Converting GT6 self-adjusting rear drum brakes to manually-adjusted brakes

[Roger K]

I've spent the day assembling the rear brakes, thinking 'these parts are in great condition, they should work fine'.  I discovered that if I pulled on the handbrake levers on the backplates hard enough, at the right angle, and pushing back at the right angle, there was a definite 'click' indicating that the internal levers were advancing the adjusters and working properly.  After 20 minutes of fiddling with the levers, trying to get them to click, and doing it too many times to count, I decided that this was ridiculous.  Just pulling on the handbrake lever inside the car didn't work at all, the angles were all wrong.

Forget it, I'll drill the holes.  But not in my nice shiny new drums, I'll practice on the old, cracked ones.  I dug them out, and...... somebody had drilled holes in them!!  I hadn't noticed when I removed them.  So I copied this - two 1/2" holes opposite each other, just in from the edge.  Fitted the drums, small screwdriver through the hole, easiest job in the world to adjust.  Perfect handbrake, and rear drums adjusted just right.

So easy, and so effective.  Thanks all!

[poppyman]

Well done Roger, no more struggling for you   

Tony.