Rear brake help pls

[happeetxn]

Howdy all,
I am having trouble getting my rear brake shoes on. The trouble is mainly with the springs (short stubby ones) that latch onto the prong that sticks out of the backing plate. I can't seem to stretch the far enough to catch onto the "prong".
I have to go to work now (3-11) and can't close my garage door b/c the truck is too big.
Thanks in advance for the incoming help.
Craig

 

[BJS]

when I did mine it was tight and I have a flathead screwdriver that I had notched in the middle beating on something else that works great for those springs.

Make sure that you have the wheel cylinder completely compressed when you are trying to attach the springs and it works well if you do not have the adjuster in the bottom either.

 

[bigfootpsd96]

yeah they ats a real PITA. what i did was put the little spring on the prong and then hold the brake shoe close enough to get the spring on it, then i pulled the shoe around till itwas in in place on the backing plate. this a really bad explaination kinda but i hope it gives u a idea. dont know how everyone else does it but after alot of profanity this is how i found it to work best for me.

 

[DaveBen]

I have always used a brake spring tool to get all of the springs on. You know what I mean, it looks like big plyers with straight shaft on one end that is used to slide the springs over the pins.

Dave

 

[happeetxn]

Thanks for the suggestions fellas, will try again in the a.m.
Craig

 

[BJS]

I have always used a brake spring tool to get all of the springs on. You know what I mean, it looks like big plyers with straight shaft on one end that is used to slide the springs over the pins.

Dave

Dave unfortunately this type too will not work for the rear brakes on the 10.25 because these trucks do not have rear drums like anything else I've ever looked at or worked on. The springs he is refering to are the hold down springs that hold the shoe to the backing plate that typically a pin protrudes through the brake shoe with a spring catching it on the other side. on these rear drums there is a short coil that has an arm that sticks through the shoe and an arm that comes out and protrudes toward the axle shaft, this leg catches a pin that goes through nothing other than the backing plate and has a bend in it to help assist in catching the spring.