Can't get rear drum back on

Make sure the bevel on the star adjuster (where it touches the end of the shoe) is installed right way up. If backwards, it will push the shoe out too far.

If not that, put the wheel on the drum and rotate the drum as you push inward. If it goes on and has only a bit of drag, that will quickly wear in.

If still too tight, I'd sooner have the shoes dressed than remove any drum material.

Speedy Jim

Your shoes may be installed backward. There is a right way....and sorry I don't remember how to describe it! Check the Muir book and/or the Bentley manual.

~Anthony

I'll check that. I wasn't aware of this bevel, so there's a 50/50 chance I have each one on uppside down!

Thanks.

If that doesn't check out for you, the pads on the shoes might be an "oversized" type that are aimed for vehicles that have had their drums turned.

Happened to me anyways, had a set that had never been turned and I couldn't for the life of me get the wheel back together. Being a complete mechanical moron I scratched my head over this for a while before discovering that such "oversized" shoes existed.

Due to my negligence the drums needed turned regardless, so that's how I got around it. Everything slipped back together just right.

Not reccomending turning good drums though. You can sand down the pads (wear a mask) if you're industrious, or hunt down a slimmer set of shoes.

had a similar problem with our 83 dodge van -- yeah, i know, h2o american. but i do have 5 vw's to make up for it. couldn't get the drum back on for anything. it came off just fine. the final answer was that the e-brake cable, even though i checked it, from previous experience, decide to pick this glorious time to freeze up on me.

well, lesson learned. it took me a frustrating week to find this out.

good luck