i'm thinking my girlfriend's 97 camaro needs the rear brakes replaced. i attempted to pull the drums off one day we was cleaning stuff up and the drums would not come off! we beat 'em and everything else and they would not come! i've pulled them off 3rd gen camaros no problem, are the 4th gen drums held on by something? (yes i had the lugnuts removed! lol)

thanks if you can help,
michael.

 

one make sure the star washers arent on there still. sometimes they are on before the wheels go on. and yes thats normal for drums to not come off easy.your right the car most likely needs new brake shoes. look on the back side of the brakes. there should be an access hole at the bottom of the backing plate. get a flash light and look in there. there should be a little gear looking thing right there. youll need to turn this to get the shoes to retract enough to get the drums off. im not sure on the direction to turn, but if i remember right youll also have to get a small screw driver or something above the gear and push on this lock lever thatll be up against it. its there to keep the gear thing from getting smaller on its on. it takes time and is a pain but thats all you do. and then you readjust everything once you get the new parts on. you do know how to adjust everything right? Trey

 

my dad asked me about those star washers too. i'm really not sure what they are but i will look for them in the morning when i take the wheels off. and to answer your question, no i do not know how to adjust everything. i remember someone drove backwards and applied the brakes to readjust their brakes once...don't laugh at me, but is that a way to do it?

 

You probably need to retract the shoes as Trey explained. A short, wide bladed screwdriver or a tool called a "brake spoon" is usually used. What happens is that the shoes wear into the the drum and leave a lip on the back side. This keeps the drum from from being able to slide past the shoes as the shoes adjust and extend out as they wear.

 

and the whole driving backwards thing is true but that was for older cars. im not sure if newer systems still do that. Trey

 

thanks a bunch guys. maybe i'll get them changed tomorrow then. if anyone can give me some info on adjusting them tht would be great.
thanks again,
Michael.

 

The star washers would be on one or two of the lug studs, visible when you removed the wheel. You have to bend out the little "tangs" to get them off.

You might do well to get a cheap manual as drum brakes have a lot of little parts. Tip: do one side at a time so you can look at the other, undisturbed one as a reference.