So onto the axles and rear brake brackets...what should have been an easy day had its challenges.
As others have experienced with the standard rear brake kit, the bearing opening on stamped metal back plate for the parking brake does not line up with the machined opening for the axle bearing on the caliper bracket once the retaining bolts are inserted. This requires one to grind the stamped plate to match the caliper bracket to allow the axle bearing through. After matching both of them to allow the bearing thru, repainted them and waited for them to dry.
So after paint was dry, time to insert axles into the housing, passenger side first, axle goes in fine with no interference, the retaining mounting plate is a little difficult to get into place but I get it and get the nuts snug. Decide to give the axle a turn by hand and i hear twang and then a click. Wheel stud heads hitting brake shoe springs and lever that expands brake shoes. Picture below. Wheel studs are threaded and have a lock washer. Lock washer needs to go for more clearance. So off to the parts store to get a loaner slide axle hammer to remove axle. Pull axle, remove studs, throw lock washers to the side add thread locker and replace studs and proceed to reinserting the axle. So after reinserting axle I give it one last blow and ping...the spacer ring falls off after gluing it to the bearing as instructions say to do. Now I'm removing the axle again, glue the ring in place again reinstall axle again, snug up bolts with retaining plate and torque to 45 ft lb spec...done!
So with what I learned on the first axle, Shouldn't have any issue with other side...right.
Moving to the driver side with the wheel studs redone, spacer ring glued, axle slides in nice, a few taps of the mallet and it's good. Get retainer plate in place, get all the nuts on by hand, then with ratchet, then with the torque wrench. As i get close, one does not feel right and feel like that it's pulling the threads off. Decide to move on to the others, three of the four don't even get close and pull the threads off the t-bolts. Luckily the brake kit comes with these bolts but are hex head in lieu of t-bolts and replace them with new nuts. Not sure why they pulled the threads, passenger side had no issues. I think I may just replace all the t-bolts with a kit from Wilwood for piece of mind. Pics of both sides completed.
