My 86 GT continues to have many problems. Today it is rear drum brakes. They were due for replacement so I ordered the kit and had at it. Four hours of labor later and the car is even worse off than before. Now it needs towed. I can't seem to get the springs to set without moving the whole thing around. One part slips off, another falls off completely. I'm no mechanic but this is ridiculous. I managed to damage the wheel cylinder also. That's why its heading for serious help. Advice is most welcome but its going to the garage tomorrow for a professional to address. There's two weeks and likely $500.00 dollars down the drain. This car has been a real chore the past five years. Cooling issues, emissions, brakes, a/c, ignition, wiring. Yikes. I don't think its worth it any more. The car might be worth two thousand on a good day. It needs painted really bad but estimates run into the five figure range. Ouch. I don't have a garage myself and few friends that are willing to help. I can't justify thousands of dollars for repair when it will only fetch maybe 6 grand when done. Twenty five years of ownership and its worse than ever. And averaging five hundred miles a year if that. I daydream at car shows. Oh well. Time for beer.
Brakes drum brake trouble
- Thread starter Magnet86
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Have you watched this? It’s not an overly hard job but if you have never done one it can kick your ass.
View: https://youtu.be/cOozkwPu-Vs?feature=shared
View: https://youtu.be/cOozkwPu-Vs?feature=shared
Even all the times I have done drum brakes I still leave one side on so I can go back and forth to see how its installed..
And I can remember seeing my first FRONT disc brake car come in to the Service Station I worked at while in High School... Think it was a 1st Gen Camaro......
And I can remember seeing my first FRONT disc brake car come in to the Service Station I worked at while in High School... Think it was a 1st Gen Camaro......
Like Limp said do one side and look at the other. I did mine last month for the first time and they are difficult. As usual the first side was pure misery and the other side went right together. If your car is killing you mentally get the most money you can. You have a lot against you.
Willybill32
But at least it's tight!
Sorry to hear your ‘86 is giving you such troubles. I also have an ‘86. I replaced the rear drums with discs using an old SSBC kit, and no issues. But it sounds like that solution I’d a bit late for yours.
Bill
Personally I wouldn't waste the time, money or headache of converting the rears to disc unless I was Autocrossing or doing the Optima Battery challenge at SEMA... The rear does about 15% of the braking..
I don't view rear discs as a performance modification.
I like them for reliability, reapeability and longevity.
You can throw simplicity and ease of maintenance in there too.
And let's not forget, drums look awful.
If I bought another fox, the drums would be one of the first things to go.
I like them for reliability, reapeability and longevity.
You can throw simplicity and ease of maintenance in there too.
And let's not forget, drums look awful.
If I bought another fox, the drums would be one of the first things to go.
Drum brakes are difficult the first few times that you do them. Who am I kidding, every time that you do them. Easy to mess up. Yet they are fairly simple.
My first car, a 1969 Ford Falcon, was 4-wheel drum manual brakes. I learned but messed them up a couple of times also. As already stated, pull both drums but only work on one side at a time leaving the other side for reference. This is a big help.
Get the dedicated brake tools if you don't already have them. I've done it several times with channel locks and a screwdriver, but I've also hit my face with those tools when they slipped off. The right tools are really needed with drum brakes.
It is helpful to have another set of hands to hold things steady while you get the springs back in place until you get the hang of it.
You've got this! Walk away for a while and get your mind off of it, take a deep breathe, watch the video or get a book diagram, and go take it on.
My first car, a 1969 Ford Falcon, was 4-wheel drum manual brakes. I learned but messed them up a couple of times also. As already stated, pull both drums but only work on one side at a time leaving the other side for reference. This is a big help.
Get the dedicated brake tools if you don't already have them. I've done it several times with channel locks and a screwdriver, but I've also hit my face with those tools when they slipped off. The right tools are really needed with drum brakes.
It is helpful to have another set of hands to hold things steady while you get the springs back in place until you get the hang of it.
You've got this! Walk away for a while and get your mind off of it, take a deep breathe, watch the video or get a book diagram, and go take it on.
Two " must have" tools needed to work on Drum Brakes...
The blue handled tool installs the brake shoes.. The keeper washer fits inside the end and you just push it over the Pin, you hold with your other hand from the backside of the backing plate, twist and your shoes are on..
The larger tool is what you use to remove and install the longer springs you attach to the post at the top of the shoes.... The tool in my pic is a cheapy, if I was to buy another it would be the best I could buy.......
Installed shoes on my new rear.
The blue handled tool installs the brake shoes.. The keeper washer fits inside the end and you just push it over the Pin, you hold with your other hand from the backside of the backing plate, twist and your shoes are on..
The larger tool is what you use to remove and install the longer springs you attach to the post at the top of the shoes.... The tool in my pic is a cheapy, if I was to buy another it would be the best I could buy.......
Installed shoes on my new rear.
This is a good time to rough adjust the shoes to the drum...
Twist the bottom adjuster so it pushes the shoes outwards..
Install the drum looking for some slight drag.. Remove, adjust, install until you get the light drag.. Too tight? remove drum ( or if you can't get the drum on now) and turn the adjuster the other way a few clicks to loosen it...
Then do the final adjust with the drum on from the backing plate side... There is a rubber plug sometimes you need to remove...
I like to tighten it up as tight as I can, then loosen, counting your clicks till I get just a little bit of drag when spinning the drum by hand...
Try to adjust the other side to the same amount of " clicks ' when backing off... Sometimes you can't, and thats OK...
Tightening and then loosening it seems to work all of the shoes, cables and springs to allow a better adjustment then just tightening up to a slight drag. At least thats how I was taught and how I do it... If you have to start over, just tighten it up fully and do it again...
Remember to make sure you emergency brake is not on when doing this.....
Hope this helps
Twist the bottom adjuster so it pushes the shoes outwards..
Install the drum looking for some slight drag.. Remove, adjust, install until you get the light drag.. Too tight? remove drum ( or if you can't get the drum on now) and turn the adjuster the other way a few clicks to loosen it...
Then do the final adjust with the drum on from the backing plate side... There is a rubber plug sometimes you need to remove...
I like to tighten it up as tight as I can, then loosen, counting your clicks till I get just a little bit of drag when spinning the drum by hand...
Try to adjust the other side to the same amount of " clicks ' when backing off... Sometimes you can't, and thats OK...
Tightening and then loosening it seems to work all of the shoes, cables and springs to allow a better adjustment then just tightening up to a slight drag. At least thats how I was taught and how I do it... If you have to start over, just tighten it up fully and do it again...
Remember to make sure you emergency brake is not on when doing this.....
Hope this helps
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CassieL
Active Member
Drum brake shoes shouldn't take more than 20 minutes per side. Obviously you missed something. Always do one at a time. That way you can look a the other one for how it goes.
Maybe if your a pro mechanic that has done hundreds of drums....
True.
The first time doing anything is a PITA.
The best thing that can happen is to have to do 3 cars back to back to back.
After the 3rd car, then it does not seem that difficult anymore and you have (hopefully) figured out what not to do.
Then again, some people can never figure it out, even after a hundred times.
Those folks need to take it to someone who knows what to do and bring cash...
CassieL
Active Member
I've been a pro mechanic. I have done hundreds of brake jobs on various makes. But still, drum brakes are not that hard. Maybe first time but by the third you're a pro at it. For a short cut, take springs off ose shoe and replace it, then the other. No need to take it all apart unless you're renewing all the hardware too. Slipping the shoes out and in without taking it all apart is how you beat the flat rate. I do it all with a large flat blade and pliers.
I would ;prefer to take my time and make sure its done right... No flat rate in my garage....
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