Continuing rear brake woes

[jabborabbo]

Okay… I’m including a picture showing the “nail” for the spring that holds the rear shoe on…as you can see, it’s not coming straight through the shoe and won’t straighten up once the S-A arm is put on it cuz the e-brake piece is not allowing it to happen…what am I doing wrong? I’ve been fighting with it for several hours - taking everything off and putting it back together.
Also, what length should the nail be?

[slikside]

To state the obvious...something ain't lining up!

Here's a link to a really good, step-by-step process with pictures on how to assemble drum brake assemblies. You might find that your method is somehow misaligning things?

Anyhow, here ya go:

https://www.pbase.com/nufsed/drumbrake

[KQQL IT]

We fought with ours last week.

Park brake cable seized and created a ton of headaches

[jabborabbo]

Originally Posted by slikside

To state the obvious...something ain't lining up!

Here's a link to a really good, step-by-step process with pictures on how to assemble drum brake assemblies. You might find that your method is somehow misaligning things?

Anyhow, here ya go:

https://www.pbase.com/nufsed/drumbrake

Thanks. That’s what I’ve been using…I’m screwing something up - I don’t know what yet…

[jabborabbo]

Originally Posted by KQQL IT

We fought with ours last week.

Park brake cable seized and created a ton of headaches

I’ll check that out. Thanks!

[Jason Banks]

It would be helpful you you could send a picture of the whole setup so we can see how everything is lining up.

Sometimes it seems like quite a bit of juggling to get everything lined up right...

[jabborabbo]

I’ll send a pic later this evening!

[MARKDTN]

Are you sure you have the shoes in the correct place-not the front on the back and vice versa?

[cbeerman]

The front shoe (primary) should have the shorter lining

[Kalums]

Originally Posted by cbeerman

The front shoe (primary) should have the shorter lining

This^ plus a few other things was exactly what happened to me and I just got mine back to working Tuesday. Someone butchered mine up completely so I had to figure out and find most of the missing pieces. Keep at it it will work out in the end. In all seriousness/sincerity Good luck. ��

As a side thought when mine didn't want to line up I installed the adjuster and spring on the bottom and adjusted mine "out" till the pins/holes did match up on both sides. That helped me. *shrugs*

[jayoldschool]

Originally Posted by slikside

To state the obvious...something ain't lining up!

Here's a link to a really good, step-by-step process with pictures on how to assemble drum brake assemblies. You might find that your method is somehow misaligning things?

Anyhow, here ya go:

https://www.pbase.com/nufsed/drumbrake

I used this exact resource when rebuilding my rear brakes on my 65. It was essential, I was missing all the park brake hardware.

[don t. - 72gmc]

When I did the brakes on my 70 drums, I used a squeeze clamp or a c-clamp to kinda hold things in place while I got the 2nd side in place. Wasn't perfect but was easier since I now had 3 hands(smile).

HTH...Don

[71CHEVYSHORTBED402]

Some illustrations

[KQQL IT]

C20 and a c10 I've had apart lately

[MySons68C20]

Nice pics KQQl very helpful....I do so little drum brake work that pictures really do speak a thousand words!

[KQQL IT]

Same here. Why I have pics
I bet rube goldberg would approve

My 68 c20 frustrated me enough that I bought a disc brake swap last time I was in there.

[jabborabbo]

Originally Posted by don t. - 72gmc

When I did the brakes on my 70 drums, I used a squeeze clamp or a c-clamp to kinda hold things in place while I got the 2nd side in place. Wasn't perfect but was easier since I now had 3 hands(smile).

HTH...Don

Thanks for the clamp advice. I got the right side on then fought with the left side - it looked screwy at first when I got it together but overnight it straightened itself out apparently. Now I’m fighting with trying to bleed the brakes with a one man vacuum setup-it’s not working right-I think I don’t have a tight seal on the bleeder screw.

What’s frustrating is that I did both front brakes a while back and that went smoothly….

[Jason Banks]

I have never had luck getting a good bleed using the Harbor Freight vacuum setup that I have. I will usually use the vacuum bleeder and then get a helper to do the pump pump hold...

[Rust_never_sleeps]

I struggled to vac bleed the back drums with three different tools
Felt like it was closing up, and I could hear the cylinders moving(I did have the shuttle valve pinned)
Maybe I was just pulling too much vacuum :shrug:

I ended up using the Motive power bleeder and it was cake

[MySons68C20]

Reverse bleeding has worked great for me on difficult brakes.
I use a cheapy NAPA setup...kinda messy but works.

[jabborabbo]

Another question from a wanker (me)…when the drums and wheels have been put back on, is something wrong if there’s a slight scraping sound when the tires are rotated (the brake adjusters are backed off all the way)?

[Jason Banks]

As you know, those brake shoes are just floating around in there. So, if they are shifted over some they can drag the drum at times.

If the adjuster is all the way backed off, adjust it out until it just barely drags the drum, but turns freely. I've been known to put them too tight and have to back them off some to get it right. Backing them off is sometimes easier said than done, because you need to hold the adjuster off the star wheel or you won't be able to turn the star wheel backwards.

I have found some of the new shoes are not that good of fit to the drum until you wear them in.

Back in time someone around you might have a "brake shoe arc grinder" where they could take some off the shoes to make them fit the drums better. See- https://www.google.com/search?q=arc+...ng+brake+shoes

[jabborabbo]

Jason Banks said:

“I have found some of the new shoes are not that good of fit to the drum until you wear them in.”

I’m kinda thinking (hoping) that’s the case