Rugby and Land Rovers · Dec 2, 2017

After a three hour battle, I managed to get the drum off in my quest to overhaul the front brakes on my S3 SWB.

I’ve seen a few videos on YouTube on how to do this, but they don’t have the central hub (? - not sure what it’s actually called!) shown below.

Do I need to remove this before starting on the brakes?

If so, is it just a case of undoing those rather rusty and painted over bolts around the central hub? Do you know what size they are? None of the spanners I have fit them.

As always, thanks for your help, it’s a real benefit to newcomers like me.

tomhop · Dec 2, 2017

To replace the brakes you don’t have to remove the central hub just remove the springs holding the top of the brake shoe and pull em off

suburban · Dec 2, 2017

did you back off the adjusters before trying to get the drum off?

if you did and the drums were that hard to get off it might be worth you buying a ten inch 3 leg puller they come straight off in no time at all

Bobsticle · Dec 2, 2017

Its not filling me with confidence this thread.
Are you confident you can do the job to a standard that will keep your brakes usable.
Several tons of landrover with no brakes can cause a bit of a mess on the open road.

Rugby and Land Rovers · Dec 2, 2017

Bobsticle said:
Its not filling me with confidence this thread.
Are you confident you can do the job to a standard that will keep your brakes usable.
Several tons of landrover with no brakes can cause a bit of a mess on the open road.

Ha ha, yep, don’t worry, everything I’m doing is going to be fully checked by a qualified mechanic with tonnes of LR experience. I’m just taking a first crack before handing it over to the experts. It has no MOT at the moment so will need to go through that before I start using it too.

Rugby and Land Rovers · Dec 2, 2017

suburban said:
did you back off the adjusters before trying to get the drum off?

if you did and the drums were that hard to get off it might be worth you buying a ten inch 3 leg puller they come straight off in no time at all

I did, thanks for the advice though, I’ll take a look at the others and if they’re as tough, I’ll invest in a puller. In hindsight, three hours was probably a bit of hyperbole!

Bobsticle · Dec 3, 2017

Rugby and Land Rovers said:
I did, thanks for the advice though, I’ll take a look at the others and if they’re as tough, I’ll invest in a puller. In hindsight, three hours was probably a bit of hyperbole!

Firstly.......... there are adjusting nuts on the back of the brakes. If you look just behind the brake shoes you will see a notched cam that pushes the shoe either way. The adjusting nut is behind this.
Jack up a corner and fit stand.
Spin wheel while turning adjuster. (one way will do nothing, the other way will lock the wheel)
Turn adjuster fully, the opposite way than when it locked the wheel.
Remove wheel, hub securing screw and hub.
Take a good set of grips/pliers/ and unhook long springs connecting shoes to hub.
Make sure the springs inside slave cylinder dont push the pistons out and throw fluid all over the job once the shoes are no longer holding them in.
Fit new shoes, replacing springs, swearing a lot and developing spanner rash on you knuckles when the grips slip.
Make sure the pistons have sat back in the cylinders and the hub will slide back over the shoes without more than a wiggle.
replace the screw and hub. replace wheel, have a few pumps of the brakes then turn the adjuster until the wheel stops spinning freely and back off the adjuster one notch.

Bobsticle · Dec 3, 2017

If the adjusters are shot you can get new ones. Some of them are junk though.

Edlandy · Dec 3, 2017

You have fwh that's way the pictures your looking at are different to what you've got
Fwh = free wheeling hubs

Rugby and Land Rovers · Dec 3, 2017

Bobsticle said:
Firstly.......... there are adjusting nuts on the back of the brakes. If you look just behind the brake shoes you will see a notched cam that pushes the shoe either way. The adjusting nut is behind this.
Jack up a corner and fit stand.
Spin wheel while turning adjuster. (one way will do nothing, the other way will lock the wheel)
Turn adjuster fully, the opposite way than when it locked the wheel.
Remove wheel, hub securing screw and hub.
Take a good set of grips/pliers/ and unhook long springs connecting shoes to hub.
Make sure the springs inside slave cylinder dont push the pistons out and throw fluid all over the job once the shoes are no longer holding them in.
Fit new shoes, replacing springs, swearing a lot and developing spanner rash on you knuckles when the grips slip.
Make sure the pistons have sat back in the cylinders and the hub will slide back over the shoes without more than a wiggle.
replace the screw and hub. replace wheel, have a few pumps of the brakes then turn the adjuster until the wheel stops spinning freely and back off the adjuster one notch.

Fantastic, thanks for the advice, much appreciated.

rob1miles · Dec 3, 2017

After you have backed off the adjusters and before you try to get the drum off hit it all round on the outer face towards the centre, use a hide mallet. Makes the job a lot easier. If the drums are very owrn there can be a ridge on them that won't clear the shoes. Keep working the adjusters and hitting the outside of the drum towards the shoes.

Colthebrummie · Dec 4, 2017

My advice to a novice doing his/her brakes for the first time is take pictures of the original brake set up including position of springs before you take the old shoes out. It's amazing how many people fit the new springs the wrong way. It's also worth spraying the adjusters with penetrating oil a day or two before starting to strip them down.

Col

rob1miles · Dec 4, 2017

Agreed re taking pictures, but don't assume they are right to begin with, I wasted a lot of time trying to refit an hub and axle seal the way it came off only to find the seal was the wrong way round and that's why it was leaking. I'm pretty sure at least one of the manuals shoes the brake springs wrong.

Rubins4 · Dec 4, 2017

Those are Fairey Free Wheeling Hubs, I have similar on mine. I think I have the original handbook if you would like me to upload it. There is a bit more to taking them off than you have alluded to.

nickjaxe · Dec 5, 2017

Each set of shoes has 2 small bolts at the bottom holding a locking ring on...dont forget to take it off before trying to remove the shoes.

Rugby and Land Rovers · Dec 5, 2017

Rubins4 said:
Those are Fairey Free Wheeling Hubs, I have similar on mine. I think I have the original handbook if you would like me to upload it. There is a bit more to taking them off than you have alluded to.

If you do have the handbook, and wouldn’t mind sharing it, that would be great, thanks!

Rugby and Land Rovers · Dec 5, 2017

Thanks to all who took the time to respond, much appreciated.

Colthebrummie · Dec 6, 2017

nickjaxe said:
Each set of shoes has 2 small bolts at the bottom holding a locking ring on...dont forget to take it off before trying to remove the shoes.

I don't remember any locking rings on my series 3 shoes when I replaced them.

Col

tottot · Dec 6, 2017

The locking ring should be fitted Col,although I forgot to fit one once and nothing happened.Found it on the garage floor some weeks later. Cheers John.

suburban · Dec 6, 2017

when I first looked at the brakes on mine the locking rings were absent so I got some and fitted them. it was stopping fine though

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