Try adjusting the brakes - again - they often need to re-centre themselves

Try pumping the brake pedal, does it get stiffer? If it has, but only a bit try driving a couple of meters backward and forward and braking, this will knock the shoes into the right position

Re-adjust.

If you still have a spongy pedal - you might need to bleed the brakes, sometimes pushing the pistons back can introduce air, especially if they seals are a bit dodgy.

If you bleed the brakes - and the brake fluid is old - I would take the opportunity to pump a lot of new fluid through the system.  Over time the fluid picks up water and this water can boil if you are using the brakes a lot.  This happened to me once coming down a Spanish mountain pass in a Ford rally car - only handbrake sliding it into a quarry stopped me dropping about 300 meters down to the valley floor!!!!  This makes you think about brake fluid!!

-----Original Message-----
From: bruce hotson [mailto:grnphrog@...]
Sent: 28 October 2003 07:29
To: 1302@...
Subject: [1302 eGroup] spongy brakes...

Hi all... I thought I would tap the knowledge of all who took the
time to read this post.
I just installed new brake shoes in the front of my 1971 standard
bug. When I tested the brake pedal after I was done, the pedal went
all the way to the floor! This surprises me because I didnt have to
undo any brake lines, the only thing I can think of might have to do
with me compressing the left wheel cylinder with a clamp to push
back the pistons so I could install the shoes. I undid the reservoir
cap to allow the brake fluid back into it with out building up
pressure and I made sure that it was full before I did anything.
Any thoughts, advice, and/or constructive critizism would be greatly
appreciated.
Thanks,
Bruce