From my Project Peterborough thread...
Okay here we go. As usual this is how I did it and not a comprehensive guide.
Replacing the slave cylinder and brake shoes from a Panda 4x4.
Take your Fiat Panda 4x4 and...
...elevate the rear of the car (in my case van) using ramps...
...support the axle with a trolley jack and remove the wheel bolts.
Once loosened, remove the wheel and move the ramp out of the way.
Inspect the brake drum for possible signs of damage, warping and surrounding areas for brake fluid and axle grease.
Removed the 12mm locating pin and bolt from the drum...
...and with a little persuasion remove the drum itself.
Next we remove the pin from the handbrake mechanism...
...the "R" clip can be rusty so be prepared to grind it off and drill the hole in the pin later.
Next we remove the 10mm bolt and seal form the end of the half shaft. Undo the 17mm bolts at the back of the hub bearing...
...and take the hub bearing out freeing the backing plate from the axle.
Next I tilted the backing plate forward...
...because this slave cylinder is junk and I didn't want to leak brake fluid everywhere I used the grinder...
...to get the bleed nipple out of the way.
Next we get the brake line spanner and place it on the back of the slave cylinder...
...crank it loose and then turn the base plate to remove it from the car completely.
I do this because it's so much easier to strip and reassemble on a bench or sat on the floor with it in front of you.
The eagle eyed will have spotted there was nothing holding the front shoe on and a 10mm bolt holding the rear shoe in place.
At least it isn't black silicone for a change. Probably just as well the slave cylinder was knackered. If I had brakes I'd probably be dead from the first time I slowed from 50+mph.
Okay soap box away...
The whole brake assembly is now apart so I can...
...give it a quick going over with a wire brush and...
...make sure I have everything I need to put it all back together (good old shed. I had the shoe locating pins and spring clips from my old car, funny shoe and wheel cylinder kits don't come with new ones these days).
First of all I put the new slave cylinder in place. Held closed with a cable tie.
The rear shoe...
...springs...
...thread the springs into the rear shoe...
...pull across and locate with the pins and clips.
This is so much easier than faffing about with spring pullers and ripping your knuckles apart trying to replace the shoes with the backing plate on the car.
Remove the cable tie and line the ends of the cylinder up to the shoes.
Okay I close the cylinder so it doesn't get in the way when I stretch the shoes across. I've seen people rip the rubber seals with the shoes if they are left open.
Replacing the backing plate is the reverse of removal (obviously) but instead of grinding the nipple out of the way I simply remove it...
...rotating the backing plate and torquing it against the brake line spanner.
Once tight replace the bleed nipple finger tight so you can bleed the bakes later.
Always put the dust cover back on the nipple before putting the assembly back together. There's all kinds of crap in your wheel arches and a dirty nipple won't bleed properly later.
Finally put the backing plate in place, push the hub bearing back and secure with the 17mm bolts, cap off the end of the half shaft with the 10mm bolt and washer...
...the drum will go on a bloody sight easier than it came off. Bleed the brakes as usual and wonder why your rear axle now makes noise.
...I hope this helps.
