Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Brakes GD drum brakes! *kicks them*

So I have had problems with my drum brakes off and on for about a year now. First I blew a Brake Clyinder, so I replaced that and cleaned everything up in there and put it back together, worked great. Then about a year later I was being stupid and snow drifting in a local parking lot with a couple of friends and I ended up blowing a shoe retaining pin (How I do not know)... Since im getting ready to sell the car, I decided that since the front brakes had been replaced by a shop, I mide as well get the back ones done right also. I took it to my trusted mechanic Roger Nuffer in Bay City. Great guy to work with and has not stiffed anybody in my family or anybody else for that matter. He charged me 120 to tap a new hole on the suspension for my sway bar and replace the shoes on both sides, this also included turning both drums. I felt this was a very fair price, and he let me observe so I thought it would be a good learning experience as well. He got all done, tested it, and deemed it safe. I paid him the 120 and drove home, car was stopping like a dream.

The next day I was going to head over to the ford dealer and have a new ford key made, I made a left turn and let my foot off the gas and pushed the brake pedal down and I got a little hickup from the brakes, I initially thought it was a bump on the road, but after leaveing the dealer I saw nothing in the road to hit. I figured this was the brakes "settling in" Never had the problem driving about 50 miles around the city until today... I was driving home from the mall, going on a back road I push the clutch in put the car in neutral and start to apply the brakes going from 50 miles an hour, a VERY modest Application of the brakes, the brake pedal was very firm, as I was stopping the brakes hickuped again, it again felt like a good sized bump in the road... But I felt something new, the pedal pushed back at my foot, almost like it was kicking me back. I drove down town and rolled my window down and heard an interval based scrapeing noise coming from the rear brakes, approximately the passenger side rear, its much louder below 35 MPH. Anybody have any idea what happened to my new brakes? Im sure it will get fixed for free, but I want to know what might be wrong in case this might not be brake related, or might be a part that wasnt replaced... In which case costing me money

bring it back to the mechanic asap.
sounds like something is catching or a spring broke.
i hope he used a new hardware kit and didnt reuse the old springs and schtuff.

Good for him and you. I like it when someone takes responsibility and just fixes it.

Sounds like a very good mechanic and very good price.

We charge $130 just to slap pads on and turn the rotors or slap shoes on and clean the drum (turn if needed). Though we're a corporate store, so we have no choice on our prices.

good guy for standing behind his work, but he should have never put the brakes back together without using a new hardware kit. hell they only cost about $10.



the shop i was working at charged 1 hour ($60) plus parts for each end of the car.