Is this too much for rear drum brakes

Originally posted by 95gl:
I jsut got quoted $420 for new drum brakes for my 95 gl? is this bad?

For a little more than that i could afford to drive up there and do it for you.

That is a HUGE ripoff. Please don't do it. Even if every piece was broken it could not cost that much.

I never did brakes before and I did mine by myself at night in the middle of winter in an unheated garage.

Im doing my rear drums with some mintex shoes I got from BAT for 40$, I may need new drums but not to sure bout that yet, total bill of maybe 100$ when Im done. Oh and off topic 95gl, if you want a set of fog lights buy em from BAT, brand new and only 15$ a piece.

Originally posted by 95gl:
I jsut got quoted $420 for new drum brakes for my 95 gl? is this bad?

I paid a little under $200 for both rear drum replacements. That is a HUGE rip-off.

I paid $115 for front rotors and pads, and rear drum shoes.

Mine included labor since I didn't have the know-how to do it myself.

I'm in the wrong business, i didd all four brakes on my neighbors car the other day and it only took me like an hour and a half from start to finish. I charged her $40 plus parts it sounds like some of those "mechanics" are making quite a bit more than that, i would have done it for some beer but she insisted on paying me.

.....not even at Canadian dollars.......

Costed me $314 and some change for 2 drums, 2 wheel cylinders, set of shoes, the little spring kit, and some new brake lines (from the cylinder to main line). And this is in Canadian dollars.

Originally posted by fingas:
it sounds like some of those "mechanics" are making quite a bit more than that,

Let me correct you. I've worked for both Ford and Firestone/bridgestone(currently) they charge $70 for labor per hour. To get new rear drums and pads it pays a MECHANIC .8 hrs. To me at $12.50 an hour that is $9.00. Therefore the MECHANICS aren't the ones leaving with all the dough in their pockets. ok..poor mechanic's rant off.. ok and that is way too much unless you're doing wheel cylinders, lines, shoes, drums, hardware, and a brake flush.

Originally posted by 3LPOWER:

Originally posted by fingas:
it sounds like some of those "mechanics" are making quite a bit more than that,

Let me correct you. I've worked for bother Ford and Firestone/bridgestone(currently) they charge $70 for labor per hour. To get new rear drums and pads it pays a MECHANIC .8 hrs. To me at $12.50 an hour that is $9.00. Therefore the MECHANICS aren't the ones leaving with all the dough in their pockets. ok..poor mechanic's rant off.. ok and that is way too much unless you're doing wheel cylinders, lines, shoes, drums, hardware, and a brake flush.

I'm sorry to have offended as i do understand that the actual mechanic doesn't get the majority of the money, the actual shop gets the money and the mechanic busts his a$$ to make sure that the shop gets paid. Before you shop owners out ther attack me, i do understand you have to pay taxes, insurance, rent, disposal fees, wages, and building maintenance but i think that at $70 dollars an hour labor there isn't a need to mark up the cost of parts.

correct, I've seen markup as high as %250.. it's horrible I know

My dad is a diesel mechanic and makes a decent living but the owner does make a killing. The owner owns nice new vehicles, a golf course, land, etc. Hmmm, I think maybe I want to own a shop one day.

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Not to highjack or go off topic, how the hell do you get the drums off, I've tried beating on em with a hammer I looked in the service manual and it says there is a plug to release something but I believe the plug is where my abs sensor is. Anyone else have any info or anything for me that would ge great thanks
</threadjack>

Are you talking about the first part of the drum that you have to uncover to get to the brakes, or the whole drum? To get the first part off, just remove the two little things on the studs and then pull, wiggle, and hit the drum till it comes off. If it's the other part,,, I don't know how.

its the drum itself, the outter part, and ive tried all that, but it won't come off

Sounds like the drums may have seized from behind, especially if the rear brakes haven't been done in a while. You may need a puller---tool with four hooked "arms" and a center bolt... wrap the arms around the edges of the drums, position the bolt over the end of the axle, then turn the bolt clockwise.

Grab a jar of anti-seize while you're at it, and before you put the new drums on, go nuts and coat the contact areas with the anti-seize.

Hope this helps,

Po

ain't you got some muscles?

try some pb blaser on it as well and hit and pull at it the best you can.

On alot of drums that i have done i have noticed that where the hub comes through the center of the drum tends to rust and cause the drum to not be able to come off easily. Try some pb blaster and a stiff wire brush then beat the heck out of the drum edges from the back side working all the way around the outside.

use some common rust penatrant and a big hammer, hit around the outer edges and if necessary use a screwdriver/prybar to carefully pry the drum from the backing plate.

You people make me sick! There is an adjuster (in the back)to release the shoes from the inside of the drum.....read your Haynes manuals.

If you don't have the brakes on then you don't have to release the shoes from the drum to get it off.

But after thousands of miles of rust you do have to pull on it a bit to get the drum off.

Originally posted by Kremithefrog:
If you don't have the brakes on then you don't have to release the shoes from the drum to get it off.

YES YOU DO.

No You Don't.

I JUST did the rear drums, shoes, and hardware.

Just finished em, there was no reason to use the retracting thing a hammer fixed it, they were rusted to the hub, i guess i never hit it hard enough before i bent one spring a litte bit tho. Guess I get to order that part from the dealer tomorrow.

thanks guys

Originally posted by LoCoZ:
I JUST did the rear drums, shoes, and hardware.

I did too.

Rotors, pads, shoes, and one wheel cylinder. If you mean replacing the drum part on the inner part of the car behind the brake shoes, then maybe. But you DO NOT have to release anything other than taking your wheel off to get the first part of the drum off. Atleast on a 1996.

Originally posted by Kremithefrog:

Originally posted by LoCoZ:
I JUST did the rear drums, shoes, and hardware.

I did too. Rotors, pads, shoes, and one wheel cylinder. If you mean replacing the drum part on the inner part of the car behind the brake shoes, then maybe. But you DO NOT have to release anything other than taking your wheel off to get the first part of the drum off. Atleast on a 1996.

Still don't understand what I am saying.

It used to be incomprehensible to me how anyone could post 7000 times...

dude switch to brembo discs all the way around...it would be cheaper i think.

Originally posted by Oeneus:
It used to be incomprehensible to me how anyone could post 7000 times...

and youguys thought i was bad?

Originally posted by civic_smoker:
dude switch to brembo discs all the way around...it would be cheaper i think.

Wrong thread.....we are talking about DRUMS in the rear not discs.

Well then type clearly what you mean. I put what I'm talking about. Like I said, nothing needs to be released to get the first drum part off.

Sometimes the drum itself can be worn to the extent that the shoes are actually 'embedded' into the drum. If a groove is worn in the drum, and the shoes are expanded into the groove in the drum, then the shoes will have to be released before the drum can be removed.

So service your brakes regularly.

Originally posted by bentleywarren:
Sometimes the drum itself can be worn to the extent that the shoes are actually 'embedded' into the drum. If a groove is worn in the drum, and the shoes are expanded into the groove in the drum, then the shoes will have to be released before the drum can be removed.

Thank you.

Hector, how come you never mentioned that what your were talking about was only for very badly worn brakes? I hope people take care of their brakes more often than what would allow that to happen.

Originally posted by Kremithefrog:
Hector, how come you never mentioned that what your were talking about was only for very badly worn brakes? I hope people take care of their brakes more often than what would allow that to happen.

They weren't that badly worn....even when I tried to remove the drums RIGHT after I put them on (took the car out)I couldn't...so I released the shoes.

Are you sure you had the ebrake off? Are you sure you pulled on the drum hard enough? Maybe our different years are different? Or you're just not strong enough.

Originally posted by Kremithefrog:
Are you sure you had the ebrake off? Are you sure you pulled on the drum hard enough? Maybe our different years are different? Or you're just not strong enough.

You haven't seen me in person have you?

I've seen the pictures, you look big, but... can't get a drum off.......

how about you're both right.....

my brother has worked at a couple different repair shops (mainly brake/exhaust shops) since 1992, and he says that some have to be released, some don't. even on the same model car.

I gotta jump in here
Technically - drums are removed without backing off adjuster
Practically - Undo adjuster cause its so rusted, groove cut in drum, adjuster rusted.
I HATE this style of adjuster

Originally posted by WestCoastAjax:
I gotta jump in here
Technically - drums are removed without backing off adjuster
Practically - Undo adjuster cause its so rusted, groove cut in drum, adjuster rusted.
I HATE this style of adjuster

Tell me about it....I need rotors/calipers...time to look into the conversion.

I hate our drum brakes too, my dad has a bunch of tools, but to get the shoes off on our cars you just use pliers, no tool needed but that means it's a lot harder to do as well.