Re: brake shoe spring tool


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Posted by C. Garbee on May 18, 1998 at 13:47:58:

In Reply to: brake shoe spring tool posted by Jason on May 17, 1998 at 11:02:26:

My two cents...

I've been using a pair of channel locks to pull off and replace this spring for years. You grab the spring just behing the hook and yank. To put it back on, grab in the same place so that you will have room to angle to spring hook back into the hole on the shoe. For stiffer springs, I use a larger pair of channel locks that will let me get both hands on the handle in order to use one as a "fulcrum."
I tried using vice grips on a couple of occaisions when I couldn't find the channel locks in the mess that used reside in the shop before I became a little more organized. I found the locking feature to be more of a hindrance to me than a help, but that is a personal preference. I inhereted a brake shoe spring tool from my Grandfather a few years back, but I found that to be just as bad as the vice grips in my hands...
The brake spring tools are relative innexpensive at most auto parts stores in my area (North Carolina).
The good thing about all of these tools mentioned by myself and the other folks is that (with the exception of the brake spring pliers), they can be put to use for a variety of other purposes, so don't feel bad if you have to try a few tools or techniques to find the one that works best for you. The tools you purchase may save you a lot of grief on some other project...

My other thought is that brake shoes aren't as fragile as they might seem...

Good luck.


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