TheSamba.com :: View topic

Mon May 03, 2004 9:32 am

This is my first post. I have a 1973 Ghia. Just bought it. I am not a complete car moron. I also am restoring a 1953 chevy pickup. Here is my problem.

My brakes were squeeling. I needed to change them anyway, so I got new pads and put some anti-squeek on the baks and installed them. Well the squeek was still there, so I pulled them off and inspected everything and it all looks good. Put more anti-squeek on them and its still doing it.

Its really loud and makes me hate driving it. What could be the problem?

Mon May 03, 2004 10:33 am

In fifteen years of driving disc-braked Karmann Ghias, I've found that sometimes it's just luck(?!).
I've had brake pads that squealed for months and then just stopped one day, and some have never squeaked at all. I've never identified one brand that always squeals or one brand that never squeals, but more often than not, my brakes are pretty quiet.
Although it's not always necessary for brake performance, you may find that having the discs machined will alleviate the squeal.

Mon May 03, 2004 12:28 pm

You might also try making a bevel cut on the pads themselves.
That is, any sharp edges around the pad material perimeter can be
smoothed or beveled with a file so that they are not sharp any more.
Pay particular attention to both the leading and trailing edges of the pads
as they make contact with the brake discs. Remove only a minimum
of pad material, so as not to greatly reduce braking effectiveness!

Mon May 03, 2004 2:15 pm

I've also had good luck with smoothing out the edges on brake pads. That is a great suggestion. Brake noise is a tricky thing to eliminate. Good luck.