So I've been working on cars for about 30 years. Done a hundred suspension jobs and just as many brake jobs. Rebuilt engines, rebuilt old cars, etc. Drum brakes have always annoyed me. Especially the drum retaining springs......such a PITA getting them off with pliers or a flathead, but always been able to do it with a bit of muscle.
The other day I'm organizing a couple of the big drawers in my well-stocked tool chest and buried in the bottom of one is a tool that I have no idea what it is. It's a remnant of years ago when my great-uncle died and he had a billion old tools and my aunt told me to just take whatever (we had a big yard sale that I helped sell many tools and stuff from, including to a few GRM'ers, so it was a payment of sorts). Anyhow, among those tools was this strange pliers. I tossed them in my tool chest and never thought about them again until the other day when I saw them again.
That night, I'm at the auto parts store buying some hose and walk down the tool aisle I've walked down a hundred times before. And I see it. That tool. HOLY E36 M3.
I'm betting that 99% of you already know what I'm talking about, but still amazes me that with all the hundreds of tools I own and have used over the years, this freaking one was a mystery. And my life with drum brakes just got infinitely better.
Never stop learning.
DO NOT let me repeat DO NOT ever let this tool leave your sight/garage. The big curvy part is for those PITA springs in drum brakes.....a wordy explanation on my part is not sufficient to fully explain the procedure.....off you go to the YTuBZ......oh the other end is also critical for stubborn spring things too....uh hope this helps....as I have one in my box also .....when Curtis sees this it'll all become very clear....wait for it
Duke
MegaDork
3/7/22 11:40 p.m.
Yeah, man!
The weird jaws are for stretching springs between shoes. One leg (with the kind of duckbill end) is for stretching springs between shoe and post on the hub. And the end of the other leg is for removing the little quarter-turn retainer springs that hold the shoes to the backing plate.
Tom1200
UltraDork
3/7/22 11:41 p.m.
Besides drum brakes I use the tool to pop the springs on the expansion chamber of the F500.
My Dad had a pair of those in his toolbox, but never told me what they were for, even through the 15-20 years when I was doing brake jobs in his garage. Even after I found out what they were, it's a tool that I always forget about because drum brakes are such a rarity now. I don't think I've ever used them.
Since I got my first car in 1987, I don't believe I have ever had a time when I didn't own at least one vehicle with drum brakes. I have a whole little section of one of my toolbox drawers dedicated to drum brake tools. I've got all manners of springs tools and adjusting spoons.
I probably ought to try and improve my status in society with my car choices.
You guys have seen a drum brake in real life?
I always thought I'd get a pair of those, but have always got by using vise-grips to remove and reinstall the springs.
I had cars with drum brakes in the front. That tool is indispensable. I have one. I don't have a car with drum brakes now but I will keep the tool for ever. It was one of the first specialty tools I got. I think my uncle gave it to me when I was 12 or 13.
I have taught hundreds of student mechanics the use of this tool for disassembly and reassembly of drum brakes.
We have one car (wife's xB) and a trailer with drum brakes. I don't have that tool......yet.
Well, one more tool to pick up and stash. Always seem to have something with drum brakes around here.
Anyone else have a habit of picking up a tool that would have been useful for an annoying job you just completed, just in case you have to do it again?
That's a tool that's worth it's weight in gold. I use mine weekly. Pair it with one of these brake spring compressor tools and drum brakes become so easy.
Noddaz
UberDork
3/8/22 9:36 a.m.
Professor_Brap (Forum Supporter) said:
That's a tool that's worth it's weight in gold. I use mine weekly. Pair it with one of these brake spring compressor tools and drum brakes become so easy.
I have one of those. But I feel sorry for anyone that has to do drum brakes every week. Sorry Professor Brap, drum brakes are just annoying to service.
Paul_VR6 (Forum Supporter) said:
You guys have seen a drum brake in real life?
Unfortunately multiple ones, yes 
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BoxheadTim said:
Paul_VR6 (Forum Supporter) said:
You guys have seen a drum brake in real life?
Unfortunately multiple ones, yes .
All the cars used to have drum brakes. At my grandpa's shop we did brake jobs on cars, trucks and buses.
That sort of tool was mandatory, especially for the big springs on truck and bus drum brakes.
There was also a special tool for removing wheel bearing caps, it looked similar to the one pictured but had jaws that allowed the cap be pried off without bending it.
In reply to Noddaz :
When set up right they work way better than any disk brake setup. Plus disk trailer brakes are pure garbage.
Tom1200
UltraDork
3/8/22 12:11 p.m.
Professor_Brap (Forum Supporter) said:
In reply to Noddaz :
When set up right they work way better than any disk brake setup. Plus disk trailer brakes are pure garbage.
I assume you are talking strictly for trailers?
Tom1200 said:
Professor_Brap (Forum Supporter) said:
In reply to Noddaz :
When set up right they work way better than any disk brake setup. Plus disk trailer brakes are pure garbage.
I assume you are talking strictly for trailers?
Yes trailers. I have been growing a dislike for modern full size truck parking brakes recently. They hardly work.
Paul_VR6 (Forum Supporter) said:
You guys have seen a drum brake in real life?
Yeah, they were the VW rear brakes that actually worked 
759NRNG said:
DO NOT let me repeat DO NOT ever let this tool leave your sight/garage. The big curvy part is for those PITA springs in drum brakes.....a wordy explanation on my part is not sufficient to fully explain the procedure.....off you go to the YTuBZ......oh the other end is also critical for stubborn spring things too....uh hope this helps....as I have one in my box also .....when Curtis sees this it'll all become very clear....wait for it
Oh yeah I definitely looked it up on YouTube already lol
Paul_VR6 (Forum Supporter) said:
You guys have seen a drum brake in real life?
I mean every car I own has drum brakes. Only one of them actually has it as the primary brakes (Raider) But all the others have drum brakes internal for the parking brake, as do most modern cars!
Professor_Brap (Forum Supporter) said:
In reply to Noddaz :
When set up right they work way better than any disk brake setup. Plus disk trailer brakes are pure garbage.
The drum brakes on the rear of the raider actually work just great. I completely rebuilt them when I was rebuilding the whole rig and I've never had any issues with them.
I have been using one of those multi function Brake drum tools for the better part of 30 years.
My dad showed me how to install Brake Shoes and springs on a '69 Malibu 4 door at the used car lot in the late 80's when I was 9...That little lad has been putting shoes and pads on various kinds of mechanical conveyances ever since. Sometimes I used that tool from the original poster.
irish44j (Forum Supporter) said:
Professor_Brap (Forum Supporter) said:
In reply to Noddaz :
When set up right they work way better than any disk brake setup. Plus disk trailer brakes are pure garbage.
The drum brakes on the rear of the raider actually work just great. I completely rebuilt them when I was rebuilding the whole rig and I've never had any issues with them.
I love drum brakes, especially on the rear of trucks.
