sleeper

What RWD has MOST of the weight in the rear ??

my S-10 rears adjusted properly, never a problem..

my HHR, I have manually cleaned etc & adjusted, & seems they still do not like to self adjust..

And yes, I used light hi-temp grease on the adjuster threads, so that is free..

donbrew

'63 Olds 98, I really didn't mean most weight, more like lots of weight. There needs to be enough for the following shoes to engage the drum before the front disks stop the momentum. Pretty much the rears need to lock up while in reverse before the fronts stop the car. Did I clarify anything besides the butter?

And, which type of hold-down system on the S-10, the universal spring, or the pins & spring? Just asking for a data point.

I also found that the "Original" brakes seemed to adjust themselves better than the new ones. Don't know why.

sleeper

Ok, S-10s' all have the very common "pins & springs" for rear brake shoes.

donbrew

Don't know, but that may be the thing then? I never liked the look of that horseshoe spring holding everything together.

sleeper

Agreed, that is different, plus the adjuster is on the top, & not bottom like usual..

HHR brake shoe pic V

SmootHHR

I gotta do this! I can pull my ebrake up about 10 clicks without really trying that hard. Shamed to say it, but I've never worked on drums...every car I've owned (cept for my truck which never messed with brakes) has had 4 wheel disc. Gonna watch the video and give it a go. Thanks for the tips

sleeper

Smoot-

Once you see how it is, it's pretty simple.

for me: I adjust up till i get a light sprag rotating the drum, then back off 1 notch at the adjuster wheel.

As to the ebrake, If I yanked hard I could likely get more clicks, it's just that at 2 clicks it holds my ride from moving on a slope, & / or in gear.

SmootHHR

I actually counted clicks and I'm getting about 6 or 7 before it feels engaged enough to park. 10 was a high guess apparently. Heading out tondo this shortly

2manyvans

On the video when he hit the brakes to center the shoes, be sure the drum is installed the other side or the wheel cylinder will blow out.

SmootHHR

Well, I'd have been on to thank you guys sooner for the advice, but I had a problem....it's 64* out and beautiful. Had to wash it too, since I was out there :) so easy a caveman, like me, can do it. Honestly took me longer to get the tools out and remove the tin clips than it did to adjust everything. So......since those clips were still on the drums, would it be safe to assume that they've never been opened up? Looked really good, no scoring, no dampness or fluid, just dust. Prolly .25" of shoe remaining on both sides. Not bad for 125k