Rear brake replacement - adjustments

[aknapper]

I'm 50% way through replacing both rear brakes - new backing plates, new pads, new cylinder, new brake pipe and new flexi.  Crown nut a pain to get off but solved with new impact wrench.  Here's the before and after pics.  The start of this journey was the rusted-away bleeder screw and leaking cylinder...

Question: the drum was hard to fit without really backing off the tensioner, so am I correct to assume that once I bleed the brakes I should be able to have a better sense of correct tension for pad spacing?
(and yes the crown nut now has a cotter pin - needed to put the tire on and remove jack to tighten it)
 

[Dazco]

Apply the brakes a few times this will centralize them , you should then be able to adjust them .

[aknapper]

I seem to have the following problems now with the rear brakes:

1.  I've had to back off the tensioner to get the drum to fit and now the park brake travels up to it's last setting

2. More problematic is that the drum is rubbing against the new brake backing plate

I'm wondering if anyone has put a 0.5mm or 1.0mm spacer/gasket on the hub to push the drum out a wee bit to stop it from rubbing?

[cubus]

Hi, had the same issue when replacing the backing plates, rubbing on the drum. One did scream and squeal, very embarassing driving around town. After a few miles you'll see where it rubs. Just a piece of wood, a hammer and some whacking did the trick. These newer plates (I had no original replacements) are not always the best fit.

Rolf

[aknapper]

Hey Rolf - that was exactly the problem.  Backer plates not quite round enough and drum rubbing on them.  I took the easy way out and got vwmechanicdave to sort out the issue, adjust the rear brakes and tighten up the slack in the hand brake.  He said he just had to wiggle/bend them to get them to stop rubbing.  I just didn't have time nor inclination to deal with the final adjustments, so I'm very pleased he sorted it all out.
Also very pleased that I renewed with stainless steel flexis and new caliper pipes - feels like a new van again!

[bigherb]

For a start you haven't centralised the shoes, the rear one is way higher than the front one. Half fit the drum and make sure the shoes have equal spacing top and bottom, then with the drum still half fitted adjust the brakes up on the adjusters making sure you still have equal spacing  until the shoes near touch the drum.