Rear brake adjustment

[Jim/GA]

Originally Posted by Rob Doe

Mac,

I've one more idea for you. I've had this issue bite me more than once and learned to be careful about falling victim to it.

The video "How to Stop on a Dime" shows the narrator installing the rear shoes and springs in a specific order. He installs them by hand and it looks easy. It is not so easy for a 74 year old with skinny, bony hands.

When I use the $22.00??? pistol grip leveraging tool, it is fairly easy, but you have to be absolutely certain that you get the head of the roller pin seated on the roller track, and pushed all the way back, (toward the backing plate) else your shoes will not be in position to function correctly. They can look right to the non professional as we work on the brakes infrequently, but still not be fully seated in the correct position.



This leaves the shoes off center for sure.

This is very true. I have had this problem several times.

Here is the tool that Rob Doe references. It is $19 from Bratton's.

You hook up all of the brake springs without having the rollers engaged yet, pull the shoe away at the bottom/front, stretching the smaller brake spring out, and get the head of the roller clevis pin up on the track. Then let the spring pull the rollers back in against the wedge (front) or cam (rear) to fully seat.