Brake Drums Shopping

[bucket]

So long as they aren't seized, adjusting them through the backing plates is easy IMO. Just stick a flat screw driver in there and pull the handle down, listen for the clicks.

 

[89Suburban]

Ok I'll check it out. What about when you need to back them off? Isn't there a ratchet in there?

 

[bucket]

Just don't go too far. Should be easy to tell with the axle jacked up in the air and the trans in neutral. Adjust a few clicks, spin the wheel, and go more clicks if needed. With a slight drag, you should be good. If the shoes are way out of adjustment, you might have to really wind out the adjusters, and the shoes will contact the drum differently now so you might need to adjust them again in a few weeks.

 

[HotRodPC]

I just bought a set of 2 from autozone for ~$140. Duralast brand and I like Duralast, nothings ever failed me before. It says on the box they don't need to be turned before using and I'll take their word for it and save my money.

I'm getting a little hesitant braking in the rain especially with the boat behind the truck the front brakes want to lock up and the rears barely grab during a panic stop on fresh wet pavement that is scary. Happened to me last weekend. Just don't seem like they are grabbing like they should be. If I take the pedal real quick twice you can feel the rear brakes grab much better.

In the spring the linings and hardware looked fine. Seems like there is a good gap between the linings and the drum just by what I am feeling. The drums do have a heck of a lip on them. This is my dd so I want to swap them out. I can't afford the down time to be taking them to be turned if they could be. We'll see....

Sounds more like you just need a brake adjust back there Dawg. Many many many times, those adjusters get stiff and won't turn and then won't self adjust. Do you know how self adjusters operate? It's common to need to adjust your brakes sometimes especially if you park on the street and rarely back up. Also, the drums may be just fine and have been glazed from getting hot a few times. In that case, just get them mic'ed and if safe to do so, get them turned, so they are trued, and then the glaze is also cut off to a nice new surface. Then adjust them and they'll be good as new drums and new brakes if your spring hardware and linings are in good shape. Don't be a parts changer buddy and throw money away.

Take those adjusters apart, clean them up real good with brake clean. Make sure they turn freely, and then lube the threads with White Lithum grease. AND DO NOT MIX them up. Make sure, Left to Left, Right to Right. One is reverse thread, and one isn't.

 

[HotRodPC]

Ok I'll check it out. What about when you need to back them off? Isn't there a ratchet in there?

No, there's no ratchet in there. It's just a star wheel on the threaded adjuster. It turns in and out freely. There is an adjustment tool that sits on the star wheel. Everytime you back up and hit the brakes to a full stop, that adjuster is supposed to fall back and then when it comes down it pushes on the star wheel, advancing the wheel 1 tiny click down. Sometimes you might have a wore off star finger too and then the adjuster doesn't have anything to push down on to push it down and advance the wheel. Once that happens, the wheel is stuck there forever and can't advance until you do it manually. So inspect all the teeth on the star for wear too.

 

[89Suburban]

Thanks for the tips, I will make this a weekend play project at some point. I don't have any lithum grease, can I use sil-glyde? I would figure backing up to the boat trailer and backing down the boat ramp on a daily basis would keep those rear brakes well adjusted. So they must be froze up.

 

[dhamp]

 

[chengny]

The adjuster arm hold down springs get thin and weak with time and fail to keep the arm tight against the star - also sometimes the cup washer on top pf the spring falls off:

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[MrMarty51]

Ok I'll check it out. What about when you need to back them off? Isn't there a ratchet in there?

I use a brake adjusting tool that I bent to 90*.
When I need to back them off, I use an allen wrench, about a 3/16ths or so, a fairly long one.
Where the adjustment tool goes in, a little behind that, if You shove the allen wrench in for a ways, You can feel the adjusters lever push away from the star wheel, then You can use the adjusting tool and backerofft.

 

[chengny]

Drum Brake Rebuild Tutorial

The whole procedure (Thanks to Mr. Slaughter).

1 - 5:

 

[chengny]

6 - 10:

 

[chengny]

11 - 15:

 

[chengny]

16 & 17:

 

[89Suburban]

That is some awesome **** right there

 

[HotRodPC]

89S's thread just got "popcorned" !!!