new drums won't fit over shoes

[jbwk254]

I decided to tackle the rear drums on my 2001 ranger and it has been a real hassle. I got everything back together(did one side first and used the other as a guide plus i have a haynes manual). Now the new drum won't fit over the brakes! I tried the old drum and neither will fit. I can get it on if i use a hammer but then I obviously can't turn the drum. I have no clue what could possibly holding it up. I also turned the adjustable screw all the way in so i know its not that. Would machining some of the material off the drum be a good idea? What else could be holding it up? Any help would be great.

 

[pillen140]

NO! something is wrong! did you step on the pedal with no drums on the rear? is the wheel cylinder extended? maybe you got a 9 inch drum for 10inch brakes, or 10inch shoes for 9 inch brakes? try bleeding the rear brakes and press in on the cylinder? do not use a hammer on your brakes!

 

[Bent Bolt]

Screw in the adjusters.

 

[Joshs93four-oh]

Make sure the parking brake levers are not stuck partially forward. If the parking brakes do not get used alot and the levers dont fully return AND you dont feel like replacing the cables then just remove the parking brake struts. That is the metal bar above the axle tube that goes between the shoes and has a spring on one side. I took them out of my 93 a long time ago because I am too cheap to replace the cables.
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Ferrari f50 specifications

 

[Jspafford]

Screw in the adjusters.

Ditto, the new pads are thicker than the old ones were, you need to back off the brake adjusters to slide it on.

 

[pillen140]

Screw in the adjusters.

Ditto, the new pads are thicker than the old ones were, you need to back off the brake adjusters to slide it on.

he wrote in his post that he tryed that. he just called them screws or something.

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

Sounds like stuck on e brake cables casing the shoes to be cocked on the backing plate.

 

[michowski]

If you got 9" pads, did you mistakenly get 10" instead? Is your e brake on? Is the adjuster all the way turned in? If something not put together correctly?

 

[jbwk254]

the adjustor is all the way in. I did not stop on the pedal when there was no drums on the rear. I have 10" brakes, the drums clearly say 10.90 or something like that. I made sure the e-brake was released before I started. I'll try bleeding the brakes and see if that helps at all. I've been measuring everything from the side I didn't touch to the new side and everything seems the same. Thats why I cannot figure out what is wrong! Thanks for the help... .more suggestions would be great.

 

[kevinsranger]

try putting the new drum on the opposite side with the old shoes and see if it fits.

 

[MAKG]

Are you sure all the rods are popped into slots where they should be? It's not unusual at all for the adjusters to hang up half way onto the shoes, for instance. In particular, they can hang up on the ratcheting mechanism (try pushing it out).

 

[rangerrager]

ok here we go
it could be a couple things
it could be a frozen whee; cylinder(lookat how far out the pistons in the wheel cylinders are out and see if u can push them in
second just hit both sides of the brake set up with your hand and make sure the whole set up is centered(this is likely to be the problem)
check to see if your parking brake cable is frozen
and of course screw in your adjusters(make sure u are going the right way and if they are not working and you are turning it beut ht shoes are not moving then it is one of the problems above

ryan

 

[Joshs93four-oh]

very true. just because the brake release handle is in dosent mean that the levers are returned. Somethimes you have to pry them in with a prybar. Or do like rangerrager said and move the assy. side to side at the bottom looking at the large upper pin on the backing plate. If it is correct the whole assy. will pivot on the pin but if not, the shoes will spread away from the pin at the top while moving them. If you are sure that everything is correct then a siezed cylinder sounds like it might be the problem.
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Vaaapp vaporizer

 

[jbwk254]

ok so, obviously something is wrong because it won't pivot on the top without the right side spreading apart. The left side(towards the front of the car) will move fine and stay on the pivot bolt but the right side will move away from the pivot bolt. I put a new wheel cylinder on it so I have no clue what the problem could be. I'm using duralast shoes part # 705 from autozone. I found another post on here about the someone that had a problem using duralast shoes and them not fitting for a 9" drum. I wonder if the problem is the same for the 10". Also should the shoes be the same size? I know most cars have a primary and secondary.

I just can't believe that I have been working on this for a couple days now(after work) and I can't figure it out. I've done engine/tranny swaps, suspension work, etc and these drum brakes are kicking my ass

I'm going to go snap some pictures and maybe you guys can see something that I'm missing.

 

[jbwk254]

Here are the pics, i'm working on the drivers side... one thing I also did notice is that the spring going from the right side is lose enough that I can put it on and pull it off using pliers. Maybe this is my problem? I'm going to get a new hardware kit tomorrow. As you can see in the pic, there is a decent sized gap in between the pivot bolt and the right shoe.