How to Replace the Brake Shoes on a 1975 Plymouth Valiant

Manufactured starting in 1960, the Plymouth Valiant was Chrysler Corporation's attempt to corner the market created for compact cars in the 1950s. Though Chrysler produced and distributed Valiants globally up until 1976, many modern mechanics are not as familiar with the Valiant as they are with other automobiles of that era, primarily because many Valiants did not have an exceptionally long life. Consequently, many owners and enthusiasts need to take basic and complicated maintenance matters into their own hands. Though an amateur can replace the brake shoes on a 1975 Plymouth Valiant, it is a complicated and dangerous procedure that you should not undertake without consulting a mechanic first.

Instructions

1

Loosen the nuts on one wheel of your Valiant with a lug wrench while it is still stationary on the ground. The pressure of the tire on the ground will give you leverage to crack the nuts without simply turning the wheel.

2

Lift your Valiant with a 2.5 ton jack and then support the car with a jack stand.

3

Remove the loosened nuts so you can remove the wheel entirely.

4

Spray an aerosol-based low-viscosity penetrating oil on the hub and brake drum and allow the oil to sit for 5 to 10 minutes. Purchase penetrating oil at a local auto parts store.

5

Remove or cut the retaining clips holding the drum in its place, using wire snips if the clips are rusted in place or otherwise unworkable. Retainer clips are similar in design and function to binder clips in that the two metal ends pinch the edges of the drum in place.

6

Unscrew the screws holding the drum in place in order to pull the brake drum off of your Valiant.

7

Spray brake cleaner on the drum and the point where the drum connects to the car.

8

Remove the brake return springs using the specialty return spring tool. The return spring tool looks like a screwdriver, which you can purchase at your local auto parts store.

9

Take the retainer springs off by holding the retaining pin down and pulling the springs from the drum.

10

Pull out on each brake drum shoe in order to remove the old shoes from your car.

11

Install the new shoes in exactly the opposite fashion as that which you used to remove the old ones.

12

Press the shoe's retaining pin down while simultaneously attaching the new retainer springs in the opposite way as how you removed them.

13

Use the return spring tool to reinstall the return springs by first attaching the spring to the attachment point at the back end of the brake drum, then twisting the front part of the spring until it locks into place.

14

Screw the brake drum back onto your Valiant and install new retainer clips to hold it in place. The replacement clips will simply snap into the same place as the old clips.

15

Take your Valiant off the jack stands before starting the process over on the remaining wheels.