Thanks, Ed. I am inclined to rebuild the Goodyear brakes from what I have learned from this group. The previous owner provided me a stash of clips and told me that they cost $60.00 each.
I now have a source for improved disks and they are on the way. I am still looking for a source for brake pads. Thanks. Frank Nelson N51DV - 415C TOA --- In [email protected], "Ed Burkhead" <e...@...> wrote: > > > Frank, > > Goodyear brakes with good brake pads should hold during a full-power runup - > mine did. I've been told the Goodyear brakes should be able to skid the > tires though I couldn't, using my brake handle (rudder pedal kit > adaptation). > > [Side note: be absolutely sure there's no gravel under your prop during any > stationary, full power runup - even gravel underneath the grass. Ed, who > found out the hard way.) > > You should be able to get new brake pads and get WAY better brake hold than > you have now. > > My pet peeve with Goodyear brakes concerns the clips that hold the disk in > position. Occasionally, one of those spring clips will fail. Most of the > time, I've been told, the brake disk comes loose and gets crooked, jamming > and locking the wheel. > > When my Goodyear clip failed before mid-field, it sprung some other clips > and the disk just floated freely. As both brakes use the same master > cylinder, I lost braking on both sides and was coasting down the smooth, > cement runway at about 35-40 mph, not losing any speed. I was still going > 20-25 mph at the far end, heading for the fence. I tried doing a J turn to > stay away from the fence. > > The J turn was successful, leaving me going back up the field, in the weeds, > beside the runway. Fortunately, the shallow drainage ditch was smooth at > the bottom and the nose gear managed to roll both into and back out of it > without collapsing. > > In the end, it was a fairly low cost repair, once we found a mechanic who > understood those $...@%# clips and had a stash of them. > > It might prevent failures if you replace 60+ year old clips with brand new > ones. I don't know. > > Summary: You should be able to repair your Goodyear brakes and get very > good effectiveness out of them for days or years to come till the $#%@ clips > fail - if they ever fail. Your choice. > > Ed >
