough to stall the
engine in first gear with the engine at idle.

I'll post a copy of what the MOT manual says on this, but the difference between parking brake efficiency requirements goes on whether the car has single circuit brakes or dual circuit ones and dual circuit was made compulsory from 1978 onwards even if nobody told Reliant about that then-new regulation. That parking brake test requirement info:

This section covers it.

Your friend might have a point but only if the naughty tester didn't bother to take the decelerometer into the car when they tested the brakes, in which case their experience and some arbitrary yardstick such as locking the wheels up might be acceptable in their mind but strictly speaking isn't. Don't forget that they don't have to use the rollers on your car (or technically on a manual for that matter) but regardless of all that, I still tend toward the notion of getting the original setup working properly if you can. If it doesn't do the job then it can only be down to some basic lack of maintenance somewhere, probably the usual problem of a cable being adjusted when in fact the adjustment should be made at the shoes, this often happens and folklore makes it the car's fault!

If I can get 112% of service brake effort out of a Dolomite's parking brake on test then surely your Neon can muster the required percentage for a dual circuit car easily enough?

id still go with this

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Admiralty_anchor.JPG

rich. wrote:id still go with this

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Admiralty_anchor.JPG

But would that not require some form of winch to be attached to the car so that the anchor could be manipulated after it's been deployed?

i thought he had already fitted a winch...

It looks like whether the neon is drum or disc/drum combo they bolt upto the same spindle




Here is the relavant page on the rear suspension aetup.




A US seller has a none abs drum with spindle up for sale which has a far smaller drum than the voyager I might use.
Here are the photos taken from is his listing








And under the red paint and rust you cab just make out the back of the bolts and bolt holes.






And a lot of other parts are interchangeable regarding the setup with or without abs

I can't remember If i stated this or not, but there is no adjustment at the handbrake leaver on the neon!
So the very tiny adjusters on the internal drums of the rear brake set is it! Now you know why they are a
problem on these cars!

That could be a good thing if it prevents people from adjusting the cable when it's the shoes that need to be set up properly. Adjustment on parking brake cables - where provided - is purely to set up a replacement cable correctly once the shoes have been nipped up by means of their adjusters.

I should do this in a smaller room with some form of baffling, 'cos the echo is hellish in here.