Technical Grrr...

[lightweightmick]

been driving about for last few weeks without handbrake... as you do
Not that it didn't work - but wouldn't release, so every time I applied said handbrake - had to use block of wood to lever back arms on back plate.
Not suprising really as it was stood on drive for 3 yrs before MOT...
So I knew I'd got a spare cable, which took me the 2wks to find...
Next up was to check that handbrake arm - the one that gets tight - bloody solid in this case!
Thing is I've got the bloody awkward self-adjusting later type of shoes with the extra little red spring at the back that connects to the handbrake actuating lever and the rear shoe. Can't for the life of me get the bottom spring back on without the little red 'un twanging off... does anyone know where I'm going wrong..?
The shoes with the round self-adjusters are a doddle, but I'm not used to doing these later ones :bang:
anybody out there..?
cheers

 

[aca]

https://www.fiatforum.com/panda-cla...ing-rear-brake-shoes-gars4.html#content_start

 

[VmanC]

Make sure the adjuster cam, the bit with the little teeth, is set right back to the beginning of the adjustment range. It is a fiddly job but you should be ok eventually. I'm assuming you're locating the springs in the right places, if you haven't touched the other side it may be worth taking the other drum off to check.

Also, back the cable adjustment right off, manually set the self adjusters until you can just get the drum on (it shouldn't be binding once the drum is on) then adjust the cable back up as the last job.

Without being there and seeing it it's hard to suggest anything else. Good luck!

 

[lightweightmick]

I got it sorted in the end...
Aca - those on the guide are the other type of self adjuster - they're easy to get back. I got the one with the little teeth as Vernon noted that have another little spring at the back.
I had a cup of tea and tried again and got it 1st time! Put drum back on to hear the long spring catching on hub... tempting let me tell you... but no, off she came. I realised I'd put the long spring in the bottom hole and the little fiddly one into the top hole. WRONG ... I knew I should have taken a pic 1st lol...
It don't help that the handbrake arm only goes into position in one certain position. (I'd needed to take these out completely to free them off - and they do need to be really loose. If they are solid like mine were , you have to make sure they fold as much as they can to get them through the slot in the backplate. Unless you want to take the hub off...)
I think the key is to locate the little spring at the back 1st, making sure the self-adjuster stays right back - it's a bugger 'cos the slightest move ratchets it up a bit... Then fit the bottom spring and lastly the top one which is easier to extend as its not as strong in tension as that bottom one. I'd just fitted new cable and so didn't need to bother with adjustment till last. You'd need to remove the clevis pins to get the arms out of course.
Cheers anyway fellas all sorted now - good to have a handbrake again!
Just one thing - those backplate clips and pins - I'm one short (which makes it a bit more tricky to pull the drum off) are they the same as other later Fiats? If so I could probably pick one up at the scrap yard off a Cinc maybe..?