Changing the VR/S Hand Brake to VT-Z

[VRSenator065Participant Adelaide SAVR Senator LSx454 1960 Kombi (project) 1921 Nash Hot Rod (future project) View build HERE Member since: February 17, 2015 Posts: 5 777]

This is a guide to swapping to the VT onwards hand brake assembly so you can use the later brakes on a VR/S
First of all, anyone who says its an easy job has either never actually done it or must have had a lot of luck :). It is a very tedious and awkward job. Bear in mind the removal and disassembly process has to be done 4 times, twice for the VR arms, then twice for the VZ to get the mechanism off them.

I have a a press, but holding the arms in place whilst pressing everything out is quite frankly a pain in the butt, they are quite heavy and awkwardly shaped. Admittedly I am doing all this on my own, someone to hold the arms whilst doing stuff would have made it a lot easier.

Here some pics and description, probably could have taken a couple more but anyhow, hopefully helps someone if they do it themselves.

Step 1
First step is to remove the Trunion Flange Nut. It is VERY tight, I sprayed it with WD40 for a few days morning and night, then used the longest breaker bar I have and had a tube through the wheel studs to stop it turning.

Step 2
I then used a puller to remove the Trunion Flange. Interestingly on the late model arms it came off very easily, on the VR it was much tighter on the splines.

Step 3
There are two bolts that hold the hand brake mechanism on, remove these and the cast mechanism, I cleaned it up after with a wire wheel and it looks like new now.

Step 4
There are also two star bit bolts that hold the brake backing plate to the trailing arm that need to be removed.

Step 5
I then set it up in the press and pressed out the Trunion. It was bloody awkward and hard to hold, and my press is 20T and used every bit of it to get them out, got them in the end though. Was too difficult to hold it and take a picture.

Step 6
This then exposed a large circlip on the wheel side of the hub that retains the bearing. It’s a big sucker and very difficult to get out. I got one out OK, but the other I bent getting out so will have to pick up a spare. Forgot to take a pic of that bit.

Step 7
Once the circlip is removed its back into the press again to press out the bearing, it came out pretty easily.

You are then left with the parts, you can see the inner race of the bearing stayed on the shaft. On the right you can see the circlip groove where the big bearing retaining circlip fits.

Step 8
I then used a pullet to remove the inner race.

Step 9
Then I removed the backing plate, and used a cut off wheel in my 4″ grinder to cut off the outer lip as it fouls the larger discs i am using.

I then clamped it flat and took it down with a grinding wheel .

Lastly I finished it off nice and smooth with a die grinder and hand file and sand paper.

I am going to get it powder coated with all the other suspension bits, that wont be for a while so I thought I would paint it just to stop it all rusting.

This shows the before and after

As I say, bugger of a job really, but at least its done, I will order some new bearings and the circlip, get it all powder coated, reassemble it all and it will be good to go.

And this may be useful too

• This topic was modified 9 years, 8 months ago by  VRSenator065.
• This topic was modified 9 years, 8 months ago by  VRSenator065.
• This topic was modified 9 years, 8 months ago by  VRSenator065.

[LF24Participant Ipswich- \'99 ls1 Holden VS ute - \'02 HSV Maloo R8 View build HERE Member since: March 1, 2015 Posts: 57]

Are you able to adapt the VT-VZ handbrake to live axle at all?

[dazedv3Participant VIC92 VP Calais View build HERE Member since: March 8, 2015 Posts: 31]

Whats different about the VR/S and VT/Z handbrake assembly?

[VRSenator065Participant Adelaide SAVR Senator LSx454 1960 Kombi (project) 1921 Nash Hot Rod (future project) View build HERE Member since: February 17, 2015 Posts: 5 777]

They are quite different.  VT/Z on left in this picture VR/S on the right.

The main thing is the outside diameter of the shoes is large on the VT-Z compared to the VR/S.  This means if you fit later discs to the earlier car the hand brake shoes won’t press against the hub and so don’t work.  So you either need to fit an adapter ring inside the new hub (which is a bit dodgy) or replace the mechanism for the later bigger one like I did.

The reason to change is there is a much larger range of brakes available for the later cars, so once you have swapped it over any brakes from VT/Z will fit.  In my case for example my Willwood brakes are an upgrade for the Pontiac GTO in the US, which is the Monaro here.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 2 months ago by  VRSenator065.

[VRSenator065Participant Adelaide SAVR Senator LSx454 1960 Kombi (project) 1921 Nash Hot Rod (future project) View build HERE Member since: February 17, 2015 Posts: 5 777]

LF24 wrote:

Are you able to adapt the VT-VZ handbrake to live axle at all?

 

Not sure, but I know Holden don’t change things unless they have too!!  If the mechanism is the same I imagine it would work the same, and swap over the same?

[Judge1 FrazerParticipant new zealand1983 VB LSA MG9 6060 6 speed View build HERE Member since: February 5, 2016 Posts: 775]

Hi Gary just to pick your brain, I am putting the bigger rotors on the 9″ I’ve got and if you can think about when you did the hand brake change over would it be easy to convert the vt stuff on to the 9″ and can the backing plate etc come off without removing hub 

Cheers Frazer

[VRSenator065Participant Adelaide SAVR Senator LSx454 1960 Kombi (project) 1921 Nash Hot Rod (future project) View build HERE Member since: February 17, 2015 Posts: 5 777]

Hey mate, wow tbh not really sure.

[StevossParticipant NewyVQP Ute View build HERE Member since: August 27, 2016 Posts: 73]

@judge1frazer i would think you would probably be better or using the handbrake assembly off the vy vz tonner/crewman as i would think all you would have to do is fabricate a bracket on the end of the diff

[Judge1 FrazerParticipant new zealand1983 VB LSA MG9 6060 6 speed View build HERE Member since: February 5, 2016 Posts: 775]

Cheers Steveoss the trouble is here in kiwi land they are not common here as wrecks  as for the vt-vz irs is common as sheep here ,,,,,,,,,,, well maybe there is more sheep ,,, and I just picked up some vy rear hub and arms to strip down will post up if this works

[VRSenator065Participant Adelaide SAVR Senator LSx454 1960 Kombi (project) 1921 Nash Hot Rod (future project) View build HERE Member since: February 17, 2015 Posts: 5 777]

Even here in Oz the availability of VT-VZ irs stuff is way better.  Cant imagine it would be that hard to do.  the hand brake stuff pretty much just attached via those two bolts, so wouldn’t be that difficult to make some sort of adapter or re drill the plate.  Def post up here what you do, nice project.

[VRSenator065Participant Adelaide SAVR Senator LSx454 1960 Kombi (project) 1921 Nash Hot Rod (future project) View build HERE Member since: February 17, 2015 Posts: 5 777]

Thought I would update this as this is what I ended up doing, if you uts slice the nbacking plate you can swap tot the later one without removing the stub axle.

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