Rear brake lower spring install?

[GeneinNC]

Long, long time since I did rear brakes. Seem to have forgotten how to install that heavy lower spring. I do not remove the axle shaft drive flange.

[BillWilliams]

You have to start the spring into the holes, hold them somehow and lift the center part over what ever that is. Once you get the routine, it works everytime. I apologize for being vague, maybe someone will have a system.

But then again, I may have done mine with the hub removed. I am a goof!

[Napes]

getting it back in. Initially, neither swearing or praying worked, but, after a pause for a cup of coffee, I got it in by 1st engaging the back end, then looping the middle part over the retaining tab, then disengaging the front shoe from the adjuster and moving it clear forward w/ one hand while using channel locks to pull the front end of the spring far enough out to get it lodged on the metal part of the shoe. Then. while gripping the spring w/ the channel locks I slid the shoe back aft into place and over the adjuster. Last was simply using the channel locks to bring the spring into place where it dropped in the hole on the shoe.

[TobyB]

step one- install 320 rear brakes...

heh heh,

sorry. couldn't resist.

Toby

[GeneinNC]

Napes, you da man. Thanks.

Interesting that there are over 80 peeks and only one valid post to this thread. Must be a lot of really bad '02 rear brakes on the road.

Started to follow your approach but found another that worked well for me.

1st engaged the back end, then looped the middle part over the retaining tab,

then while holding the middle part behind the retaining tab with a screw driver, grabbed front end with one of those narrow nosed vise grips that remind me of vise grip needle nose (note: may have had to clamp grips on spring before the behind the retaining tab step). Pressed down hard on screw driver on back end while pulling up with other hand on the vice grips.

With spring firmly locked behind the retaining tab moved screw driver to front end and used it to pry up while pulling with vice grips. After about three trys the end of the spring was resting on the shoe near the "hole". Little more pry and pull and spring dropped right in the "hole".

Yep, this is a repeatable method. Requires purchase of the special vice grips but have found them to be very useful for other odd apps. Considered making a "harness" of a loop of baling wire that could be easily accessed with regular vice grips. Leveraging the "round" side of the grips against the edge of the shoe should pull the spring right up. Didn't get to try it because I couldn't find suitable wire. Too many projects going on and my stuff is spread all over the place. Some exposure to nicking edge of brake material, but careful work shoud do OK.