Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[D4B]

Any advice welcome!!

Hi, having rarely worked on drum brakes before, I am having difficulty
removing the brake shoe return springs on my Peugeot D4B van front brakes...

I have of course taken photos and even drawn a diagram so
I remember how the shoes & springs were fitted to aid reassembly.

However the springs are under huge tension, and even if I manage to prise them off (either with long nose pliers or screwdriver or both)
I can't imagine how I would get them back on!

As you can see in the photo, procedings are made more difficult with the large front hub in the way...

Can anyone offer any useful tips?

Cheers Steve.

[Ray the rocker]

hi steve,looking at that setup, i don`t think i`d even try with pliers or scewdrivers as those brake shoe retaining clips normally hug the shoe to the backplate.looks as if the hub is held by the large nut so it will be retained by a taper and woodruff key . as long as you can lay your hands on a decent puller that fits over the studs i`d try that route for fear of many bandaged fingers!! how many times have people tried before knowing the result will be severed skin on knuckles! good luck....

cheers ray the rocker...

[buzzy bee]

Hi

Not sure if you mean the springs I do, but the easiest way is to put some twine, or stong sting (I use baler twine) through the spring, and a bit of wood through the loop you make, so it doesn't cut your hands, then pull up, when the tension is off the shoes and on you, you can flick the spring off with a screwe driver or if you are brave (or is that stupid) like I do just with my fingers. Then hook them in one end, and lift the string up spreading the spring before popping them back on at the other end, when rebuilding.

I do tractors and forklifts, with massive heavy duty brakes like this with no issues.

Do the shoes not have a spring clip or bolt to hold the shoes to the back plate?

Cheers

Dave

[buzzy bee]

[Farmer John]

Hi Steve, just a couple of points which might help. The shoe retaining clip in the photo is "U" shaped and has a tang which is locked in by a wee ramp fitting into a hole. Do not try to understand my description, but the trick is to lever at the inside of the base of the "U" out towards the camera.
Probably be easier with the pipes off, they look like brake pipes from here, and stuff some rag in the holes.
Now, the shoes. Use a decent lever, the biggest philips is perfect, use the hub for an anchor, and lift the end of the shoe off the wheel cylinder and let it slide past the cylinder to a place where the spring will go slack. Then do the other end of that shoe. At that stage the bottom shoe and the springs usually fall to the floor. The lever needs to be inserted sort of radially to the axle, and between the shoe and the backplate. If this works you will be glad of your diagram because there will be parts everywhere.
If your shoes are not being used again then clamp your biggest vise-grip on the end of the shoe and simply lift the shoe off the cylinder, that keeps everything under control but does not look anywhere near as impressive to folks watching.
When everything is renewed and refitted, the clips are slid into place, pushing them radially outwards parallel to the backplate.
If the backplate has a flange around the outside which prevents the shoes lifting off the cylinders, then remove the springs with some proper brake spring pliers, use good ones, leaving the clips until last.
Good luck Steve!

John

[D4B]

Thanks to you all for all your replies, I did manage to remove the brake pipe no probs...

[D4B]

Managed to find a couple of hours this afternoon. Couldn't find
any baler twine (re Buzzy Bee), but being an electrician I had
some steel wire armoured wire (which was left over after I
weighed in the copper of course!!)

This worked a treat just like you said Dave... Many Thanks!!

So shoes & springs off now, heres a pic of one cylinder after
removing & cleaning up a little. Have managed to free off the
adjuster nicely, but the piston inside is jammed, have to figure
that out another day...



My objective at the moment is merely to free off this wheel so
it makes the whole van more mobile (ie perhaps it can be pushed
in & out of the garage when I want to work on it!!)

Here's the handbrake cable as I found it: hope that's not the work
of the french peugeot main dealer....



Many Thanks for everyones help ~ invaluable

[D4B]