Changing rear brake shoes!!!

Is it just me or is this one of the crappest jobs to do on a vehicle? Especially one that's seen it's fait share of mud!!!

In theory it's quite simple but by-goves I hate it! The main spring takes a heck of alot of pulling and getting the shoe with the adjuster on in place without it all falling apart before getting it into place takes talent!

I see that you can now get a rear disc conversion from

muddyzook.co.uk/store/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=15

and it's priced quite keenly, albeit you have to et some bits yourself, but ebay is a wonderful thing for that.

Perhaps when a few people have done the conversion I'll see how that have got on and have a bash myself - go on Martin - you know you want it - then you can let us know your experiences of it.

Kirkynut

I am supposed to be meeting Rob Toft from muddyzook for a drink at some point as he occasionally comes down my way, however the threat of redundancy is focussing the financial matters at present.

I am getting used to sorting the brakes now, the trick is to pay lots of attention to getting the adjusters working and clean. The springs are easier to get on if you use Molegrips on the spring and the centre hub as a levering point.

If you get the adjusters adjusted to within an inch of their life then the brakes are ok and the handbrake works. Further to your other question about the cable I would spend lots of time on the adjusters within the drums before giving it a final tweak on the adjuster up by the handbrake lever.

Martin

Cheers for that, I have spent quite alot of time freeing up the adjusters, one was ok and the other not so, and then did spend quite a bit of time getting the adjusters in the drums so that you could just hear them starting to bind. Occasionally I could not get the drum on, having checked the shoes were on straight, so I had to back the adjuster off a little.

Shouldn't the adjusters self adjust anyway when freed up?

I thnik someone has previously had a little adjust of the individual handbrake cable on one side, looking at it, and that is the stronger side, so I might back that off to even it up and then tweek it on the adjuster on the lever.

Have you ever adjusted the individual cables yourself Martin?

Cheers

Kirkynut

I have solved my handbrake not working well on the nearside problem!!!

At 05:00 am yesterday whilst drinking my morning cuppa a looked at the guide to fitting the rear shoes that can be found on this site I had printed as reference in case I could not remember how things went back together.

Upon takeing the old shoes off I had made a mental note where everything came from and noted that the bottom of the shoes located on the outside of their locating plate up against the large rivit either side.

On the picture on the guide and the workshop manual picture it shows them located behind this plate.

I had put the new ones on as I had found the old ones and this meant that the outside of the shoe stuck out from the back plate a little as they sat at an angle. This meant that only a fraction of the shoe was touching the drum and made adjustment harder.

The lack of friction of the shoe against the drum was causing one side to not grip the drum and thus not allow the handbrake to work.

The outside of the shoes had a wear mark on a point demonstrating this.

I put them right and adjusted everything up and now it's all good. The brakes work so well now I think I'll have to be careful in the wet as I've not got ABS fitted tomy vehicle!!!

I looked at the old shoes as they are still in the garage and they had worn on one side where they had been fitted the same way, which had led me to fit them wrongly too.

Thi is not the first thing I have found that the previous owner had done that was not right but hopefully it will be the last!!!

Kirkynut

I think I have mastered the black art of getting it all together now but next time I have it apart will look at what you are saying Colin. I hope it won't be soon though!!!

My swearing started under my breath but got progressively louder and bluer, but I now can do the job without even thinking of swear words ... well maybe that's pushing it a little too far but I don't need to say them now!!!

Kirkynut