Later on today I'll be stripping down the front drums on the car, to fit new cylinders and probably fit new shoes while I'm at it.

Any hints and tips would be very gratefully received. I've just been reading through the Haynes manual about centralising shoes. It only talks about the rears - do the front's need doing as well? I think they must, but now i'm confused.

Rumble

Centralising is only needed if the shoes have eccentrics at the lower edges - if they've got concentrics, then there's no adjustment there possible or needed. Just back the snails fully off, then adjust 'em once the drums are on.

Other than that, it's a simple matter of remembering how everything came apart - springs, handbrake cables etc.

Which reminds me... One of the handbrake cable retainers on the van was broken - necessary? (Can't remember which side...)

I'm off to have a look at the drums now. I expect they'll have eccentrics in the shoes. Does anyone have experience of using the concentrics from ECAS ?

http://www.ecas2cvparts.co.uk/centering ... -1344.html

Are they worth a punt to save buggering about making up a centralising tool etc?

As Roy mentions in the notes on his site, they do save time, but initial braking efficiency may be lower and the service life of the shoes _will_ be reduced.
Using the eccentrics also permits compensation for wear of the drums...

However, if you do decide to go for the 'quick and dirty' concentrics, don't throw the eccentrics away.

ken

Swap 'em for the concentrics that came out our van!

Don't forget what I told you about the retaining pins. Two of then are swine's to put back if you have fat fingers. I always tie some twine on them before I let go so if they fall out the back you can simply pull gently on the twine and pull them back in.

Well I've got the first lot of shoes and pistons in. I'll do the other side tomorrow. Just waiting on a tool so I can have a go at centralising.
Cheers for the tip about the pins griff. I tied them up with cotton, and it certainly helped.

Wedging a chunk of cloth or foam between the backplate and bell housing also seems to work...
Don't forget to give those adjusters a good oiling and working, so they don't seize up later.

ken.

Snail cams seems to be moving quite freely, but I did give them a dousing in pentrating oil and worked them back and forth.
Trickiest bit I've found so far was getting the brake pipe back into the new piston.
Refitting the shoe location post, spring and caps was a faff, untill I realised I could just get a finger on the back of the post.
Did they employ small children in Paris to build these things?

Dunno if this will help, but I leave the cylinder until quite late in the build up.
Fit the shoes as a pair with the return spring already in place, hooking the handbrake cable on as they go into position.
Eccentrics/concentrics next, then turn the adjuster cams fully 'out', which should give plenty of room to fit the cylinder.
You can even wind the cylinder almost home onto the brake pipe nut, before putting the 2 x M6 retaining bolts in.
Adjuster cams backed off, followed by fitting brake shoe steady pins/springs/caps.
That just leaves the centralising to do...

ken
( Been wondering about how they'd have done the pins, then realised I've got some fairly vicious magnets here, taken out of old hard drives.
Just finished a drum brake box build, so that idea will have to wait a while.)