I am putting in new brakes and on the right side of the vehicle, the long spring on the front shoe is exactly the same as the left side. I would like to know if it is supposed to be the same because my dad thinks it should be bent the opposite way.

 

When you do drum brakes, do one side at a time. One side should be the mirror image of the other side. the springs per side are identical but are installed the opposite of the other side. Now, the adjuster on the bottom of the assembly may LOOK the same but it isn't. Get it on the wrong side and every time you back up, the brakes will deadjust. Do NOT move it away from the wheel you're working on. I've done brakes since the late 60's and still have to figure that puppy out when I replace them. If you aren't sure of how the springs go, take a picture before you take them apart.

 

yeah good advice in the last post. ive done hundreds of drum brakes and still only do one side at a time. or ill put everything down in front of me exactly the way it came off, so when you walk over to the other side dont look at the spring like "this part is going to my right" look at it like "this part is going towards the front of the vehicle."

also make sure you look at the shoes too, one usually has less contact area on it then the other ones

the chevy ones are probably the only ones i can do without having to walk back and forth... well most of the time

 

I forgot about mentioning the shoes. The primary shoe is the shorter shoe and goes towards the front of the vehicle. One of the national gear head fixit shows said to put the larger shoe towards the front. This is WRONG. The same physics that allows self adjusters to work, let the REAR show do most of the stopping. Wagner used to put "primary" and "secondary" on the side of the shoes. Then again, I remember arching shoes too. (Bad thing, don't do it, even if you can find the equipment.)

 

yeah good point about the smaller shoe, ive actually done drum brakes where someone put the two longer ones on one side and the two shorter ones on the other side. which i can see happening, especially since some come packaged like that

 

Arching shoes? I thought I was the only one on the forum old enough to remember that cough, cough. Thank God for OSHA... cough, cough

 

To the younger members who wonder why we don't arch shoes anymore, it was rough on the lungs. What arching is, is a grinder that you put the shoe onto and then you turn it so it fits perfectly into the drum. It blew asbestos dust all over the machine and operator.