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APPLEGREENVW
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Joined: November 30, 2003
Posts: 2388
Location: Seekonk,Massachusetts USA
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Ferretkona
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Joined: December 03, 2005
Posts: 1306
Location: Columbia, CA
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 Posted: Fri Feb 07, 2014 11:15 am Post subject: |
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The appeal of the original VW Thing rear drums was the wider braking surface. The original drums are no longer available but beetle drums will work.
Even if you owned original drums, where would you get shoes?
Go VW beetle
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74 181 Thing
2008 Ford Sport Trac V8 4x4
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wbrown45
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Joined: July 08, 2008
Posts: 1318
Location: ada, ok
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| Posted: Sat Feb 08, 2014 9:32 am Post subject: |
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Bug shoes work fine and are only slightly (about 1/4" ) narrower than original Thing shoes. I have been selling, and installing them on many hings over the years and have never had any problems. The concern I would have with these drums is the quality of the casting, and machining. I would be very leery if they are from China. Getting the 5 bolt pattern is cool, but you can achieve the same thing by running 3/8" steel 4 bolt drum to 5 bolt wheel adaptors. They are super strong, and with the right pressed-in studs will hold up to incredible abuse. I have had the same set on my Baja since 1988, ad they have gone from drums, to disc rotors with zero problems in very extreme off-road, and highway use.
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OK Thang |
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APPLEGREENVW
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Joined: November 30, 2003
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Location: Seekonk,Massachusetts USA
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saddlesore1
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Joined: November 20, 2006
Posts: 548
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| Posted: Sat Feb 08, 2014 12:24 pm Post subject: |
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| in an effort to answer your question (i know how frustrating it can be to get sidebar answers). I have spoken to the owner of AC an believe he makes quality products. He has a vast amount of knowledge on Things. I plan to buy his front disc brakes as soon as they come back from over seas manufacturing. I am sure his quality is good. It might be more expensive than trying to find a good used set and having them turned. If you can find them. |
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wbrown45
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Joined: July 08, 2008
Posts: 1318
Location: ada, ok
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| Posted: Sat Feb 08, 2014 8:07 pm Post subject: |
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If someone provides a viable option to the PO's original question then it is not a "sidebar response." There are a lot of concerns with Chinese manufactured products so it is something that should be pointed out to those who haven't had the frustration of having dealt with inferior parts. I had a set of disc rotors from China that started cracking around the bearing seating surfaces after less than a 1,000 miles.
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OK Thang |
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Riffster
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Joined: September 04, 2006
Posts: 66
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
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| Posted: Sat Feb 08, 2014 10:05 pm Post subject: |
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| Ferretkona wrote: |
Even if you owned original drums, where would you get shoes?
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I know the Thing Shop, at least, is selling replacement shoes. There may be other sources as well. |
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SilverThing 
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Joined: July 19, 2004
Posts: 810
Location: Everett
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| Posted: Sun Feb 09, 2014 2:41 pm Post subject: |
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The shoes are the same between the Beetle and the Thing. We seem to beat this topic to death on this forum on a regular basis. The Thing rear drums are wider, but the braking surface that is being used is the same on account of the shoe width. Yes, we know the drum is deeper than a Beetle drum, but the brake shoes are still the same. Before the change over to IRS, the swing axle equipped 181 brake shoes carried 181 part numbers, but I am not really sure what is special about them, if anything. Vehicles built since chassis 183 2346 525 (the change over to IRS) have 113.609.537C for the rear brake shoes, which is the same as Beetle. I have noted that some brake shoes offered these days by aftermarket companies are slightly narrower than the 40mm specification. Shop around a little when it comes to the brake shoes and you can find quality shoes that are also the proper width.
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"I like how everyone likes talking about Zeke's Thing yet he's the only one that's ever seen it." - Katie
"I've seen pictures..." - Jeremy |
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strelnik
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Joined: October 01, 2010
Posts: 352
Location: Michigan
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| Posted: Wed Feb 12, 2014 8:00 am Post subject: |
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| Ferretkona wrote: |
The appeal of the original VW Thing rear drums was the wider braking surface. The original drums are no longer available but beetle drums will work.
Even if you owned original drums, where would you get shoes?
Go VW beetle |
There's a brake and clutch place 9 miles from my house that will do a complete custom set of Thing brake shoes in 3/16" thickness for 30.00 a set You have to provide usable shoes, they will remove the old material.
They will do either brass or adhesive. The only possible down side is time: they do it on an occasional basis so don't expect overnight turnover.
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L'audace! L'audace! Toujours l'audace! |
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Vanapplebomb
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Joined: November 03, 2010
Posts: 5413
Location: Holland, MI
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| Posted: Wed Feb 12, 2014 8:46 am Post subject: |
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Chinese rear Thing drums? Never heard of such a thing...
The only Thing rear drums I know of currently in production are made in Germany by Sebro. Very high quality stuff. They sell for around 135 bucks a pop, depending on where you get them. I got a pair on sale last spring for 95 bucks each from eVWparts.com.
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1800 Type 4 Berrien 295
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saddlesore1
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Joined: November 20, 2006
Posts: 548
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| Posted: Wed Feb 12, 2014 4:14 pm Post subject: |
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| strelnik wrote: |
| Ferretkona wrote: |
The appeal of the original VW Thing rear drums was the wider braking surface. The original drums are no longer available but beetle drums will work.
Even if you owned original drums, where would you get shoes?
Go VW beetle |
There's a brake and clutch place 9 miles from my house that will do a complete custom set of Thing brake shoes in 3/16" thickness for 30.00 a set You have to provide usable shoes, they will remove the old material.
They will do either brass or adhesive. The only possible down side is time: they do it on an occasional basis so don't expect overnight turnover. |
What I have been told is there are no THING only brake shoes (shoes that are equal to the width of the drum.). There has never been any. They have only used the beetle shoe. Therefore the shoes only wear on the "inside" of the drum and there is 1/2' or so of the drum that is never used. I have spoke to brake guys about the ability to make wider shoes to mate with the wider THING drums and they all say it cannot be done. I forgot why but I seem to remember it has something to do with the mount on the inside and no one make the wide material with the appropriate arc of the drum. Wider drums typically have a larger diameter. |
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Vanapplebomb
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Joined: November 03, 2010
Posts: 5413
Location: Holland, MI
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| Posted: Thu Feb 13, 2014 10:56 am Post subject: |
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| saddlesore1 wrote: |
What I have been told is there are no THING only brake shoes (shoes that are equal to the width of the drum.). There has never been any. They have only used the beetle shoe. Therefore the shoes only wear on the "inside" of the drum and there is 1/2' or so of the drum that is never used. I have spoke to brake guys about the ability to make wider shoes to mate with the wider THING drums and they all say it cannot be done. I forgot why but I seem to remember it has something to do with the mount on the inside and no one make the wide material with the appropriate arc of the drum. Wider drums typically have a larger diameter. |
Correct, there are no thing specific shoes. They are the same 40mm wide shoes that the bugs used. The backing plates adjusting stars and wheel cylinders are set up for 40mm wide shoes. If you used wider shoes, you would end up with uneven wear on the shoes and drums.
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1800 Type 4 Berrien 295
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=487021 |
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[email protected]
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Joined: February 21, 2003
Posts: 868
Location: Clifton Park NY Saratoga County
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| Posted: Mon Feb 17, 2014 5:14 pm Post subject: |
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From what I have been told these new rear brake drums have been tested and are reinforced with bosses around the bolt holes
The German ones are no longer available at that price
the Thing Shop has bought all of them and they are the only supplier
they have been discontinued
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Vanapplebomb
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Joined: November 03, 2010
Posts: 5413
Location: Holland, MI
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| Posted: Tue Feb 18, 2014 4:48 pm Post subject: |
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The Sebro drums have similar internal webbing, but the external webs are rotated 36 degrees from the original VW drums so that both the inside and outside webs run straight towards the bolt holes.
To bad Sebro has discontinued them. They were always into reproducing drums and disks for classic European cars. Hopefully when the supply is gone they will run another batch so people can stock up again.
Evwparts still sells them for 119.95 
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1800 Type 4 Berrien 295
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APPLEGREENVW
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Joined: November 30, 2003
Posts: 2388
Location: Seekonk,Massachusetts USA
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| Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2014 7:34 pm Post subject: |
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On the June 2014 Hot VW's magazine coming attractions ad, shows that on July 2014 magazine was going to a have article on AC Industries Thing rear drums? from So. Cal. Imports. Has anyone seen that article on the July issue? 
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oasis
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Joined: December 12, 2002
Posts: 2168
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| Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2015 7:36 am Post subject: |
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Seven-plus months later, I don't have an answer to the above question.
I found this thread in my searching about Thing rear drums. I immediately learned about the brake shoes not being any different than the Beetle's shoes so the wider rear drum doesn't actually supply any greater braking ability. That leads me to this ...
Is there a worthwhile advantage to buying German rear drums from TTS over their offerings (and by others) at 40-60% of the price? If so, what advantage(s)? Braking? Longevity? Anything else?
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Now: 2003 New Beetle Turbo S / 1990 Single Cab Transporter / 2014 Tiguan R-Line 4motion / 2013 Tiguan S / 2002 Golf GLS TDI
Past: 1974 Thing Acapulco / 2009 Eos Komfort / 1997 Jetta GT / 2002 Cabrio GLX / 2002 Passat GLS / 1971 Super Beetle / 1993 EuroVan MV Westfalia / 1981 Pickup LX / 1985 Vanagon / 1986 Jetta GLI |
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Vanapplebomb
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Joined: November 03, 2010
Posts: 5413
Location: Holland, MI
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| Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2015 11:18 pm Post subject: |
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The width of the shoes has no effect on the stoping power. The only thing that changes is how fast the brakes fade and wear. Diameter of the drums and wheel cylinders is what makes the difference in break holding power.
Where are you seeing Thing drums 40-60% less than the German ones? This I want to see. May be worth getting a pair to test.
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1800 Type 4 Berrien 295
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=487021 |
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oasis
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Joined: December 12, 2002
Posts: 2168
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| Posted: Mon Mar 09, 2015 7:24 am Post subject: |
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| Vanapplebomb wrote: |
| Where are you seeing Thing drums 40-60% less than the German ones? This I want to see. May be worth getting a pair to test. |
The Thing Shop has German rear drums for $245 and rear drums for $128. I've seen ads here and elsewhere for less. The 40-60% was a generalized range.
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Now: 2003 New Beetle Turbo S / 1990 Single Cab Transporter / 2014 Tiguan R-Line 4motion / 2013 Tiguan S / 2002 Golf GLS TDI
Past: 1974 Thing Acapulco / 2009 Eos Komfort / 1997 Jetta GT / 2002 Cabrio GLX / 2002 Passat GLS / 1971 Super Beetle / 1993 EuroVan MV Westfalia / 1981 Pickup LX / 1985 Vanagon / 1986 Jetta GLI |
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