Hi,
It's time for new shoes on the 85 Caprice. At inspection last week I saw they were down to 1/32 inch at one corner (but a good 1/8 inch at the other corner... uneven wear, which is another problem) ....
I tried to replace the shoes myself a few years ago. It was a total frustrating implosion. I was using all my strength to pull springs around with a pliers. And buying the "brake tool" didn't help either. But I finally got the new pads in, but they squealed like crazy. Had a mechanic fix the mess. He said I had bent something in the brake apparatus.
I was using a manual, doing what it said. What is the big deal ? Why was it so hard to move the springs around ? I must have been doing something wrong. Does it require massive strength to do rear drum brake shoes ?
Does anyone know what I am doing wrong? I remember major cursing during the ordeal.
Thanks