Hi all ... it's my first time doing drum brakes on my stock '84. I figured I'd freshen up the drums with fresh shoes, spring kit, new cylinder, and resurfaced drums. I followed the directions in my Haynes manual, took a little while being my first time but all in all was going well until it was time to stretch the secondary shoe return spring onto the anchor pin.

Holy S$#T! I cannot for the life of me stretch that thing the lousy 1/2" I need to get it on the anchor pin. I do have a brake spring tool, but this one sucks and doesn't hold onto the anchor pin to let me slide the spring hook down ... the tool just snaps off of the anchor pin. It's useless. Also tried very long handled flat head screw driver, and some vice grips... forget it. The scewdriver will slip off before I ever get the tension I need to loop it over the anchor pin, and the vicegrips, well, I still can't stretch the spring enough to clear the anchor pin. There's got to be a better method or tool with which to do this.

Suggestions from the pros? Otherwise this has been a smooth install ... now I'm just pissed I can't get the springs onto the anchor pin!!

 

Use a #2 Phillips screwdriver

 

OK so I got the spring on last night ... I ended up changing out the new spring that came with my spring kit that goes at the bottom of the secondary shoe for the star wheel adjuster bracket. I ended up just putting the old one back on. The new spring that came in the kit was SO frigging stiff I could not compress it enough to get the actuator rod and main secondary spring attached up top to the anchor pin. The old spring was a bit lighter and easier to compress and I finally got it with a huge *** long handled flat head screwdriver.

Phew!