Spend the evening building up rear brakes (Escort 9" drums) - all going well until it came to putting the drums over them - and they won't fit!!

Double checked against stripdown photos and everything looks okay.

Think I have adjuster set to "narrowest setting" to allow for thicker material on brake shoes and handbrake off but it's just to tight to slip the drums over.

Photos - full view:

Rear Brakes NS Full

and close up of cylinder and handbrake/adjuster lever:

Rear Brakes NS Detail


Checked parts (new Mintex shoes and new drums and slave cylinder) all have correct description for Escort Ghia 78 and match what came off the axle - although can't check the shoes as they old ones were binned fast...

Any suggestions for things I have missed or got wrong?

Also I have an issue with leading and trailing shoes as these are handed. Haynes manual photos suggest they go with the bigger gap on top towards the front of the car like this:

Rear Brake NS Top View
Offside so front is this way --->

But the donor had them fitted with the small gap towards the front like this:

Rear Brakes OS Top View
Nearside so front is that way <---

Doesn't make any difference to drums - both sides are too tight to get them over. Anybody know which is correct?

Off-side one is correct.

Can't see a lot else wrong. Is the plastic blck on the handbrake lever twisted, stopping it fully returning?

adrian

good job you can't fit the drums as you haven't put any grease on them.

I'd recomend a blob of copper slip on all of the places the shoes touch i.e. cylinders, pivot and back plate (not friction surface).

Thanks guys

Adrian - blocks on handbrake lever are not touching the backplate at all - hence
odd looking angles.

Mark G - I'll add the CopaSlip on the final build once I've sussed how it all fits. Don't want that stuff getting everywhere at the moment!

"blocks on handbrake lever are not touching the backplate at all - hence
odd looking angles."

Well they should be. Is the lever free to pivot on the adjuster bar? If its siezed (common fault) that'll cause your problem.

adrian

Are they new drums? If not, then you may find they have worn a grove on the indise. I just took a bit of 60 grit, and rubbed at the ionside fo the drum for a minute or so, then mine went on just fine. Just checking - have you got the handbrake released!?

Adrian - a big thanks to you.

Diagnosis was spot on - siezed handbrake mechnaism. They were like that when stripped from donor, stayed stuck when bars cleaned up and I didn't know any better.

WD40 and a fine adjustment with the 1lb hammer sorted them.

Refitted everything and drums slipped over nicely. Blocks on handbrake levers now sitting properly.

Result

Second picture shows the auto adjuster at the fully adjusted position . Release the adjuster to allow shoes to contract the drum will fit then.