uneven wear on rear pads?

[jrab]

I just checked my rear pads, and discovered the pad on the outside of the disk was practically unworn, but the pad on the inside of the disk was gone and worn into the metal. Why would the pads wear unevenly? And to such an extreme degree! Is a caliper rebuild kit in order? There aren't any leaks, so I hesitate to open things up if there is a simple adjustment.

thanks
JRAB

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

The inside pads are actuated by the parking brake mechanism. It is possible, especially if you have an early car (pre-73), to think you have disengaged the parking brake without having disengaged it completely. The result is the kind of wear you are seeing.

--DD

[jrab]

Aha! That makes sense. So it's more a matter of making sure the calipers are adjusted properly with the parking brake than having to do a caliper rebuild? It is a 1970, and was sitting with the parking brake on for a year in wet Oregon. It did stick when I finally got it rolling again, and maybe it was never really "happy" after that.

I had a friend look at the caliper pistons while I pressed the brake, and he said the inside piston didn't retract like the outer one when the brake was released. I don't know if the parking brake adjustment is at fault or not yet.

So when does one know that they should get a caliper rebuild kit? Would a kit help out with a sticky caliper if it's gone that way, or does a rebuild kit cure different symptoms? And if I do pull the caliper apart to try to clean out anything that might make that piston sticky (barring it's not the parking brake adjustment), is a rebuild kit necessary to put it back together, with new seals/gaskets and whatnot?

thanks for the rapid reply on this beautify sunny Sunday morning!
jrab