I thought I had remembered how I installed the rear brakes the first time, but after setting the rear cylinder retaining kit (U-shaped pieces that interlock) without putting the hand brake operating lever first, I realized that I had forgotten a few steps. The U-shaped pieces are tricky to unlock and so I thought I would document the rear installation brake this time just in case I ever need to refer to it in the future.
Installing the cylinder spring with the brake pliers |
Best method I know for installing the rear brake
1. Attach adjuster assembly unit
2. Set hand brake operating lever (L-piece metal) in place underneath the rear wheel cylinder
3. Attach rear wheel cylinder and use rear cylinder kit to lock the cylinder in place
4. Hook adjuster spring onto the shoes (not attached yet) - this spring was tricky to attach with the brake shoes mounted; it was easier to attach with the shoes off
Before continuing to step 5 - apply brake grease where needed.
5. Have someone help get the brake shoes (with 1 spring attached) in place
6. Install the shoe hold down kit (gold spring, pin, and clip) to set the springs
7. Attach the cylinder spring
A while back, I had found brake installation tools on sale at Harbor Freight and bought them without realizing how to use them. Chris decided to bring these out for this installation and it turns out they were really useful (not 100% sure if we used it the right way, but anyhow).
There were 3 tools in the kit (1 straight metal tool, 1 plier with a hook on one end, and a tool with a screwdriver-like handle and socket-like head).
The brake pliers were helpful to grab the spring and hook the brake shoes in step 7 above (and picture above) and it turns out the brake screwdriver were useful to set the clips for the shoe holders. There was a visibility hole in the brake screwdriver that allowed you to align the clip and teeth on the ends to grab and set the clips in place (see pictures below). This worked much better than trying to use pliers to install the clips.