Brake quality check

zilla68 · Sep 20, 2012

my brakes started making noise so I pulled the fronts, like new, pull the back and the rear facing pad is half gone, so I'm shopping for drums and pads. I prefer the wagner pads and advance auto for the promo codes which drops the price drastically. Anyone used the advance auto parts drums with any luck?

Wasn't expecting to find that carnage, pads half missing and drums are probably toast. Looks like the drivers side had a spring break and get wedged at the bottom of the pad also.

SPEEDDEMON31176 · Sep 21, 2012

Advance auto drums and shoes on my dually with no issues. I also replaced the springs and cleaned/greased the adjustment wheels at the same time and properly adjusted the shoes to the drums.

zilla68 · Sep 21, 2012

well I was told this morning the stock drums will be ok with a turning, he said I caught them in time, but I'll know more tonite when they said it will be ready. I'm going with all new hardware, if I had more time I'd do the wheel cylinders also, but I need my truck by tomorrow morning unfortunately.

advance doesn't show a wagner rear pad except for a dually I think it was.

Patrick Feeley · Sep 21, 2012

Make sure you orient the shoes with the "longer" friction material to the rear (shorts to the front). Cheers!

zilla68 · Sep 21, 2012

what is odd is that the back facing pad on both side is like cleanly cut in half across the middle and all the pad is gone on the top section, but the front facing are fine and the remaining bottom half still has lots of pads left.

But then again, its probably been 10 years since they were done, and I've had the truck for 4 years and only put 4k on it, and the PO drove it daily about 3 miles total to work.

I'd been wanting to tear into it, and just do the whole thing at one time, guess now is as good a time as any.

and actually the drums aren't stockers, they were stamped wagner 731605 but I couldn't find that number anywhere i looked on the net last nite.

zilla68 · Sep 21, 2012

well it all went well, took longer than I expected on the first one. Whom ever designed that stupid azz hooked pin that connects to the heavy duty spring should be shot. It took me forever to get one installed, then I finally took a break and regrouped and got a short cut figured out.

other side took about 15 minutes. boy what I'd give for disc brakes!

SPEEDDEMON31176 · Sep 22, 2012

You can do them pretty easy if you have the spring tool to remove/install them. It takes all the effort out of working with them.

zilla68 · Sep 22, 2012

what tool is that, I've got alot of brake tools, but didn't see anything in the box that might have worked.

JD3020 · Sep 22, 2012

I want the tool if there is one! Only bad thing about drums is fighting those damn springs.

Old OutLaw · Sep 22, 2012

do the cylinders asap....as they will usually leak fluid all over your nice new shoes real soon....

zilla68 · Sep 23, 2012

JD3020 said:
I want the tool if there is one! Only bad thing about drums is fighting those damn springs.

I found it easiest if you pull the top part of the drum off the little pivot point where the bolt goes thru on the backing plate the spring goes on much easier, but there still has to be a little easier method, lol.

Calipers were on the list, just needed my truck for my weekend side business, but I"m getting them probably this week. I actually wanted to replace the entire front and back calipers, brake pads/shoes, hardware etc. just couldn't leave it down more than a day.

SPEEDDEMON31176 · Sep 24, 2012

There is a tool with a screwdriver handle for doing the pin/spring assemblies where the pin goes through the backing plate. The is also a long s shaped metal rod with a notch in the end of it and the other end has a cup with an ear on it. This is used for removing and installing all the other springs.

zilla68 · Sep 24, 2012

I have those and see no way either would work. The pin that extends thru the backing plate is curved, and the spring resembles a mouse trap spring, not the kind that you could use with the screwdriver handle tool.

SPEEDDEMON31176 · Sep 24, 2012

Pic of what this looks like? I have no idea what you could be referring to.

zilla68 · Sep 25, 2012

I'll see if I can find a picture of it, but on my 96 f350 rear drum brakes the pin that goes thru the backing plate is bent downward, the old one I took off and the new one in the kit, and the spring attaches to the shoe and hooks to this pin. I know what your referring to like on the chevy's, that pin is straight but these pins are about a 75 degree angle I'm thinking.

zilla68 · Sep 25, 2012

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_drum-brake-hardware-combi-kit-wearever_5313783-p?navigationPath=L1*14921%7CL2*15008#

try that link, the pin and springs are shown.

SPEEDDEMON31176 · Sep 26, 2012

Right I forgot how that pin looks. The tool for doing those pins and springs looks like a screwdriver but is threaded on the end and there is a collar that screws onto the threaded portion that has a notch cut out of it that basically pinches the spring in there allowing you to use the handle to pull the spring into place.