Tiderfish

Greetings...

I have been replacing my rear drum brakes on my 1995 F150. I have been told it it easy to do myself, by some. And others have told me to avoid it like the plauge. I am starting to see why.

I got the shoes on there seeming just fine. However when I try to put my new drums on they will not go around the shoes. There isn't enough clearance by about 2 or 3 mm. No amount of whacking it with a hammer will help. I was able to get the old drum back on but it is prolly 17 years old and never been replaced, so it has a looser tolerance.

One thing I notice is that the front shoe does not meet up with the guide pin on top. If I make it line up it will pull out the tensioner screw on the bottom. If I tension the screw to make the pin flush with the shoe there is no way the drum old or new will go on.

Please see the pics to make this clear.

My Question is this: Did I ***** up something? Or Did I get the wrong parts? I would really like my truck back in working order and need your help!

flareside_thunder

Look at the other side for reference. The shoes are done in pairs and DO have their specific mounting location so make sure you have them in the right spot. Also, the reason your drum doesn't fit is because of normal wear and the fact that our brakes are self-adjusting. See that pipe lookin thing with the sprocket on it at the bottom of everything? Adjust it so your shoes move inward toward each other. That might take care of the problem I first talked about.

sdmartin65

Make sure the parking brake cable is not sticking. I had that same problem on my 95 when doing the rear drum brakes.

southernyankey1

Is the cylinder stuck open? Personally, I replace them when I change rear drums/hardware as you're already there and they are dirt cheap, that way i have to flush the old nasty fluid out...lol.

Clean the threads really well on the adjuster and depress the brake cylinder fully and the pads should seat properly

Tiderfish

Thanks for the replies.

I already did the other side, and they had that same crowning issue at the top. I put the old drum back on that side, to test it out to make sure it would stop the jacked up tire, since this is my first drum brake job. It seemed to work fine, however I want to replace the drums.

The screw adjuster is as short as I can make it and even with the thing off, I can't get the drum on.

Is it normal for the top shoe to not go all the way to the pin?

Tiderfish

Also I did put the smaller shoe on facing the front. I am not 100% sure that is right since the old shoes are not exactly the same looking.

Is that right?

sdmartin65

Been there done this, try unhooking up parking brake and I bet you everything fit together fine. It only takes a slight amount of engagement to mess everything up.

Tiderfish

What do you mean unhook the parking brake?

As in release it?

Tiderfish

I went out there and checked. The parking brake was fully released. I tried again and am still having the same issue.

southernyankey1

Depress the cylinder all the way and you will need to adjust the adjuster accordingly till the pads are centered enough to slip the drum over them...