Caprice , rear drum brakes

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When I pulled the drums , with much prying and hammering ( last weekend ) , there was no ridge on the outter edge of the inside of the drums . Only a slight taper .

But I was wondering about grinding a slight bevel , on that edge ?

Think I have most / all of then parts gathered up to repair the leaky LR wheel cylinder .

Best of luck to you all , :)
 
Did you turn the star wheel adjuster to move the shoes in before trying to remove the drum? Sometimes they are stuck but most times you can turn the adjuster wheel. You really shouldn't need to do any grinding.
 
Star wheel stuck , both sides . :-(

I have never had a disk or rotor turned . There is no ridge / lip , just a little taper .

The wear surface of the drums are in great shape . The friction material on the old shoes ( if I can salvage them ) or new shoes will be quite happy . :)

This is not a race car & most / much of the breaking effect is with the front discs . The breaks stop just fine , as is .

I think one mistake I made , last weekend is I should have loosened off , a little , the emergency brake adjustment . Course , it would have been nice if the star wheel had not been stuck / froze .

Best of luck to you all , :)
 
Most cars that use drum brakes for stopping the car and not just an E brake on rear disc systems are self adjusting. This means the star wheel will not turn backwards against the adjusting lever, you need to push it out of the way with a thin screwdriver while turning the wheel backwards with a brake spoon or a larger screwdriver.

Make sure you don't mix the adjusters up they are L or R thread and will only work on one side. Short (leading) shoe to the front.
I always turn or replace the drums and use new hardware.
 
Take only one wheel apart at a time so you don't mix up parts. Take pictures for reference (also if you only took one wheel apart, you can take the drum off of the other wheel and compare, they are mirror image). Unscrew the adjuster all the way and put some grease on the threads. Pre-set the adjusters so the drum barely fits over the shoes.

The parking brake should only need adjusting if you have replaced cables etc of it. Do not tighten the parking brake to compensate for the self-adjusters being improperly preset or not working at all.
 
Oh , by the way , what is the correct term for the little rubber plugs that go in the hole in the backing plate . You knock out the pre-punched steel " plug " to gain access to the star wheel .

By the way , when I finally got the drum off , on each side , the star wheel would not turn , even with a pair of pliers .

I plan to only have one side apart , at one side , so , no chance of mixing the L & the R adjusters .

Have I mentioned I had much rather work on disc brakes , than drum brakes ?
 
Originally Posted By: WyrTwister
Oh , by the way , what is the correct term for the little rubber plugs that go in the hole in the backing plate . You knock out the pre-punched steel " plug " to gain access to the star wheel .

By the way , when I finally got the drum off , on each side , the star wheel would not turn , even with a pair of pliers .

I plan to only have one side apart , at one side , so , no chance of mixing the L & the R adjusters .

Have I mentioned I had much rather work on disc brakes , than drum brakes ?


Probably just a rubber “dust plug” I’d guess to keep slip out of the area


Disc brakes(rear ) are sometimes easy, sometimes not. Try replacing rear parking brake shoes on rear disc equipped car and you will have a new appreciation for doing brakes
 
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I don't like drum brakes. I don't mess with them enough to gain proficiency. When I bought the Rat, the brakes were fine,about 20K past pads and shoes and stuff. Except that the truck sat for a yr under a big oak and rusted just about solid underneath. I un-clipped an original brake line and didn't stop replacing brake parts until I got to the drums. Drum brakes are a bunch of 50 cent widgets and springs. Every darn part has to be just so for them to work properly. I never gained the knack. Bug brakes didn't have self adjusters and were much easier to adjust with a big screw driver.
 
You can get what they call a "pro combi kit" that will include all new adjusters. They are usually incredibly cheap, especially for domestic cars.
 
One of the Chevy Luminas we owned had rear discs . Had to dig out the book .

The emerg brake operated a ratcheting lever that tightened the disc pads . The caliper pistion ( best I remember ) had 2 " dumples " on its face . Usrd the 2 points on a small needle nose pliers to screw the piston back in .

Not bad , once I comprehended all that .

Best of luck , :)
 
None of them are very difficult, when I first started in school disc brakes were not all that common at the trade school (most cars were 10 years old making them early 60's cars) I learned on 4 wheel drum.
Even did some mechanical rod drum brakes on an old MG and had to machine new cranks and pivots.
 
Ended up spraying the brake shoes with brake clean .

Replaced the LR wheel cylinder .

Bleed the brakes on both sides of the rear . With the help of my Wife ( thank you . )

All well .

Take care , :)
 
Originally Posted By: andyd
I don't like drum brakes. I don't mess with them enough to gain proficiency. When I bought the Rat, the brakes were fine,about 20K past pads and shoes and stuff. Except that the truck sat for a yr under a big oak and rusted just about solid underneath. I un-clipped an original brake line and didn't stop replacing brake parts until I got to the drums. Drum brakes are a bunch of 50 cent widgets and springs. Every darn part has to be just so for them to work properly. I never gained the knack. Bug brakes didn't have self adjusters and were much easier to adjust with a big screw driver.



I ha\d a 1970 full Size Ford with drums all around . Some one had removed the self adjusters . Every year , when state inspection time rolled around , I had to jack all 4 corners up and adjust brakes . Before the car would pass state inspection .

Did I mention , I hate drum brakes ?
 
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