Fitting Rear Shoes

[speedy25]

When I changed the rear shoes on my car as I was adjusting the brakes I noticed still another quality problem-

The shoes arent really round!

I grabbed some coarse sandpaper and went to work on relieving the high spots. They were in different places on all four shoes.

Spin the adjuster out so the drum will barely fit over the shoes. Actuate the brakes a few times to center the shoes on the backing plate. Pull off the drum and see where the high spots are. Sand down high spots as indicated by rub marks against the drum.

Repeat as necessary. Finish with a thorough cleaning with brake cleaner to remove dust and grit.

When I first installed the drums I could do 6-7 clicks on the parking brake. When I was done- 2-3.

Makes a big difference in the pedal travel too.

Just passing along another minor detail that can make a BIG difference in the finished job.

Hmmm I was going to post a pic but uploading isnt an option here.

-SP

[sequoiasoon]

The high spots if any should be minor and would wear off pretty quick. Obviously they are not the same size as the drum and they do move around on the backing plate so you will be doing that forever. You could also match them up while the drums are off BEFORE installing the shoes to see how they look.

Lastly the parking brake will work correctly IF the shoes stay adjusted correctly. Read my post from here Car rolls even with e-brake fully cranked.

[speedy25]

But they WERENT minor! Thats my point. I have never seen a set of shoes so out of round!! The leading shoe had high spots totally different from the trailing shoe. Also theres no way you can fit them by placing them in the drums before installation. You might be able to do SOME compensation for out of round but you wont get any correction for out of square. They have to be ON the car to do this.

Re-checked your thread- I hope you went easy on that never seize since it creeps over time and could contaminate your braking surfaces. It IS good for keeping the rust monsters at bay on the self adjusters.

-SP

[BoyYota]

Hmmm, I certainly hope we don't run into any crazy issues. My brother-in-law may know what to do if anything, he's probably done lots of brake shoes.

[Nusdogg]

Great Job.