The correct way to adjust handbrake with what I refer to as ‘Type 1′discs is to loosen the cable adjuster off and adjust the handbrake shoes themselves. To do this you first need to remove the brake caliper bracket to be able to remove the brake disc. In our example (VK Commodore) it had two 17mm bolts securing it to the axle housing. The cable adjuster should be easy to find, just follow the handbrake cable along the floor of the car and it should be easily seen. In our example the adjuster has two 13mm bolts locked together requiring two open end spanners. Once the disc is removed you will see two brake shoes, fixed at the top with a knurled adjuster at the bottom.

Sorry for the poor picture, the old girl hasn’t seen the road for a while! The adjuster is just visible between the two brake pads. Turning the knurled nut by levering with a screwdriver will move the shoes in or out. What your aiming to have is the shoes just touching the inside of the disc rotor. Adjust the shoes until you can refit the disc and turning by hand you can hear the shoes rubbing against the disc. You should still be able to turn the disc easily by hand as having the shoes too tight will cause binding once they heat up.

  Once you are satisfied you have both sides adjusted correctly refit the brakes, making sure everything is tight. Refit the wheels and then using the cable adjuster, tighten until the handbrake lever comes up around 6 or 7 clicks (don’t push the button in and listen for clicks). If the cable adjuster has two nuts make sure to lock the two together. Final step is to check that both rear wheels are turning freely without binding. Once this is done time to shred some tyres, I mean time to road test!

Take care and be safe on the roads.

Craig