Rear Brake Kits

Use the correct-size deep-well socket or a shallow socket with an extension to reach in and loosen the four lock nuts nuts (a deep-well socket avoids the socket falling off the extension and having to fish the socket out from behind the axle flange). Notice that the brake hardware is in place.

Once the nuts are loose, reach behind the flange to retrieve them. (This backing plate has the brake shoes and hardware already removed.) You can leave the brake hardware in place or remove it. Keep in mind that removing the brake hardware prior to the axle shafts makes the job a little easier. Your overall plan is also a factor. If you have fresh brakes and are going to retain the drum style, then it makes sense to leave the brakes attached to the backing plates. If you want to remove all the rust and repaint the backing plates, the brake hardware needs to be removed.

The rectangular shaped steel plate under the nuts holds the axle shafts and bearings in the housing. Once the nuts have been removed, you can lightly pull the plate loose. It is still trapped on the axle shaft, but you need to make sure it is loose. Be careful because it may move around a little.

Use a slide hammer tool, such as this one, to pop the axle shaft loose. It’s a great tool to have in your workshop that costs about $70-150. You can use pry bars to dislodge the axle shaft, but be careful not to bend the plates. (Later, you’ll see how the bearing arrangement traps the plates on the axle shafts.) If you are going to re-use the bearings, the plates are also re-used. I strongly recommend replacing the bearings at the same time because it’s a minimal investment to ensure good performance.

Attach the slide hammer tool to the axle shaft wheel hub. The base of the puller slips over the wheel’s studs and the bolts secure the puller to the hub. A couple of quick pulls and the shaft should be loose.

Partially remove the axle shaft. Notice how the ball bearing traps the retainer plate on the axle shaft. The retainer ring is to the left of the ball bearing. This ring keeps the axle bearing on the axle shaft.

Once the axle shaft has been completely removed, inspect the bearing and seal surface. I recommend replacing the bearings for any rebuild, but if they are in good condition, you may get away with re-using them. But it’s a risk. This axle shaft uses the large ball bearing arrangement. This sealed-style bearing cannot be re-greased. You can see the wear mark from the seal. If yours has a groove, replace the shaft.

Remove the brake backing plates for cleaning and painting. (The brake lines should have already been removed from the wheel cylinders.) Lightly tap around the backing plates to remove them. They usually come off with little effort.

Once the axle shaft has been removed, look for the seal inside of the housing. This seal keeps the gear oil in the axle for ball bearing wheel ends. The tapered-bearing style of wheel ends do not use this seal as they share oil with the axle. Note that this axle flange shows signs of the original gasket and sealant. This needs to be cleaned off and prepped before re-assembly. The T-bolts can be pushed out now.

Remove the brake backing plates for replacement.  Replacing the brake backing plate with the new RRS A, B, C or D backing plate does require removal to the retainer plate unless you are servicing the axle bearings.

The ring has a significant press-fit, so it isn’t very easy to press off. Remember, this is holding the wheel on the vehicle, and you might have to destroy it. Centre punch on the ring in the middle of the unit acts as a guide for the drill.

Using a 1/4-inch bit drill partially into the ring making certain to center the hole. Being very careful, set the drill on a low-RPM setting and drill almost to the bottom. To avoid drilling too deep you can mark the desired depth on the bit with tape, but still stop and check often. If you drill too deep, you’ll actually drill into the axle shaft. If this happens, you need to replace the axle shaft because it creates a stress riser in a critical area, and the axle will probably break in this area.

Using a hammer and chisel, solidly strike the ring at the drilled section. If you support the other side of the ring with a block of wood you can hammer away.

Here you can see the slight crack in the retaining ring. This is all that is required to relieve the press fit. Now you can use a typical bearing puller tool and shop press to remove the retainer, bearing, and plate.