They are not bad if you assemble the spring and retainer and then slide the shoe in.
I will draw a pic of it and post it up tomorrow. Unless I have one apart then I will take some pics.
Was wondering why you would ever have to replace the parking brake shoes,but I think the quip about salt or salt water explains most of the cases,I guess some people drive around with the parking brake on till the friction material is glazed or depleted,I personally do not care much for this system,seems like Ford had a system once that actually utilized the brake pads on the rear discs for the parking brake,itself when stopped and set(I’m glad the terminology,emergency brake has been dropped)
I'm sure those of you in the rust belt see the need to replace parking brake shoes more than those of us in temperate climates. Although I do see trucks used at the salt water boat launch that need shoes regularly.
We get a lot of snow and thus the use of road-salt here in NH…I have over 280k miles on my 05 4runner - haven’t had the need to replace them yet. Adjust a stretched cable a couple times.
The parking brake is pretty sealed. Very little water/salt if any gets in there.
As I said the only time the SHOES get worn is if you drive around with the brake on. Some people may have problems if they NEVER use their parking brake.
“Ford had a system once that actually utilized the brake pads on the rear discs for the parking brake”
Yes, and many other manufacturers also used that system
The thing is this . . . pads make a lousy parking brake, versus shoes
Each of the systems has their limitations and advantages
And some cars, like Subaru and Saab, used the front brake calipers and pads for the parking brake.
I don’t know why pads would make a significantly worse parking brake system than shoes though.
But the system of rear disc brakes with brake shoes inside the rotor hat has been around for 50 years or so, so there must be something to it. Perhaps simplicity?
I’ll go a little off-topic now
I like the driveline parking brake . . . but only for large DRW vehicles with rear rotors
Ok, if you look at the factory shoes they have a slot where the pin for the spring can slide in. You first assemble the retainers and spring onto the pin. Then you can slide the shoe into place, next use a hook tool to rotate the lower retainer so it locks into the shoe. Once you have done a few it becomes quite easy.
Thanks! @SteveC76.
You’re correct!
If you can reach thru the hole in the hub flange, and hook the bottom cup so the spring is compressed towards the hub flange, the brake shoe just slips onto the retaining pin. Then it’s just a matter of aligning the tab on the lower cup into the hole on the brake shoe and letting the spring go.
I still had all the old parts from doing the brake job. So I went out to the shop, and using 1/8" steel rod formed a tool that reaches into the hole and does just that.
As they say! You’re never too old to learn!
Tester