85 Big Red - Brake Job issue

[walleyedude]

Got the new brake pads on fine but now I compressed the pads as much as i can see and I cannot put the brake drum back on.

Any tips?

Pics here, note the old pad :-)

[DeePa]

sometimes a lip gets worn in the drum where the pads dont ride. how close is it to fitting? you may have to sand/grind out that little 1/8" lip to get it to slide over...

[Nick_R_23]

Also make sure you have both brake cables adjusted out all the way. Clean up the inside of the drum too, the brake dust and mud/dirt/water can easily build up in there.

-Nick

[oscarmayer]

i see there's a little bit of an angle on the expanding peice. it needs to be perfectly centered, that usually means removeing the rear adjusting nut and letting the lever fall freely. once you get the drum on, you should then be able to out the cables back on.

[walleyedude]

i see there's a little bit of an angle on the expanding peice. it needs to be perfectly centered, that usually means removeing the rear adjusting nut and letting the lever fall freely. once you get the drum on, you should then be able to out the cables back on.

Thanks Oscar.

Do you mean unscrew the top adjustment all the way and make that expanding piece straight?

Thanks

[Howdy]

Thanks Oscar.

Do you mean unscrew the top adjustment all the way and make that expanding piece straight?

Thanks

yep, that is what should work.
Howdy

[oscarmayer]

^ see great minds think alike.

yea i know my techy lingo for this stuff isn;t up to par "yet" but i try to espain what I'm talking abotu so ya'll understand a little easier. now if this were computers, hey I'm right there! I'm a server geek by trade.

[walleyedude]

Thanks Guys, I will finish this job in a couple days.

It is 10 below zero tonite!!

[oscarmayer]

skrdy cat! :P no pain, no gain!!!

[freaksfix]

You might wanna take that expanding preice out and clean it good and put a little grease on it while your at it... they get crudded up and tend to hag up in the backing plate and not allow it to return...

[SCRAMCHARGER318]

also make sure you grind a tapered edge where the end of the shoes meet the metal backing, if you don't it might catch on the drum and might make the brakes lockup, that is striaght out of my clymer manual. i also do that whenever i do drum brakes on anything cars,trucks,atv's. it will also make the drum go on easier.

[SCRAMCHARGER318]

oh and make sure you get some brake lubricant and grease the backing plate where the shoes meet it, and the brake cam.

[oscarmayer]

oh and wear gloves to keep your hands clean.

and use brake cleaner ont carb cleaner. carb cleaner has a very slight amount of oil where brake cleanrer does not.

:P

[Jonpin]

is it just me or does it seem like every time you take a big red out you need to over haul the brakes i got mine working great took it out a couple times and now there basicly worthless .there eaither locked up or going to the ground with slack ,im going to try scramcharger318's advise and see what happens ,i need my bike up to par for christmas going out for 3 to 4 days with it

[TravEX]

I put new pads and brake work on mine about 2 years ago. I have yet to even re-adjust them. If you clean em up good and all the seals are good, they last. On the other hand, mine never sees mud or water, I use the others for that, hehe.