recommended +inexpensive rear brakes?

[lmcd314]

my 00 focus has 93k miles on original drums, shoes look to have been replaced, i already have had the right side apart to replace a leaking wheel cylinder, but now it grabs more on back right then back left, i would like to replace drums + shoes on both sides and can do the work, but would like to know what to buy such as bearings or hub? and what brakes are recommended. thank you

[Sponsor]

[sailor]

Let's see, if I remember right - it's easiest to get the drum & bearing as an assembly you can install on the hub, since the bearing is a "press in" deal...

When pulling off WITHOUT replacing the drum it's sometimes easier to remove the stub axle with it's four bolts from the rear without removing the LARGE nut that holds the drum & bearing on....

That nut is SUPPOSED to be replaced with a new one, with a LARGE torque value when putting a new assembly together...

As usual with drums, once they wear it's hard to get the old one off because of the 'lip" that develops as the shoes wear into the drum & the outer edge rusts & expands...

The "stub" axles should be good for re-use as long as the threads are OK, new drums, shoes, hdwe & cylinders as needed SHOULD fix it "good as new"..

Luck!

[6SPD_soul]

Another way to do it is just knock out the dust cap that covers the axle nut and then persuade the drum and hub off with some hammering and pry bar, depending how old it is and the amount of lip built up in the drum where the shoes don't contact. The dust cap is pretty easy to remove by punching down into an edge a bit with a chisel and then wedging a flat blade screw driver in to pry it out, they're reusable if you don't mangle it too badly and you can reseal the slightly mangled part with RTV or something else. After pulling the dust cap the hub retaining nut is like 29 mm and shouldn't be too difficult to remove with a breaker bar or impact gun.

Actually pulling the drum is a different proposition. Pry bars can be handy to wedge it away from the backing plate/shoes but recently I had to use a puller bolted to the lug studs and an impact wrench to push it all off, it wasn't going to come off a different way.

If you do it this way and need to re-torque the axle retaining nut (even though it technically shouldn't be re-used) the spec is 173 ft. lbs.

[Sayshell]

I bought the motorcraft drum brake shoes. They are about 9% more powerful than the stock brakes, I recommend buying them. They are 40$ for both rear brakes. I can't say the power for sure though cause I don't know what my previous pads were, the car was used and the pads were like 10% life left so I think they were stock but am not sure. All I am going to say is basically you are guaranteed good braking with them. For all I know they are the stock pads.

[xxMichaelAnthony]

easiest way I found to pull the drums is take off the nut, put your wheel back on, wiggle it around and the drum will pop right off.

[6SPD_soul]

Originally Posted by xxMichaelAnthony

easiest way I found to pull the drums is take off the nut, put your wheel back on, wiggle it around and the drum will pop right off.

That's not a bad idea at all, have to remember that. I actually think the drum brake cars stop better than my SVT. I know the drums would be more susceptible to fade after repeated hard stops, but they really seem to stop better than my car.