Self adjusters

[Xylaquin]

I'm about to attempt a brake overhaul. Can someone explain how the self adjusters work?

When I piece the brakes together on my table they stick out too far (apart from one of them) and even then, they seem clamped as strong as cement and don't allow the shoe to pivot!

[Gadge]

They are a really simple design and have been used on fiats for many years. Those big round discs on each shoe sit in an elongated hole cast into the shoe body. When you fit the shoe on the backplate pivots and then attach all the springs and handbrake mechanism you need to compress them inward. I do this by levering very lightly (you won't need much pressure) on each shoe with a screw driver pushing inward - towards the centre - and the shoes simply slide inwards giving you room to fit the drum. Once fitted a few pumps of the pedal and the shoes then get pressed outwards by the wheel cylinders until they grip the drum. The springs which attach each shoes together pull them back enough so the wheels turns freely. And that's it. Fully adjusted 

[Xylaquin]

I'm finding it impossible to move them, do you mean you have to push the springs down to move them? Even that seems impossible.

[Gadge]

No not down, inwards at a slight diagonal direction. They may be tight from being new. I doubt you'll be able to move them by hand you'll need a lever like a sturdy flat bladed screw driver. If you position the flat in between the lip of the backplate and the shoe and lever the shoe inwards it should move. Don't lever to hard or you'll damage the linings.

[1973/126]

 I usually leaver them, or tap them on the metal edges edges as you can easily damage the lining.
 Also make sure they are nice and tight when the drum goes on, otherwise you might struggle to get a decent pedal.