How to Upgrade Drum Brakes
A car's brake system is one of the most important systems in the vehicle. Proper maintenance of your brakes is essential for your safety. Upgrading drum bakes is an important part of brake maintenance and should be done properly as needed.
Things You'll Need:
- Tire iron
- Jack stands
- Owners manual
- Brake wash
- Safety goggles
- Gloves
- Brake spring removal tool
- Pliers
- Screwdriver
- Brake grease
- Park the car on a flat surface.
- Pull the emergency brake.
- Loosen the lug nuts with the tire iron to make it easier to remove once the car is on the jack stands.
- Jack up the back end of the car.
- Place the jack stands underneath the car.
- Read your owner's manual to know the exact location to put the jack stands.
- Lower the car onto the jack stands.
- Remove the lug nuts with the tire iron.
- Remove the tires from the car.
- Take off the brake drums by sliding them off with two hands.
- Retract the brakes by removing the rectangular rubber plug on the back of the brake.
- Rotate the sprocket with the screwdriver.
- Keep rotating until the drum comes off.
- Clean the wheel with the brake wash.
- Put on your safety goggles and gloves to protect yourself from the dirt and debris.
- Undo the shoe retracting springs using the brake spring removal tool.
- Take off the springs from the bottom of the brake pad with the spring removal tool.
- Lift up the auto adjuster tab with a pair of pliers and your screwdriver together.
- Remove the primary breaking shoe from the wheel.
- Detach the secondary shoe from the parking brake.
- Wash the wheel with brake wash.
- Put brake grease on the wheel where it touches the brake shoes.
- Put the new brake pads where the old brake pads were.
- Put the tires back on and replace the bolts and lug nuts.
- Jack the car off the jacks.
- Remove the jack stands.
- Tighten all lug nuts.