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Honestly...I have never tied the springs for holding the shoes in place with dental floss or anything else and burned them off when completed. I actually use very long THIN pointed needle nose pliers and I can go through the hole for adjusting the adjuster and also from the side where I have the shoe pulled out a little bit.
Many ways to 'skin a cat'....so-to-speak....and I hope whatever method you find gets you in and done.
JUST MAKE SURE that the notches on the adjuster...that slide on the thickness of the steel portion of your park brake shoe...are filed smooth...so it will slide on you shoes BEFORE you go and install it. The stainless steel kits nowadays have some slight burrs on then after machining them and these burrs can make it hard for you to get these notches to slide onto the shoe in the correct area. I ALWAYS run my flat file in the notch to get it smooth.
ALSO....do NOT be surprised if you need to slightly nip a bit of wire off the LOWER spring so it can be installed onto the shoe.
AND...please make sure that you install the adjuster CORRECTLY....so all future mechanics and whoever can follow the manual and adjust the park brakes correctly....because the adjusters can be install BACKWARDS...which means what the manual 'tells' you to do will be backwards when you are trying to adjust the shoes using the flat blade screwdriver.
DUB
Thanks, DUB. Good advice as always. I appreciate the help from you and others here.
On the lower spring, it looks to me from my test fit that I can connect that bottom spring, spread the shoes and place them where they go. Maybe it won't work out that way when I go to do it for real.
Also looks like I can hold those mounting pins in place with a couple of tiny rubber grommets.
I took my wife off to Disney World for a few days while waiting for my parts from Willcox. I really have to finish this job myself now. Can't afford to take it to a shop after 4 days here <LOL>.
BTW, any idea why Willcox issues a caution not to use SS hardware if you use SS brake shoes?
I have heard the same about stainless hardware and stainless shoes. I went with stainless hardware and OEM ACDELCO shoes. No issues in many years of service.
I think the SS and SS issues are either due to stainless on stainless galling or the apparent incorrect fit-up (at the time.....some years ago) of the stainless backed shoes.
I DO NOT use stainless steel backed shoes. AS I had found...the radius made in the shoe was wrong and not enough contact surface area made contact with the inside of the rotor. AND...if you wanted to ATTEMPT to wear down the shoe surface so you would get enough contact surface area to make the shoe worth a crap...by that time...it would darn near be at the rivets near the center of the shoe.
HOW do I know this...becasue I burnished several stainless shoes in the past very well...and when the park brake would NOT hold correctly..I took it back apart only to find the center of the shoe was the ONLY spot making contact...and it was about...2' of wear showing where I burnished the pads. The rest of the shoe was in prefect condition.
If the companies corrected this problem..GREAT...even if they DID.....I will NOT use them.
My shoes are not stainless and they look new without any noticeable wear. In fact, everything looks new and pretty clean. If it wasn't for the brake cable lever that fell apart, I wouldn't even be doing this.
All the hardware appears to be stainless and it all looks good. When I receive the rebuild kit, I'll likely reuse all the existing parts and just use the new lever in my order. I'll keep all the rest of the new parts for future use (like when the driver side brake actuating lever falls apart).
Received the parts I've been waiting for and I'm back on this Chinese puzzle that General Motors likes to call a parking brake.
So, I got everything back together but I screwed up because I thought the actuating lever went on last. It's obvious to me now that it needed to be put in place before the shoes went on. Tomorrow I'm going to try to get the actuator lever in place by just removing the rear shoe.
This tool from Harbor Freight made the job of attaching the hold down spring, pin, and cap much easier. You can grab and clamp onto the end of the pin through one of the access holes while you turn the cap with needle nose pliers from the side:
I told you earlier that the learning curve was steep, but once mastered is not a difficult job thereafter.
I like you idea of the locking pliers.......although a second pair of hands (friend/helper) can also do the same thing with conventional needle nose pliers. But your idea is an excellent one.
I got my parking brake back together today. What a job! So many difficult tasks to accomplish in one mechanism. You guys have been a great help. No way I could have done this without your guidance.
So, I reinstalled the rotor and went to put the calipers back on and they won't go on. I put a block of wood in the front when I took them off but I should have put a 2nd block in the back. I can get the front to slip over the rotor but not the rear. Looking up in there, I can see about 1/8" of a piston showing.
Is there a trick or an an easy way to get the pads to open up a bit?
I got my parking brake back together today. What a job! So many difficult tasks to accomplish in one mechanism. You guys have been a great help. No way I could have done this without your guidance.
So, I reinstalled the rotor and went to put the calipers back on and they won't go on. I put a block of wood in the front when I took them off but I should have put a 2nd block in the back. I can get the front to slip over the rotor but not the rear. Looking up in there, I can see about 1/8" of a piston showing.
Is there a trick or an an easy way to get the pads to open up a bit?
Thanks,
-- Steve
Yes...............crack open ( i.e. just a tiny bit ) the caliper bleeder screw to relieve the internal brake system pressure when you push back the piston. Collect the small amount of brake fluid with a rag to avoid getting it on the brake pads. You could also make up a small plastic tubing for the bleeder screw (clear plastic tubing from your hardware store) with a small rag or paper towel taped on the end to keep fluid off the brake pads if you are working by yourself and don't have three hands.
Larry
EDIT: make sure to clean up the brake rotor with Brake-Kleen solvent like I told you earlier to remove all the grease and oil before they get on the brake pads.
Last edited by Powershift; 03-20-2016 at 04:30 PM.
This is the tool I have and use. No need to break the bleeder open because you can simply remove the master cylinder cap and the little bit of fluid will go back into it.
The reason I use this tool is because if you do break open the bleeder and allow fluid to flow out....the chances that some air will be sucked back in is highly possible and thus the brake caliper that you just did that to will need to be bled. Which is why I use the tool I had shown so NO bleeding is needed.
I got the calipers on and torqued down at 70 pounds.
Next, adjusting the brake.
Dub - You recommended that caliper spreader back when I was starting this project. Looked at one at AutoZone and couldn't find it, hence the reason for using the block of wood. If I ever do this job again (hoping I don't live that long <LOL>) I'll order it online.
This is the tool I have and use. No need to break the bleeder open because you can simply remove the master cylinder cap and the little bit of fluid will go back into it.
The reason I use this tool is because if you do break open the bleeder and allow fluid to flow out....the chances that some air will be sucked back in is highly possible and thus the brake caliper that you just did that to will need to be bled. Which is why I use the tool I had shown so NO bleeding is needed.
DUB
DUB:
I agree, that tool is very nice. But if Steve doesn't have one in his garage (which he doesn't) and it's Sunday afternoon (which it is), and you want to finish the job, you sometimes have to do what you have to do.
Any air that gets into that caliper (maybe 50% chance) can be easily bleed out in less than 2 minutes after the job is done. Probably one or two pumps of the brake pedal..... max.
Your suggestion is very, very good..........and is based on years of practical, commercial ($$$$$) experience. But there are also other ways to "get'er done"and finish the job successfully.
I agree, that tool is very nice. But if Steve doesn't have one in his garage (which he doesn't) and it's Sunday afternoon (which it is), and you want to finish the job, you sometimes have to do what you have to do.
Any air that gets into that caliper (maybe 50% chance) can be easily bleed out in less than 2 minutes after the job is done. Probably one or two pumps of the brake pedal..... max.
Your suggestion is very, very good..........and is based on years of practical, commercial ($$$$$) experience. But there are also other ways to "get'er done"and finish the job successfully.
Larry
100% But sometimes it COMES at a cost.
I was adding this information to those people who may read it and NOT be right at the point of the caliper needing to be installed....and may want to get the tool.
AND...for what it is worth....before I got this tool and the method of loosening up the bleeder was what I was doing...KNOWING that these bleeders can snap off due to being seized...and not having hours to TRY to get them to break free and loosen....is why I got the tool so I do not have to deal withe broken or snapped off bleeder. And even trying to crack the brake line at the caliper can also have its draw backs....hence ...the tool.
If I did this for a living, I'd have lots of specialty tools because when you're working to put food on the table, time is money.
For someone like myself, who will only do this job once or twice and who is retired so his time isn't worth anything, sometimes "make-do" is good enough.
Having said that, I did go down to Harbor Freight the other day and buy an assortment of tiny needlenose pliers, a 6-piece set of long tweezers, and a hemostat-looking locking pliers. Even so, it took me a full 6 hours to get that rear hold-down spring/pin/cap in place.
(What I lack in knowledge and skill, I make up for with patience and perserverance.)
If I did this for a living, I'd have lots of specialty tools because when you're working to put food on the table, time is money.
For someone like myself, who will only do this job once or twice and who is retired so his time isn't worth anything, sometimes "make-do" is good enough.
Having said that, I did go down to Harbor Freight the other day and buy an assortment of tiny needlenose pliers, a 6-piece set of long tweezers, and a hemostat-looking locking pliers. Even so, it took me a full 6 hours to get that rear hold-down spring/pin/cap in place.
(What I lack in knowledge and skill, I make up for with patience and perserverance.)
Steve
Steve:
I will bet that you can now do this same job in half the time. Maybe even with your eyes closed. Just by feel
I will bet that you can now do this same job in half the time. Maybe even with your eyes closed. Just by feel
Congratulations.
Larry
Wait . . . Larry, you mean I was supposed to be doing this with my eyes open? I had no idea.
Wheels are on and the car is back on the ground. The parking brake is fully engaged at 15 clicks. The equalizer screw still has 1/2 of it's threads left so plenty of room for more adjustment.
Thanks to you, DUB, and BUNS for all the great help . I, literally, could not have done this without your guidance. The job was a b***h and it nearly kicked my butt but I know I can fix the brake on the other side if I ever have to.
No matter how old you are, it's a good day when you learn how to do something new.
Wait . . . Larry, you mean I was supposed to be doing this with my eyes open? I had no idea.
Wheels are on and the car is back on the ground. The parking brake is fully engaged at 15 clicks. The equalizer screw still has 1/2 of it's threads left so plenty of room for more adjustment.
Thanks to you, DUB, and BUNS for all the great help . I, literally, could not have done this without your guidance. The job was a b***h and it nearly kicked my butt but I know I can fix the brake on the other side if I ever have to.
No matter how old you are, it's a good day when you learn how to do something new.
-- Steve
You should plan to do the opposite side next weekend...........before you forget what you learned.
Thanks. DUB and Buns are excellent teachers and resources.
To those who think that buying this brake pad spreading tool for a one time scenario is a non cost effective way of spending money.....I AGREE.....but I also know that if a person saw the tool and how it worked...they could come up with something that they may have laying around...because....NECESSITY is the MOTHER of all INVENTIONS.
I am glad that the park brakes are done and I agree....I also feel the same way when I have to do them with the spindle still installed.....they are NO FUN. A lot if stuff going on in such a small space.
To those who think that buying this brake pad spreading tool for a one time scenario is a non cost effective way of spending money.....I AGREE.....but I also know that if a person saw the tool and how it worked...they could come up with something that they may have laying around...because....NECESSITY is the MOTHER of all INVENTIONS.
I am glad that the park brakes are done and I agree....I also feel the same way when I have to do them with the spindle still installed.....they are NO FUN. A lot if stuff going on in such a small space.
DUB
This is a good presentation about about this parking brake. You can see he even has the brake rotor on his desk:
03-15-2016, 08:16 PM
