Brake repair problems

I have a 98 Civic DX that I have been rebuilding for the past year. I
took the car to two mechanic shops, and both stated that the brakes
needed replacement, front and rear. I live in an area where the
winter snow and salt cause heavy corrosion.

This week I replaced rear drums, shoes and hardware with aftermarket
parts. I had difficulty getting the drums over the new shoes. I
believe everything was positioned accurately: the clevises in the
proper positions, the adjusters at minimum expansion, the rear brake
cables slack. But the drum fits so tightly that force is necessary to
rotate the wheel. I am wondering if I can drive the car carefully and
wear in the components, or if I have to go back and start over. If
so, what whould I do differently next time?

Now I am working on the front brakes: new rotors, pads and hardware,
but have the following question: is the tube through which the caliper
pin (bolt and sleeve combination) slides supposed to move freely
through the caliper body? Obviously the caliper needs to "float".
But does the pin move and the tube stay static, or do both move? My
manual doesn't go into detail. Right now the tubes are fixed in
place. I don't want to screw things up by trying to free them up if
they're supposed to remain fixed.

Thanks for your replies
-CH-

 

wrote in @o5g2000hsb.googlegroups.com:

Start over. Do not drive the car this way; the drums will overheat and
warp.

Double and triple check how the shoes are seated, especially where they
seat into the cylinders. It is easy to have the shoes sitting just bit
wrongly.

Generally, a good idea when doing drum brakes is to do one side at a time.
That way you can refer to the untouched side when reassembling the one
you're working one.

It is also possible your <gag> aftermarket shoes are too thick and simply
do not fit.

The pins should easily push through their holes in the caliper. Try
whacking them with a nylon mallet and see if they start moving. They should
eventually free up to the point where you can push the pin back and forth
in the caliper hole. If the pin refuses to move no matter what, then you
need to pull everything apart and sand off all the rust.

Then you're unsing the wrong kind of manual. It's a Haynes, right?

 

i think it's simpler than that - sounds like he's not screwed the
self-adjuster mechanism back into position!

 

what's your mileage? civic rears rarely need replacing for wear before
150k miles. more if you're a freeway driver. corrosion is another
matter, but beware false claims of wear.

what exactly does that mean? that you screwed them all the way back to
/minimum/ like you should have done?

something's wrong. suspect the adjusters.

you're using honda parts, correct? after-market stuff doesn't always
fit as well.

with respect, if you're unclear on this, you need to get some training.
or give it to someone that does to finish the job. sign up for a
community college evening course in basic car maint. it'll save you
thousands of dollars in the future and give you a lot more confidence
when handling jobs like this - you can screw [and potentially make
learning mistakes] with their gear all you want in a safe environment -
it's a lot more expensive and potentially dangerous to learn the hard
way on your own.

 

He has front discs and rear drums.

He says he's got "the adjusters at minimum expansion".

Where'd he go? No followup from him so far.