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Do yourself a favor........make sure the star wheel adjusters turn freely ........take them apart and coat the threads with antiseize..........they wont freeze up again....been using this trick for years.......
Pics are worth a million words, thanks FB, I planned on taking lots of pics of mine before I disassembled, but half the springs were missing and it fell apart before I could really get a good look Im back at it today !
Ok I think I got the shoes licked here's some pics, for a first timer, the tie down strap trick worked like a champ along with some of those spring pliers, im at a pause right now, cuz the E-Brake needs some attention, its all out of whack..... So one more little project inside of a project....
First shoe on with the assistance of the boy child..
Getting both shoes on with tie down strap and cheesy spring pliers ....
Everything buttoned up, yet the E-Brake is not adjusted correctly... so im now looking at those adjustment cables under the truck.....
Let me know if ya'all see anything that looks jacked up, I can leave as is and start working on getting the studs out of the drums and preping for the bearings and seals..................
If it makes you feel any better, I hadn't done back brakes in a loooong time, and I had to get out the book. I put it all back together like the picture in the book, and....... the picture was of the opposite side, and I got everything backwards.
Another time, while I had the shoes off, I got the brilliant idea for some unimaginable reason to go press the brake pedal.
With regard to the adjusters being fitted correctly, looking at the picture in post 20.
That is the right side, and as you face it, turning the adjuster towards the backing plate (upwards) should open the shoes.
Or, looking from the diff side, the adjuster would turn downwards to open the shoes.
Same applies to the left side.
With regard to setting up the e brake, look at the pic below, at the two parts that sit on the pin.
Move the big lever by hand and you'll see play develop between the two parts. Basically you want zero play there as you take the slack out of the cable.
Notice that the two parts line up at an angle sloping down from right to left.
Hope that makes sense.
Silly question for you. How do you upload a pic, type something, upload another pic, and type something else ?
Oh, got new drums, the old one had a groove nearly a 1/4" deep from one of the shoe rivets ... of which I didn't actually know until it was off the truck, but ordered anyhow, cuz everything I touch seems to need replacing.... So transferring studs to new drum... Fresh start ! And thanks for the heads up on the seal contact surface I will give a good look at tomorrow... Oh and for the pic text question, when you hit the 'add image' icon and it brings up the 'upload' screen and it loads it in, after it gets to 99% and finishes, it lets you type in a description underneath the pic before you hit the 'insert' button, then when you do insert it and your normal 'new post' box is back up you can scroll to the bottom of the pic and click the mouse button below the pic and your flashing 'prompted' line will be there and you can add more text ... hope that makes sense, goofy stuff to explain....
Thank u for all your help above, I appreciate the details, I hope to never have to take this axle apart in the near future....
Before I forget, you don't want to reinstall everything onmly to find that a wheel cylinder is faulty.
May I suggest that you bleed the brakes without the hub on, use the tie down like you did in the middle picture in post 19, and see that no leaks occur at the cylinders.
Many thanks for the upload/type instructions.
Let's see if I get it right :
Ok, like in the pic below, pull the big ebrake lever backwards and forwards gently, and you'll see the gap that I mentioned before, opening and closing between the two parts on the pin.
Last edited by FMJ.; May 29, 2017 at 09:55 AM.
Reason: Coz I'm stupid and can't follow Jake's instructions. LOL
The after it inserts in your post before you hit 'Submit Reply' you can click down here and add more text Thanks for the breakdown on testing the cylinders, after some chores im going to get back at the brakes !
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Im back at it today !
... of which I didn't actually know until it was off the truck, but ordered anyhow, cuz everything I touch seems to need replacing.... 
Thanks for the breakdown on testing the cylinders, after some chores im going to get back at the brakes !
