Replacing Drum & Shoe Brakes – recommended tools

[Tyler Silverman]

Hey Eric,

Was wondering if you could help me figure out which tools, etc. I would need for replacing my drum and shoe brakes. For these questions, I am referring to this video:

1) At 1:16 in the video, which spray are you using? What type of spray is it in general, or which brand would you recommend?
2) At 1:39, which multi-tool are you showing there? How do I find something exactly like that?
3) Starting at 6:19, what angle are we supposed to sand at? Should we make those ridges in the backing plate flat, or smooth along the natural curves, etc? Also, do you recommend a specific grit for the sand paper?
4) At 7:06, you mention you are using an anti-seize compound. Do you recommend a certain brand, or what to look for in terms of type when shopping for the compound?
5) At 17:15, you’re pulling up on the parking brake. Can we do this somehow from inside the car and get the same effect? Just wanted some clarification about what you are doing there. You mentioned the car was being “nice” to you there, but what if we run into a situation where the car isn’t so nice to us? Haha.

Thanks!

Topic

[Richard Kirshy]

1 Brake clean
Available at most parts stores

2 Multi brake tool

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/wmr-w175?seid=srese1&gclid=CObP5aTfysoCFUUTHwodDxMA_g

4 Anti seize compounds are readily available there are different types
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dautomotive&field-keywords=Anti-Seize+compounds

Attachments:

• BrakleenAd.jpg
• Multi-Purpose.jpg

[Dave Tidman]

Just out of curiosity, do you have a make/model you are working on?

[quote=”tman4″ post=157727]

3) Starting at 6:19, what angle are we supposed to sand at? Should we make those ridges in the backing plate flat, or smooth along the natural curves, etc? Also, do you recommend a specific grit for the sand paper?
![/quote]

What you need to do is remove any ridges that you feel that would cause the brake shoe to hang up. Just make it smooth, I think I used 100 grit the last time I did it.

[quote=”tman4″ post=157727]

5) At 17:15, you’re pulling up on the parking brake. Can we do this somehow from inside the car and get the same effect? Just wanted some clarification about what you are doing there. You mentioned the car was being “nice” to you there, but what if we run into a situation where the car isn’t so nice to us? Haha.

Thanks![/quote]

You can do the same thing by just using the e-brake in the car. Eric said the car was nice because the cable was right there, if you can’t just pull the cable, then use the ebrake in the cabin. Make sure both drums are on before you do this.

I’m assuming this is your first drum brake job. Just a few things to think about.

Adjustment is everything in a drum brake job, and it’s all feel. Before you disassemble anything (assuming the brakes are adjusted correctly), spin the drums to get a feel of what you are looking for in the final adjustment. There should be just a slight drag.

I’ve found it useful to have an adjustable bar clamp on hand for a couple of things. First, when you are putting on the new shoes, you can use the clamp to press the shoes together while you are trying to install the return springs. The second thing I use it for is the adjustment. Set the clamp to the inner diameter of the drum, then use this when you are adjusting the shoes outward with the adjuster to get it as close as possible. Then do the final adjustment.

Take a lot of pictures and take your time and you should be fine.

[Tyler Silverman]

Thank you! So many great things to consider from this post. Very well thought out. And by the way, this is for a newer Honda Civic, and I’m looking to save some money and learn more about cars in the process.

Thanks again! I can tell this is going to help a ton when I’m actually replacing the back brakes.

[Tyler Silverman]

Still curious though – which anti-seize compounds would I be looking for specifically for a car? Which ones are better/worse and in what ways?

[Richard Kirshy]

[quote=”tman4″ post=157745]Still curious though – which anti-seize compounds would I be looking for specifically for a car? Which ones are better/worse and in what ways?[/quote]
Little reading ..
http://www.antiseize.com/pdf/how-to-choose-an-antiseize.pdf

[Duncan]

Copper grease is what I use. Works well for me

[wafrederick]

Some require a specialty tool,2007 and up fullsize GM trucks,Colorados and Canyans are one example of this for the spring holding the brake shoes in.

[Author]

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