Kevlar band adjustment tips?

[Reno Speedster]

I went to adjust my transmission bands today for the first time on this car. After driving it for a year, I was not getting a really positive brake and the pedals were lower than recommended (1 inch from the floor when full down on the low and brake). I opened things up and found that I have virtually new Kevlar bands in the car and the transmission looks like a recent rebuild. Everything is clean.

There looked to be a good bit of clearance on all the bands, so I adjusted the bands so the low and brake pedals stopped at 1 inch from the floor board and the reverse was about 1 inch lower than the other pedals when the were at rest.

But, when I started it, the car wanted to crawl forward, with the parking brake half way back where I used to have a free neutral. I readjusted the low speed band till that stopped and being concerned that the others were too tight, backed them off as well. I drove it around for a mile and it seemed to be ok, but when I put it in the garage it was wanting to creep again.

I have heard horror stories about cracked drums with too tight Kevlar bands and heard that they need time to settle in when new. How do I figure out the Goldilocks spot for these? The original manual is of little use.

[Scott_Conger]

Morgan

two thing are imperative when installing Kevlar...

1. the hog's head must be rebuilt with fresh/new pedal supports (ramps) and the pedals built up and ground to match the supports. Further, there should be very little neutral dead-band at neutral and when the band is fully locked up there should still be a lot of ramp engagement left (pedal still wanting to move sideways to tighten further)
2. the bands must be ROUND and not twisted or otherwise kinked in any way prior to installation, which would allow constant drag. The fact that adjusting low band to be 1" off the floorboard and yet is still dragging would be a red flag for me to suspect misshapen bands.

if the reverse pedal is sitting lower than the other pedals when at rest, something is awry and I'd be very suspicious of the condition of the hog's head for starters

[Reno Speedster]

Thanks Scott. The reverse pedal does not sit lower than the other pedals at rest. I adjusted it so that the reverse pedal engaged fully when it was just a bit lower than the other two pedals when it was pressed. You can see the pedal at rest with the parking brake on in the photo attached.

I don’t have a lot of play on the pedal shafts and the hey don’t leak a noticeable amount of oil. The cams don’t look worn and start to cam pretty quickly and hen depressed. You can see the out side cams below.

Deformed bands would be a pisser. Only way to check would be to pull the engine.

[Reno Speedster]

Reverse pedal and cam.

The cam surfaces on the low and brake look ok to me…

I backed the low pedal adjustment off half a turn and it’s not dragging when the brake lever is back half way. I have free neutral and can roll the car in that position.

I am concerned about brake and reverse bands dragging.

One more fun thing to consider. The floorboards in the car are new and were made off the old ones that were in the car, which were not original. It’s possible that the floorboards are not made correctly so that 1 inch from the board rule does not work.

[Adam]

The low speed pedal ramp & cam are in the inside. The ramp (technically called “notch”) is riveted to the pedal shaft and difficult to remove therefore nobody usually gives them any attention. It’s real common to find so little motion left in the ramp & cam that the low band doesn’t compress enough with the pedal all the way to the floor.

[speedytinc]

The 1" "rule" doesnt apply to kevlar.

Proper low pedal setting:...With the motor running.
Back off the adjuster some. Start the motor. Tighten adjuster until you just start to hear the triple gears change their song.(from nothing to a little grumble) Back off 1/2 turn. lock down. Your band is now adjusted to its maximum optimal position with no drag. (Otherwise its a guessing game. To tight= drag = friction heat = broken drums.)
If you dont have enough pedal to lock the low drum plus some space before the pedal hits the floor, you have an issue. (New Kevlar lining takes 3 or 4 adjustment, then they are seemingly set for life.)
Out of round band, a loop in the lining or badly worn internal cams. Cant have a high spot bump in the lining.

Adjust reverse similarly. Note how much extra pedal travel. Adjust that out until you have no triple gear grumble until after slight pedal engagement.

If you adjust this way there is no unengaged friction which heats & breaks drums.

If you do determine an issue, you dont need to pull the motor. you will need the remove the HH.

For the folks playing @ home. Remember to manually oil the brake & reverse pedal cams if the pedal shafts have been made leak proof.(O-ringed or sealed). Dry pedal cams will gall & get stiff to the point they need more & more leg pressure until they eventually wont move.