How to Assemble Rear Brakes

When the rear brakes on your vehicle need replacing, do it yourself and save some money. There are two types of brakes used today, one consists of brake pads and a rotor and the other involves brake shoes and a drum. The difficulty of doing this type auto repair yourself depends on the tools you own or have at your disposal. Removing shoes and a drum is different from pads and a rotor and require special tools to get the job done properly.

Instructions

1

Jack the vehicle up and set it on jack stands to prevent injury during the process of assembling the rear brakes. Remove the wheel and set it aside. If the drum is new, look for clips at the base of two of the lug studs and break them off. After this, you can strike the drum around the perimeter of it with a hammer to break it free.

2

Locate each part of the rear brake assembly. At the top of the wheel is the brake wheel cylinder. To the left of the wheel cylinder is the emergency brake actuator arm and to the right of the cylinder is the brake shoe return spring. The brake shoe retainer springs hold a retainer pin and are located on the sides of the wheel about halfway down. The brake shoes fit around the wheel.

3

Release the rear brake return spring with brake spring tool. Place your finger on the back of the wheel where the brake shoe retainer pin is located. Put the end of the shoe removal tool over the retainer springs and turn the tool counter clockwise to remove the springs.

4

Remove the old shoes and the hardware that goes with them. When everything is removed properly, all you will see is the wheel cylinder at the top and the brake shoe adjuster at the bottom of the wheel.

5

Match the new shoes with the old and install the hardware from the old on the new shoes. Insert the new shoes and hardware on the wheel and secure them to the wheel in reverse order from removing them.