Parking brake spring

[Ben Simpkins]

Does anybody have a good way to compress the parking brake spring inside the drum so I can slide the bracket on? Thanks

 

[themechanic]

Leave the adjustment all the way loose and you can just use your fingers or pair of pliers.

 

[Fran Blacker]

Your talking about lever that mounts on the brake shoe? If so put lever on shoe. Then BEFORE you mount shoe to backing plate you can slide spring open enough to put it on lever. Very difficult to get cable on lever with shoe mounted on BP. You can compress spring by hand and use needle nose vice-grip to hold it open, don't crush the cable.

 

[Potts]

I used to take side cutter pliers (dykes) and lightly grip the cable, between the cable end and the spring, work it in to grip the cable only.
The take channel locks and grip the solid crimp end of the cable.
Pivot and leverage the channel locks and slide the spring back with the side cutters loosely. When you grip the cable with the side cutters, it will hold the spring back under tension.
Once that's done, you can easily install the lever, the cable will be flexible enough to work it in.
You'll need about an inch max.
It sounds more difficult than it is.