Super Project '71 Part Five: Super Beetle Brakes Rebuild

A lot has to happen when you step on the brake pedal in order for your car to come to a safe stop. Levers, pneumatic pressure, cables, cylinders, springs and friction all play critical rolls in the process, and we place a lot of blind faith in this system, considering how important it is. Braking is indeed a life-or-death science and should be treated as such, that's why brake fade, ever-increasing pedal travel, dragging brakes or ones that lock up while traveling are serious symptoms of a faulty system. If you have any of these problems, it is time for an overhaul.

Since dragging your feet Flintstones-style isn't considered stopping safely in this day and age, consider giving your beloved's brakes the once-over and toot sweet. It is bad enough that Super Beetle brakes, and those of other VW models, are light-years behind modern brake systems, you've got to take extra care of them in order not to run into the back of a tail-lifting Saab or Mercedes on the freeway. Since that's not a scenario we would want to picture, it is good form when restoring a car (or bringing one back from the dead) to make it stop before it can go, and since our little Super has been without an engine for the past couple of years, it wasn't going anywhere and fast.

There are several major components that make up the mechanical braking system for Super Beetles. The master cylinder is actuated by the brake pedal and is connected to the cylinders at each wheel through the hydraulic brake lines. The two pistons in the master cylinder operate the front and back brakes respectively, and the fluids are from the reservoir located in the trunk and connected to the master cylinder via two hoses. The wheel cylinders have hydraulically-operated opposed pistons that press the two brake shoes onto the drums. In addition to this, the parking brake is operated by a cable and is connected to the rear brakes only.

If you have any doubt about the operation of any of the brakes' components, replace them and remove any doubt. Replacement is easy, and we'll show you how. Another point of interest are the drums themselves, and they should be thoroughly inspected before deciding whether they can be reused again. Any tapering, scoring, or other unusual wear should be noted and considered. If you have calipers, it is a good idea to measure the inside diameters of the drums. If those measurements are greater than 231.5mm for the rear and 249.5mm for the front (the permissible wear limits), they'll have to be replaced.

The tools necessary to do a complete brake rebuild are rudimentary: wrenches, screw drivers and pliers are all it takes (and perhaps a braker bar), and if you have the right parts, this can be easily done in any garage or driveway. Make sure you follow a few safety procedures when placing your car up on jack stands or a lift (if you're lucky enough to access one).

Follow along.

Conclusion
Though we've covered brake bleeding many times before, we'll give you an overview. Bleeding the brakes removes air from the lines, and must be done if the wheel or master cylinders were replaced. The easiest method requires two people. Have a partner sit in the car and pump the brakes while you move from wheel to wheel, starting with the front right wheel. Find the bleeder valve, attach a hose over the valve and submerge the other end in a jar of clean brake fluid. Open the valve a half turn and have your partner depress the brake to the floor and hold it. Close the valve, return the pedal to the upright position and repeat the process until there are no bubbles. Do the remaining wheels in this order: left front, right rear and left rear. Refill the reservoir after bleeding each wheel and don't let it go dry.

That's all there is to it. Our brakes are in fine working order, and so should yours. Before buttoning everything up, double check to make sure all nuts and bolts are properly torqued and that all of the components are in the correct place. If you have a motor in your car, take it out for a test drive (in a safe area, of course). Your brakes shouldn't be uneven, pull any one direction, squeak excessively or pulsate erratically.

Next month, we're going to show you how to replace the spring plate bushings and after that, it is a little body work and finally a fresh coat of paint. Stay Super.

Mini Brakes Parts Guide