Rear brakes...piecing them together!

[Insanejughead]

Just a hardware kit for 10" brakes should do. I think that the brake cylinder pushrod things are a separate purchase though. I know I've bought cylinders before, and I can't remember if those things came with the cylinders or not...

Btw, I think I paid $8-10 for my hardware kit for my brakes.

Oh, and I'm honestly surprised that of all the problems you could've had, the brakes had the wrong size hole placed in the lower section. That's crappy, for sure.

 

[scotts90ranger]

a full spring set is around $10 at Napa but I do have a spare used set, I have one of the adjuster pivot things (the sheet metal piece at the bottom), maybe two though, a couple of the pushrod things and so forth. I'll search through my stash tonight. New cylinders don't come with the pushrod things.

 

[Hagan]

I have no problem buying a spring set. I still need the cylinder push rods. I think I run over to the junk yard today and get a couple. I just need two.

It is crappy that there is such a small difference in parts.

 

[scotts90ranger]

I found 4 if you need them, can pop by after work tomorrow, found a spare set of most of the little pivots and stuff too.

 

[Hagan]

I got everything together! I went to the junkyard and got the metal hardware. I then went to Napa and bought the hardware kit with springs, pins, and some other stuff. But I pieced it together with the pic you sent me. Managed to hit myself in the face with pliers but everything went together fine. I couldn't figure out which adjuster went where though...one was left hand threaded and the other was right hand threaded. I just need a pair of shocks and some brake fluid and it will drive! Oh then of course DMV crap...

 

[Insanejughead]

Crap, I can't remember which adjuster goes on which side.

However, if you superimpose the parts in their respective positions, then you'll be able to figure out which way is correct. As the brake shoes open and retract, the cable will pull the advancing pawl up. Then, as the brakes retract, the advancing pawl will catch on the notches on the adjuster. As long as the pawl turns the adjuster so that it opens, that's what side it goes on.

Oh, and the pawls are stamped with an "L" or "R". You'll know what that means. Hahaha.

 

[Hagan]

shoot! I never even looked that closely...maybe I'll just take everything back apart and check. The adjusters adjust themselves right? I adjusted them all the way in...and I was hoping they would adjust out. If I don't take them out I have a 50/50 chance...

 

[Hagan]

Now that I think about it I have no idea what Left or Right is on a vehicle. Is this facing the rear of the vehicle? Is this looking at it from the front? I wish they would put something different.

I looked at the pawls and I took off the Drivers side (when sitting in the seat it would be the left side of the vehicle) and its marked "L" on the side. I proceeded to remove the adjuster and I took off the on the adjuster end and it was also marked "L". I'm assuming everything is right then. I'm putting it back together and bleeding the brakes. So I guess we'll see.

 

[Insanejughead]

You know, the barrels of the adjuster may be stamped with the correct side that it goes on as well.

I hadn't thought about that when typing this up a few hours ago, but it seems that I have worked with those before.

Okay, I'm going to think this through logically as I type:


1. The pawl sits on the outside of the adjuster, on the side closes to the actual wheel.
2. The pawl cable always rides on the rear-most brake shoe.
3. The pawl on the passenger (Right) side turns the adjuster clockwise, in relation to where the barrel of the adjuster is.
4. The pawl on the driver (Left) side turns the adjuster counter-clockwise, in relation to where the barrel of the adjuster is.

So, in order to turn the adjuster out, the passenger side will have to be the left hand thread, and the driver side will need to be right hand thread.


I feel that is correct, but if I'm wrong, that means I have one of the above details wrong.

 

[Insanejughead]

Hahaha, I just now saw that you said that the adjuster was stamped with the "L" and "R".

 

[scotts90ranger]

the rear brakes are technically auto adjusting but it's good practice to adjust the shoes close to the drums... they don't always adjust themselves very well

 

[Hagan]

The brakes work...but seems like the pedal goes too close to the floor for my comfort. I bled the brakes and it took a quart of brake fluid and I'm still having dirty rusty brake fluid coming out of the front. I adjusted the brakes shoes so that they were all the way in. I'm going to just remove the wheels and adjust them close. I don't think the auto adjusting mechanism is working...

 

[Insanejughead]

Now you're thinking about doing it the hard way.

It's better to take the rubber plug out of the backing plate and look in to see the adjusting screw, rather than jacking it up, removing the wheel and drum, and then adjusting things.

Best method: Looking in through the adjustment hole and using a screwdriver, adjust the screw all the way in and set them in place (you've already done this), then drive back and forth while stopping more and more abruptly for about 5 to 10 minutes; use your e-brake a few times as well. Once you're done with all of that, use a flashlight and look to see if the screw has opened up the gap, so that you can see the threads on it. If it's opened up a good bit, then your auto adjust part is working correctly. If not, then the adjuster is backwards or the pawl isn't catching correctly.

You could also take out the cable that pulls the pawl and then manually adjust the shoes out with a screwdriver until the adjuster pushes the shoes far enough apart to stop the wheel from turning, then back it off until the wheel spins about 1.5-2.5 turns before coming to a complete stop. Then you can just check and readjust that every time you rotate your tires. (It'll take, no joke, two minutes per side.)

I did that with my ranger because my e-brake cables were taught just enough that it continually pushed my shoes out so far that they wore a deep groove into the drum. I imagine that the previous owner didn't realize that something like this was keeping him from getting optimum gas mileage...

 

[Insanejughead]

Oh, I thought I mentioned this, but it might take two screwdrivers to adjust the brake shoes back in. This is because the pawl has to be pushed to the side (off of the teeth) in order for you to reverse the adjuster screw.

Let me know how it works out.

 

[scotts90ranger]

the auto adjusters don't adjust by pressing on the pedal, they are supposed to adjust when backing up and stopping abruptly...