[DML] Re: Emergency Brake (was Vortec Install)

["Gus Schlachter" <gus@xxxx>]

Duke,

Either a)you greatly underestimated your mechanical skills, b)your tools are
much better than mine, or c)I'm much too meticulous. Engine removal in 2.5
hours? I spent 4 hours today just fiddling with my parking brake! You are
quite ambitious. I do appreciate your reasoning for the engine swap, but my
preference is to stay "casual stock", I term I coined to mean "updated and
improved but original and stock-looking to everyone but a clipboard-toting,
white-glove-wearing, magnifying-glass-carrying concours judge." Thus my
choice to pursue the Wynne-inspired super PRV.

As for the parking brake, I was tinkering with it because it won't hold the
car despite new pads. I thought I could tighten the adjusting screws on the
calipers, but even when fully clamping down I could see between the pad and
rotor. The pads were only making contact over about half their surface,
since they weren't parallel. I even tried using the parking brake to stop
the car several times to wear them down to flat, but it didn't help.

The real tinkering began when I was just about done and tried to lift the
brake handle...POP! then no more resistance. I thought I'd broken a cable
but I was mistaken. One of the cable ends pulled through the bracket under
the handle by *bending* it and slipping through, which is probably the
result of my using so much force on the handle to keep the car parked. I
assume this is not a typical Delorean experience for the rest of you, no?


Gus Schlachter
Austin, TX
VIN# 4695



> -----Original Message-----
> From: Duke Bladorn [mailto:at88mph@xxxx]
> Sent: Friday, January 07, 2000 10:12 AM
> Subject: [DML] Re: Vortec install and update (was PRV tuning)
>
>
> I wanted to voice my opinion for the other side of the coin.
>
> The engine swap isn't that difficult. I do not have any major mechanical
> skills, just alot of common sense and ALOT of great support from Mike Bell
> and Darryl Tinnerset. With their advice and advice of Vortec owners, my
> swap has been extremely painless. The whole swap could be
> completed in 3-4 days with the right parts...
>
> ...Here's my time frame. It took me 2 1/2 hours to take the rear facia,
rear
> louver, engine cover, and engine out. When I got the engine out I called
it
> a day. This weekend I will take out the stock trans and install the new
> trans and bellhousing. I'm guessing it shouldn't take more than 2 1/2 to
3
> hours. Next week I will have to have the oil pan made and mounts as well.
> Then next saturday I can install the engine and take the rest of saturday
> and all of sunday to wire it up. To be honest, it will probably not be
> going in next weekend because I want to build the engine and get about
> 250-270 hp out of it so I have to send it out to a shop...