Rear drum brake service

[mobileparts]

The shoes ARE readily available --- but anyone who is smart would NOT buy these new garbage brake shoes --- because of the non-availability of the
brake drums -- and their cost --- one with this set - up MUST use ++ N.O.S. ++ Asbestos ++ Brake Shoes -- which I have on hand!!!!!
I also have the 11" x 2" Drums -- but yes, sadly, they are costly.....

You can swap to the 11" x 2 1/2" set up -- but from those I know that have done so -- it is a very involved project -- and probably not worth doing.
With one purchase for life --- maybe best to simply leave it the way it is -- and that's that. What is the famous line -- If it ain't broke, don't fix it..........

 

[GregG48203]

Now that you've got the rear drums off, your first job needs to be replacement of the axle seals. Even if you did nothing but put on new brake shoes, they would soon become contaminated with axle lube, degrading their performance. This may be the point where you hand over the job to someone with more experience.

 

[jstaples2]

Agreed -
I'm going to replace the bearings and seals and move up to an 11x2.5 backing plate and drum setup. I don't have the tools to remove/seat bearings so off to the shop I go. Thanks everyone for your help. I'll keep you all updated (if you are interested)

 

[cantflip]

Agreed -
I'm going to replace the bearings and seals and move up to an 11x2.5 backing plate and drum setup. I don't have the tools to remove/seat bearings so off to the shop I go. Thanks everyone for your help. I'll keep you all updated (if you are interested)

We are always interested... even when we don't reply... keep the info and pictures coming.

 

[jstaples2]

Alright - so I finally was able to get some time over the last few weeks to work on the rear brakes. Between having a wife and 2 kids and no family out here it's a rarity that I get time to do anything.

To recap; there aren't a lot of pieces laying around for rear drums that are 11x2. I opted to move up to 11x2.5 which is much easier to get parts for. I bought a kit from mopar madness that had the whole setup (backing plate, gasket, drum, shoe, hardware, etc). Since I had to pull the backing plate off that meant I had to pull the axles out. Since I've got the axles out I figure I ought to look at the bearings since I have no idea what the P.O. had done to the car.

It looks like the axles had the original tapered bearings still on them and the passenger side bearing felt 'crunchy'. I read up in a few places where folks just repack them with grease but since the OD reads 147K I opted for new bearings. After reading up on the pros and cons of tapered v. green bearings I went with 'green bearings' from Summit and took the axles down to a shop to have them pressed on.

After getting the axles back it was just a matter of bolting everything back together with the new gaskets and hardware. It was my first time bleeding the brakes, so I spent a lot of time cursing and fighting with a harbor freight break bleeder tool. Finally I had to break down and get my wife to sit in the car and mash on the pedal so I could get good flow out of the bleeder valve.

I took it for a test drive today and everything seems to be working, the car sounds/feels smoother in the rear end. I think I might need to adjust the shoes outward a bit against the drum. I guess I need to play a bit to get a sense of how adjusting the performance of the brakes. I just don't know what 'correct' feels like. The car always had busted shoes and was leaking brake fluid out of the cylinder. If all else fails I can get it over to the firestone dealer to take a look and have them validate if everything is setup properly.

Here are some pics... sorry I didn't take more during the process.

 

[rags]

quick way to check rear adjustment is set e-brake. this forces shoes to max adjustment. pump the service brake a couple of times with engine running for pwr brakes. this pumps wheel cyls. out all the way. cyls can't return 'cause spreader bar for e-brake holds shoes apart. if service brake is noticeably higher with e-brake set, brakes need adjusting. release e-brake, wait a moment for cyls. to return, try service brake again. of course this is all very dependent on e-brake working correctly! congrats on doing this job yourself.