Rear drum brake lever is not touching adjustment wheel

[brihorse]

Installed new shoes and wheel cylinders. Driver side turned out fine. On passenger side I can't get the lever to touch the adjustment wheel. Maybe the light grey spring needs to be hooked on the outside instead of the inside? Shoes seem to be sitting centered against the backing plate. I also don't have a hole on the backing plate to adjust the wheel at all from the backside. I have to make adjustments with the drum removed.

[custom10nut]

Are you sure you don't have an adjustment access hole? If it's the original setup, you do. Maybe the plug has never been punched out. They came from the factory closed, but with the plug the punch out when needed. If you don't have anything, disassemble it, and carefully drill two holes side by side, where the access hole should be. Then take a grinder and take out the material between the two holes. Your favorite parts store has little rubber plugs to fit the factory holes, Houston get them and size your self made holes to fit them.

[brihorse]

Wire brushed and cleaned it with PB blaster on both sides of the backing plate and found no evidence of a punch out that needs to come out. Bigger problem is why the adjustment lever sticks out away from the adjustment wheel. It acts like it needs a spacer in between the lever and the shoe right where the yellow spring goes. My truck is a 1968 C10. Driver side went together fine. I have taken it back apart a couple of times but still no change.

[kwmech]

I don't know if this will fix it but the green spring needs to be flipped to the back side so it will not drag on the adjuster

[TexasLS1]

I had the same issue with mine - it looked identical to your pic. I replaced shoes, cylinders, and all hardware (except the lever and star adjuster). I tried fiddling with springs and adjusting to no avail - they would never contact each other.

I finally just bought new levers and new star adjusters, and they work perfectly. I would just buy new ones as yours sound like it may be due to wear.

[Shady Rascal]

Your green spring is installed correctly.

You do need to remove that top spring and install it over the wire deal. That always goes on first followed by the spring atop it.

Worst case, there's nothing wrong with tweaking the lever a bit if needed.

[garyd1961]

I had the same problem, I just pushed on the green spring really hard and the lever fell into place. I'm not sure what was holding it but it works now.

[toolboxchev]

Originally Posted by Shady Rascal

Your green spring is installed correctly.

You do need to remove that top spring and install it over the wire deal. That always goes on first followed by the spring atop it.

Worst case, there's nothing wrong with tweaking the lever a bit if needed.

X2 on the first part of that, also clean your adjusting wheel with a wire brush making sure to use some copper anti-sieze on the threads, it also helps out on the moving parts of the brake system. Including where the shoe rides on the backing plate.

[toolboxchev]

It also appears that you have the wrong shoe on the front side also, the one with the most pad goes the the back side.

I am informed by a CDL truck driver that one on the back does most of the work. Look at your old ones to verify this.

[GRX]

Originally Posted by kwmech

I don't know if this will fix it but the green spring needs to be flipped to the back side so it will not drag on the adjuster

Agreed. Green (lower return spring) should be flipped. Grey (primary shoe to anchor spring) at upper right should be on top as well. Not sure either will make significant difference. Simply referring to factory configurations.

[midniteblues]

There is a spring cup with a short tube thingy under the shoe retaining pin spring.
if the tube part of the cup extends out the back of the adjuster arm it may be keeping the arm from sitting flush.
I don't recall if these are but some retaining pins and springs can be shorter on the adjuster side. Yours looks extremely tight on the adjuster side.

In your pics the shoes don't look like they are riding against the backing plates correctly. You can see it by looking at the anchor pin and eyeballing the very begins of the metal part of the shoes. They don't appear too be sitting at the same plane.
I would check the bump outs in the backing plates where the shoes ride against. If they are worn it will throw the shoes off like that. Also they may catch the worn bump outs and get hung up.
Just tapping the shoes around with a soft mallet might get everything seated correctly.

The shoes are on correctly.

Bottom Green spring needs too be turned around you can see in your pic (zoomed way in)it's holding the adjuster arm out.

I know bending spring steel isn't always a good idea but when i took this pic last week i noticed i didnt either but its a good idea too pinch the hooks closed slightly on the ends of the springs with a pair of pliers. They like too open up when installing them.
Also noticed my return spring needs too be turned around.

Little Things ya notice in pics but not when your looking at the real thing

[brihorse]

I bought a new self adjusting brake kit. It came with a new lever and wire rod and springs. All is good. It appears I must have bent the wire rod that the black spring attaches to at the top. Thanks for all the input.

[ck5566]

Originally Posted by custom10nut

Are you sure you don't have an adjustment access hole? If it's the original setup, you do. Maybe the plug has never been punched out. They came from the factory closed, but with the plug the punch out when needed. If you don't have anything, disassemble it, and carefully drill two holes side by side, where the access hole should be. Then take a grinder and take out the material between the two holes. Your favorite parts store has little rubber plugs to fit the factory holes, Houston get them and size your self made holes to fit them.

Access holes are there if you have a Manuel Adjusting brake System, If where an access hole would have been AND you "Don't" see any indication of an impression at that area then you have an Original Self Adjusting Brake System.

[ck5566]

Originally Posted by brihorse

Wire brushed and cleaned it with PB blaster on both sides of the backing plate and found no evidence of a punch out that needs to come out. Bigger problem is why the adjustment lever sticks out away from the adjustment wheel. It acts like it needs a spacer in between the lever and the shoe right where the yellow spring goes. My truck is a 1968 C10. Driver side went together fine. I have taken it back apart a couple of times but still no change.

Your trucks backing plates indicates you have an Original Self Adjusting Brake System (no evidence of punch outs). DO NOT drill & grind any thing out & off of the backing plates!!

Like stated before above, the hole systems springs & all hardware needs to be installed in a properly order fashion. Also with all New parts it usually goes together right and works as it should, as you found out.

[ck5566]

Originally Posted by brihorse

Wire brushed and cleaned it with PB blaster on both sides of the backing plate and found no evidence of a punch out that needs to come out. Bigger problem is why the adjustment lever sticks out away from the adjustment wheel. It acts like it needs a spacer in between the lever and the shoe right where the yellow spring goes. My truck is a 1968 C10. Driver side went together fine. I have taken it back apart a couple of times but still no change.

I duplicated last post, Sorry

[ck5566]

Originally Posted by toolboxchev

It also appears that you have the wrong shoe on the front side also, the one with the most pad goes the the back side.

I am informed by a CDL truck driver that one on the back does most of the work. Look at your old ones to verify this.

In the original first two pictures it Does show the shoes are on correctly, larger one is on the back hence the third members inspection plate cover is showing towards the back of the truck in the picture. Its just what I see, maybe my glasses are cleaner than his? LOL

[brihorse]

I noticed that my original rear drums have the access hole in the drum itself versus the backing plate. I have since converted to 5 lug axle shafts which required 71-72 drums with no access hole.

[GRX]

Seems to me the access hole punch out is/was a holdover from drum systems with no self-adjusters.