fragmare

Last night I finally got around to replacing my rear brake shoes and drums on my EG. They were badly in need of service. It was my first time doing drum brakes of any kind (yea, you read that right, my first time). I figured it couldn't be rocket science, so I just printed out the needed pages from the service manual and dove right in.

Anyway, I was feeling my way through the project and everything seemed pretty easy up until the manual called for installing the top return spring. I was NOT expecting it put up that much of a fight! I spent like an hour disassembling the old brakes, and putting the new shoes on, then another 2 hours trying to devise a way to get the top return spring in place lol. I ended up using three zip-ties, fastened end-to-end, around the entire shoe assembly to hold it in place, and another zip tie that I put a couple coils down on the top return spring with the other end of it already anchored in. Then I torqued it over until it stretched enough and guided it into place with a pair of needle nose pliers. It was like I needed three hands!

There's got to be an easier way. What method do you guys use to pop that thing into place? I'm done with the job and the brakes work flawlessly now, but I'd like to hear some input on this, since I'll need to do these again sooner or later.

axis11

Install the top spring while the shoes are still not on the drum.

Former User

This^

fragmare

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind next time! Makes sense. I'm sure glad I took the long way around the world to do a brake job lol. It'd be nice if the manual specified to do things in that order.

92lxsleeper

drums are super easy on our cars. i can do a pair in under an hour

redm3turbo

I use a pair of these, grab onto the longer side of the spring (without the coils)
and a little

fragmare

Lol, I used plenty of the latter, but instead of locking pliers I used zip ties. I was just looking for a way of doing it that used a little more of this:



Come to think of it, I really need to go pick up a pair of long-nose locking pliers. I can think of a million times they would've come in handy, but I keep forgetting every time I'm at the hardware store.

redm3turbo

^ i got a set at harbor freight for 3 bucks....with the thought Im sure Ill use these..

use them constantly so I got a pair of irwin that dont feel much different then the hf ones to be honest.

fragmare

Yea, I see them for dirt cheap every time I go down the plier isle at HF, I just keep forgetting about them. I'll have to make a mental note (or maybe an ACTUAL note) to get them next I'm there.