I'm really pissed at Autozone. >:-(
I bought rear pads and rotors etc. from AdvancedAutoParts.com for my
2001 Silverado 1500. The old pads were still okay but the rotors and dust shields were rusted out. I couldn't find a 18mm box end wrench today (and 3/4" wasn't close enough) so I went to AZ to buy one, and also a set of parking brake shoes because when I pulled the rotor off my old ones were worn all the way down to the steel.The wrench is fine. The shoes are fine. But the little bag of hardware that came with the shoes had substandard fasteners. There is no way these are automotive fasteners. (not even the right color, and no markings on them) One of them twisted off in the backing plate; I was using a stubby 1/4" ratchet and barely had it snug when it broke. If it had not twisted off installing it, it would have broken if I ever tried to remove it in a few years.
The broken bolt is behind the hub and inaccessible to drill it out. You have to pull the axle to take the backing plate off. *Maybe* if I knock one of the wheel studs out I can drill it out thru the hole, then install a new stud. Either that or drill a little access hole in the hub. I tried loosening everything so I could almost get a straight shot at it around the hub with a left-handed drill bit, but almost wasn't good enough and I broke the bit.
I wrapped a steel wire around the actuator thingy (looks like a drum brake cylinder) to keep the plunger from falling out, and I put it all back together without the parking brake shoes. Maybe it's safe to put the brake shoes in without the bracket, but maybe it's not and I don't want to risk it.
I should have reused the old bracket and old rusty bolt.
Tomorrow I'll replace the dust shield, rotor, and pads on the other side, and won't touch the parking brake. Next week maybe I can take it to a shop and tell them about the broken screw, and have them do the parking brake job.
I bet if I had bought the shoes at NAPA or O'Reilly's or Advanced Auto they would have had the same soft steel fasteners.
Bob