Warning: The dust created by the brake system may contain asbestos, which is harmful to your health.
Never use compressed air to blow it out with and don’t inhale any of it.
Wear an OSHA-approved filtering mask when working on the brakes.
Don’t, under any circumstances, use petroleum-based solvents to clean brake parts.
Use brake cleaner or denatured alcohol only.
Always replace drum brake shoes in pairs, front or rear never replace the shoes on only one wheel.
Work on one brake assembly at a time so you don’t mix up parts.

Caution: Whenever the brake shoes are replaced, the retractor and hold-down springs should also be replaced.
They lose their tension over a period of time and may allow the shoes to drag on the drum and wear at a faster rate than normal,
due to continuous heating/cooling cycle that the springs are subjected to.
When replacing the brake shoes, use only high quality, nationally recognized brand-name parts.

Replacement
Raise the front or rear of the vehicle and place it securely on jack-stands after loosing the wheel lug bolts.
Block the wheel on the ground. Apply the parking brake to keep the vehicle from rolling, if you’re removing the front wheels.
Now take off the wheels.

Remove the clip which secures the speedometer cable to the left dust cap, on the left front wheel.
Pry off the dust cap that protects the wheel bearing on all wheels.

Look over for cracks, score marks, deep scratches and hard spots, which will appear as small discolored areas, before reinstalling the drum.
Remove hard spots with fine emery cloth. Have the drum turned by an automotive machine shop, if that doesn’t do it or if any of the other conditions described above are evident.
Note: Professionals recommend resurfacing the drums every time you do a brake job. Resurfacing eliminates the possibility of out-of-round drums.
If the drums are worn so much that they can’t be resurfaced without exceeding the maximum allowable diameter stamped or cast into the drum, replace them. Remove the glazing from the surface with emery cloth or sandpaper, using a swirling motion, if you decide to skip resurfacing.

Now put the brake drum in. Install the bearing, the thrust washer and the axle nut and adjust the bearing, on front wheels.

Mount the wheel, hand tighten the lug bolts and lower the vehicle. Tighten the wheel lug bolts to the torque.
Tighten the axle nut to the torque on rear wheels.

Adjustment
Raise the vehicle and support it securely on jackstands. If you’re adjusting the rear brakes, release the parking brake.

Using firm pressure, depress the brake pedal several time, to center the brake shoes in the drum. Rotate the wheel until the hole in the brake drum is aligned with one of the star wheel adjusters, on 1969 and earlier models. Remove the rubber plugs from the brake backing plate on 1970 and later models.

Turn the star wheel of the adjuster, while rotating the wheel, using a brake adjusting tool or a screwdriver, until the brake shoe slightly drags on the drum. Note: It may be necessary to press on the brake pedal to center the shoes once or twice during the adjustment procedure, if the brakes are way out of adjustment. Now, turn the star wheel in the opposite direction three or four clicks so the wheel can turn freely.

Repeat the previous step on the star wheel of the other brake shoe, then perform the adjustment procedure to the rest of the wheels.

You want to check brake operation before driving the vehicle in traffic.

Wheel cylinder - removal, overhaul and installation
Note: If an overhaul is indicated usually because of fluid leakage or sticky operation explore all options before beginning the job.
New wheel cylinder will make this job quite easy. If you decided to rebuild the wheel cylinder, make sure that a rebuild kit is available before continuing. Always rebuild or replace them in pairs front or rear.

Removal
Loosen the lug wheel nuts. Raise the front, or rear, of the vehicle and support it on jackstands.
Make sure to block the wheels still on the ground to keep the vehicle form rolling. Now remove the wheels.

Take off the brake drum and the brake shoes.

Get rid of all dirt and foreign material from around the wheel cylinder.

Unscrew the brake line fitting. Don’t pull the brake line away from the wheel cylinder.

Remove the wheel cylinder mounting bolts.

Unhook the wheel cylinder from the brake backing plate and place it on a clean workbench.
Unplug the brake line to prevent fluid loss and contamination, RIGHT AWAY!
Note: If the brake shoe linings are contaminated with brake fluid, install new brake shoes.

Overhaul
Take off the bleeder valve, cups, pistons, boots and spring assembly from the wheel cylinder body.

Using brake fluid, clean the wheel cylinder, denatured alcohol or brake system cleaner.
Warning: Do not, under any circumstances, use petroleum-based solvents to clean brake parts!

Using compressed air, remove excess fluid from the wheel cylinder and to blow out the passages.

Look over the cylinder bore for corrosion and score marks.
You can use crocus cloth to remove light corrosion and stains, but the cylinder must be replaced with a new one if the defects can’t be taken off easily, or if the bore is scored.

Lubricate the new cups with brake fluid.

Assemble the wheel cylinder components and make sure the cup lips face in.

Installation
Install the bolts loosely, after placing the wheel cylinder in position.

Connect the brake line, but don’t tighten it yet. Tighten the wheel cylinder bolts securely, then tighten the brake line fitting.
Now put in the brake shoes and the brake drum.

Now bleed the brakes.

Check brake operation before you drive the vehicle into traffic.

Suspension and steering check.
With the vehicle stopped and the front wheels pointed straight ahead, rock the steering wheel gently back-and-forth. If there is too much freeplay, a front wheel bearing, king and/or link pins, ball joint or steering system joint is worn or the steering gear is out of adjustment or worn.

Too much vehicle body movement over rough roads, swaying, leaning around corners and binding as the steering wheel is turned, might indicate faulty steering and/or suspension components.

Look over the shock absorbers by pushing down and releasing the vehicle several times at each corner. If the vehicle doesn’t come back to a level position within one or two bounces, the shocks/struts are worn and will have to be replaced. When you bounce the vehicle up or down, listen for squeaks and noises from the suspension components.

Measure the front and rear chassis clearance (the height of the vehicle above the ground) by measuring the distance from the ground to the bottom of the floor pan at the same point on each side. Also look at whether the vehicle looks canted to one side or corner. If the clearance isn’t equal, try to level the vehicle by rocking it. If this doesn’t work, look for out of adjustment torsion bars or worn or loose suspension parts.

Under the vehicle
Raise the vehicle with a floor jack and put it securely on jackstands.

Look at the tires and see if there is any irregular wear patterns and proper inflation. If the wheel bearings are rough or noisy, you’ll need to replace.

Look over the universal joints between the steering shaft and the steering gear. Look the steering gear housing for lubricant leakage or oozing. Make sure the dust seals and boots aren’t damaged and that the boot clamps aren’t loose. Check the steering linkage for looseness or damage. Check the tie-rod ends for too much play. Look for loose bolts, broken or disconnected parts and rubber bushings that are deteriorated on all suspension and steering components. Have someone help you turn the steering wheel from side to side and check the steering components for free movement, chafing and binding. If the steering components aren’t reacting with the movement of the steering wheel, try to determine where the slack is.

Look at the ball joints 1966 and later models for wear. Raise the front of the vehicle and support it securely on jackstands. Make sure the front wheels are in a straightforward position and block the wheels with chocks. Take off the front wheels and tires. Place a floor jack under the lower torsion arms, one side at a time. Grab the brake and backing plate assembly a the top and bottom and rock the spindle up and down to make sure that it has no play. If any of the parts do, replace them.

Look over the ball joint boots for damage and leaking grease. Replace the boots with new ones if they are damaged

Wheel bearing check, repack and adjustment
Your front wheel bearings should be serviced every 30,000 miles and/or when the brake linings are changed. The bearings should also be checked whenever the front of the vehicle is raised up for any reason.

Lift up the vehicle and support it on jackstands. Spin each wheel and listen for noise, rolling resistance and freeplay. The wheels should turn freely without binding.

Hold the top of each tire with one hand and the bottom with the other. Move the wheel in and out of the spindle. If there’s any noticeable movement, the bearings should be checked and then repacked with grease or replaced if it’s necessary.

Take off the wheel.

On vehicles that have disc brakes, make a wood block that can be slid between the brake pads to keep them separated. Take off the brake caliper and hang it out of the way on a piece of wire.

Remove the clip from the end of the speedometer cable on the driver’s side. On both sides, pry the dust cap off the hub.

Pull the hub assembly out slightly, then push it back into its original position. This will force the outer bearing off the spindle enough so it can be removed.

Take the hub assembly off the spindle.

Pry the seal out of the rear of the hub with a screwdriver. When this is done, look at how the seal is installed.

Take out the inner wheel bearing from the hub.

Remove all traces of the old grease from the bearings, hub and spindle with solvent. A small brush can be used, just make sure no bristles from the brush keep themselves inside the bearing rollers. Let the parts air dry.

Carefully look over the bearings for cracks, heat discoloration, worn rollers, etc. Check the bearing races inside the hub for wear and damage. If the bearing races are defective, the hubs should be taken to a machine shop with the facilities to remove the old races and press new ones in. Remember that the bearings and races come as matched sets and old bearings should never be installed on new races.

Pack the bearings with high-temperature front wheel bearing grease. Work the grease completely into the rollers, forcing it between the rollers, cone and cage from the backside.

Put a thin coat of grease on the spindle at the outer bearing seat, inner bearing seat, shoulder and seal seat.

Put a little grease inboard of each bearing race inside the hub. Form a dam at these points to provide extra grease availability and to keep thinned grease from flowing out of the bearing, using your finger.

Put a little more grease outboard of the bearing after placing the grease-packed inner bearing into the rear of the hub.

Place a new seal over the inner bearing and tap the seal evenly into place with a hammer and block of wood until it’s flush with the hub.

Push the grease-packed outer bearing into position and carefully place the hub assembly onto the spindle.

Install the spindle nut and washer. Tighten the nut until there is no more freeplay.

Spin the hub in a forward direction to seat the bearings and take off any grease or burrs which could cause too much bearing play later.

Make sure the tightness of the spindle nut is still the same.

With your hand, tighten the nut until all looseness and freeplay is gone. Tighten the nut with a wrench approximately an additional ¼ turn to create a little preload, then back it off about 1/8 turn. The normal amount of endplay is 0.001 to 0.003 inch.

On early models, install the outer nut and the locking tab. Tighten the outer nut against the inner nut and bend the lock tab.
You’ll probably need to hold the inner nut with a wrench to prevent it from turning. On later models, tighten the spindle nut lock bolt with an Allen wrench.

Tap the dust cap with a hammer after installing it.

Reach behind the spindle and push the speedometer cable through the dust cap on the driver’s side. Put the clip back in to hold it in place.

Place the brake caliper near the rotor and carefully remove the wood spacer on disc brake models. Install the caliper.

Install the wheel on the hub and tighten the lug bolts on all models.

Grasp the top and bottom of the tire and check the bearings.

Lower the vehicle.

Rear wheel bearings

Note: This procedure only applies to 1972 and earlier models with CV joint type rear axles.
Every 30,000 miles, the rear wheel bearings should be removed, cleaned and repacked with new multi-purpose grease.
Since you’ll need special tools and procedures for servicing the rear wheel bearings,
you might want to take the vehicle to a dealer service department or other repair shop.