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Installing rear brake shoes

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bigjones

bigjones

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How do you get them darn brake shoes back on!?

This must be a dumb question because I searched the archives and Googled with no luck. Obviously, I'm the only one that spent 2 hours in a wrestling match.

There must be some sort of PROCEDURE that professional mechanics follow.
 
Refit is the reversal of removal. :wink:

Seriously, are these the late model style or early?
 
First be sure if have them oriented correctly. Then fir the upper portion in place and leave the lower part of the shoes on the outside of the hub. with the lower spring in place you can stretch the lower spring and get the lower portion of the shoes seated into the adjuster.
Be sure that the adjuster is backed out and the E-brake is off.
 
here is the definitive picture. As I recall, I put the springs in place on the shoes - then placed the two shoe ends in the brake cylinder ends and then pried the bottoms on to the adjusting nut side. (I don't even know that I had the adjustment bolt in or if it was, it was as loose as possible.
 

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JP,
Is that photo for the driver or passenger side. Or does it matter? The reason I ask is that on mine the slot (rather than the big hole) for the hand-brake lever is on the right. I ASSumed this was correct and thats how I re-assembled. I seem to remember this is important. Haynes is hedging its bets and shows both positions. Bentley is t*** on a boar pig.


Chris,
Yeah! And I won in the end but there has to be a better way.

Trevor,
Thanks for the reply - I think I still need some clarification on which way the shoes are supposed to go.

Cheers
 
I have found that slipping the shoes in with the upper spring connected and finessing the shoes into the piston slots and parking brake lever seems to work well, then hooking the lower spring in. Yes, one shoe goes "up" and one goes "down", although they appear to be identical parts otherwise. I believe the picture above is correct; the curved end of the parking brake lever goes into the large hole, and the square end that's part of the lever arm goes in the flat slot. I just use a pair of skinny vice grips to hook the lower spring on. Watch out for the adjuster wedges falling out while you are doing this.
 
Yep, the shoes are made the same all around; no fussing with which is R and which is L. Just turn one upside down to make the holes for the E-brake and springs line up! The E-brake lever is the key, as I remember...the lever end fits into the slot-shaped hole. The shoes pop in just like JP said: Put the springs on first, fit the upper ends into the piston, and pry the lower ends into the adjuster slots. Took me a while at first...once you find The Secret, it'll take no time at all.
 
AWAIR, when the backing plate is attached to the axel housing and the axel is there, there are places to use as a fulcrum for prying the shoes onto the adjuster. The 'right' size pry bar is the secret.
 
so, to recap

1. yes, passenger side - drivers is mirror image
2. yes, the pads are identical - one up one down
3. yes, pry them on as per what everyone says - though I didn't find it difficult

good luck
 
All above is correct; just to note, the "blank" spots on the pad go on the leading friction edge; 1 and 7 o'clock on the p/side, 11 and 5 o'clock on the d/side. As I understand it, this is to avoid rapid wear and the need to readjust shortly after installing.

Which reminds me, one more thing to add to the spring 'to do' list... adjust rear brakes!
 
Look at the face of the brakes, as though it were the face of an analog clock. The reliefs in the pads are at approximately 1 o'clock and 7 o'clock on the passenger side, and 11 and 5 on the driver side.
 
Well,

You're not going to believe this but I took the Midget out for a test drive and now when I apply the hand-brake at about 20mph there is this rat-tat-tat noise. What could that be?

I took the drum off to see if anything had come loose and guess what. The poxy wheel cylinder is leaking.

No big deal to replace and I'm glad I found out in time but I can't find the source of the noise.
 
Maybe:
Outer brake cable hitting somewhere when inner cable tightening causes it to distort slightly.
 
bgbassplyr,

Thanks - you may be on to something. I did mess with the cable last time - tried adjusting the cable but found it to be at its limit (- ie it has stretched too much). Good you mentioned that - I'll add a new brake cable to the list of parts.

BTW, I have a theory on why the hub is contacting the brake cylinder boots and actually cutting into them - the DPO used a circlip but did not replace the washer (which is NLA). The cylinder is therefore loose.

Onward and upward,
Cheers
 
Try getting the cable shortened and install a piece of rubber hose over outer cable where it is hitting.
 
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