I'm having a bit of trouble changing brake shoes on the rear
of my '92 Ram 4x4. This is the first time I've done the brakes
on this vehicle, so I'm not exactly sure what all the parts
are supposed to look like, etc. :-) Anyway, the problem I
am having is that I can't get the cable guide to stay in
place on the secondary brake shoe. (There is a cable that
runs from the anchor pin at the top, around the cable guide
in the secondary shoe, then it attaches via a spring to
the adjuster lever at the bottom.)
Either my cable guide is broken (doesn't look like it) or
this is one of the most brain-dead engineering decisions I've
come across in a while (more likely). ;-) Basically the
problem is that the cable guide is a stamped sheet metal piece
which has a tiny, tiny extrusion at the back which is supposed
to go into a hole on the brake shoe, and it would appear that
the tension on the cable is actually what holds it in place.
Unfortunately, in my case, any tension on the cable at all and
it just slips right out of there. Sorry for the text-only
description, I was going to take some pics but I can't seem
to locate my digital camera at the moment. ;-) Plus I figure
anyone with enough brake experience to be able to answer the
question in the first place will probably know what I am talking
about anyway. :-)
I notice Autozone has an "all in one brake drum kit" for
this application, so I will probably go and see what that is
all about. I am guessing it has new retaining pins and springs
(I probably should replace those anyway), maybe it has new
(better) cable guides also? I notice a cable guide is listed
on autozone.com, but it is also listed as not available either
in stores or via the web.
If I can't find a less brain-dead cable guide, I think
what I will do is to just use a bolt and a lock nut to hold
the cable guide in place. (I thought of welding it on there,
but if I use a bolt the guide is re-useable after these pads
wear out.) I think there is enough clearance for a bolt.
Anyway, if anyone has any experience with this sort of thing
and has any tips or info that might be useful, they would be
greatly appreciated. :-) Thanks!
--
-Jon-
.-- Jon Steiger ---- jon@dakota-truck.net or jon@jonsteiger.com --.
| 1970 Barracuda - 1990 Dakota 'vert - 1992 Ram 4x4 - 1996 Dakota |
| 1996 Intruder 1400 - 1996 Kolb FireFly - 2001 Ram QC 3500 CTD |
`------------------------------------ http://www.jonsteiger.com --'
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