Black Dog
Makin' Beer.
Well, I installed drum brakes for my first time over the weekend. It wasn't fun, but I wouldn't hesitate to ever do it again. Thats a dirty operation too, my coveralls were totally black on the front and my hands still have black stains on them.
My first problem was answered by the internet. I couldn't get the old drum off, it wouldn't budge. It was spinning freely, the parking brake was off, the star wheel was adjusted as far as I could get it, but the sucker wouldn't come off. The internet said to use a hammer and whack around the edge of the drum until it broke free, and that worked.
My second problem getting the new drums on. I tried everything but they just wouldn't slip on like they are suppose to. I tried putting the old drum on and it wouldn't go, so I took the drum off the other side and tried a new drum on the old shoes and assembly and it went on, so I knew that I had a problem with what I had just done. The internet was no help, so I called my dad and he asked if I had the right shoes. We figured out that the way the shoes were packaged was stupid and that was why I put them together wrong. There were both primary shoes shrink wrapped together and both secondary shoes shrink wrapped together, so I open one package and put two secondary shoes on one assembly. I thought it was weird that one of the shoes had a little stud for a spring that the old one didn't have, and I'm kind of surprised that it actually went together like that. So I got it all broken down and reassembled properly and adjusted the second time.
I moved on to the next side and was working away real well except for the potentially life threatening personally injury. It wasn't exactly life threatening, but it could have been! There was a dead wasp on my floor and it had been there all winter and I knew about it, but while I was sitting on the floor I put my hand down and stung myself with a dead wasp. Those bastards hurt just as much dead as they do alive! Its been about 16 years since my last bee sting so I wasn't sure how I'd handle it, but everything was good. Putting together the second set went smoother and fast.
I pulled my jeep out into the dirt parking area and did the backwards and forwards stopping and going for a couple minutes to let the self adjuster thingamabob do its thing. At first the brakes felt a little soft but they firmed up pretty quick. I took it for a test drive on the highway and got it up to 40mph or so and then gradually slowed down a couple times, then got it up to 40 and really stomped on the brakes. It slowed me down a lot better and more quickly than it did before the replacement, which is exactly why I replaced them. About 5 years ago I had my front brakes replaced and they said that the rear would need done in a year, so I'm only 4 years late on doing it. My new disc brakes for the front are on back order, but I'm looking forward to doing them when they get here.
The old drums and pads were actually in pretty decent condition and probably would have lasted another year or two, but I didn't really like seeing the chunks of pad missing like in the third picture. The whole process was a learning experience and my thighs are pretty sore from getting up and sitting down all day, but if any of my friends ever needed help doing theirs I'd be confident doing it with them.
My first problem was answered by the internet. I couldn't get the old drum off, it wouldn't budge. It was spinning freely, the parking brake was off, the star wheel was adjusted as far as I could get it, but the sucker wouldn't come off. The internet said to use a hammer and whack around the edge of the drum until it broke free, and that worked.
My second problem getting the new drums on. I tried everything but they just wouldn't slip on like they are suppose to. I tried putting the old drum on and it wouldn't go, so I took the drum off the other side and tried a new drum on the old shoes and assembly and it went on, so I knew that I had a problem with what I had just done. The internet was no help, so I called my dad and he asked if I had the right shoes. We figured out that the way the shoes were packaged was stupid and that was why I put them together wrong. There were both primary shoes shrink wrapped together and both secondary shoes shrink wrapped together, so I open one package and put two secondary shoes on one assembly. I thought it was weird that one of the shoes had a little stud for a spring that the old one didn't have, and I'm kind of surprised that it actually went together like that. So I got it all broken down and reassembled properly and adjusted the second time.
I moved on to the next side and was working away real well except for the potentially life threatening personally injury. It wasn't exactly life threatening, but it could have been! There was a dead wasp on my floor and it had been there all winter and I knew about it, but while I was sitting on the floor I put my hand down and stung myself with a dead wasp. Those bastards hurt just as much dead as they do alive! Its been about 16 years since my last bee sting so I wasn't sure how I'd handle it, but everything was good. Putting together the second set went smoother and fast.
I pulled my jeep out into the dirt parking area and did the backwards and forwards stopping and going for a couple minutes to let the self adjuster thingamabob do its thing. At first the brakes felt a little soft but they firmed up pretty quick. I took it for a test drive on the highway and got it up to 40mph or so and then gradually slowed down a couple times, then got it up to 40 and really stomped on the brakes. It slowed me down a lot better and more quickly than it did before the replacement, which is exactly why I replaced them. About 5 years ago I had my front brakes replaced and they said that the rear would need done in a year, so I'm only 4 years late on doing it. My new disc brakes for the front are on back order, but I'm looking forward to doing them when they get here.
The old drums and pads were actually in pretty decent condition and probably would have lasted another year or two, but I didn't really like seeing the chunks of pad missing like in the third picture. The whole process was a learning experience and my thighs are pretty sore from getting up and sitting down all day, but if any of my friends ever needed help doing theirs I'd be confident doing it with them.
