What is this?

[Brad Beam]

I found this in a box of tools I bought at an auction.

Thanks Brad

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

Brake pliers for drum brakes. Mainly for the springs.

 

[Brad Beam]

Brake pliers for drum brakes. Mainly for the springs.

Thanks

 

[ex-x-fire]

I sent a Youtuber one of these so he could show how to do drums correctly. About a year later he did a drum brake video and used pliers and a screwdriver to remove and install the springs. I was like WTF!

 

[theoldwizard1]

I sent a Youtuber one of these so he could show how to do drums correctly. About a year later he did a drum brake video and used pliers and a screwdriver to remove and install the springs. I was like WTF!

Along with the brake spring pliers and the tool to remove the hold down washers and springs a good set of needle nose Vise Grips is a must have !

 

[4xdog]

We had a pair of those growing up, and I used them with my dad when I was eight or ten. In fact, earlier this year I was looking for them when I cleaned out the last of his tools, because I could use ‘em on my Triumph TR3 — just the ticket. Couldn’t find them. I’m guessing my brother took them long ago, and then who knows.

 

[nadogail]

Brake Spring Pliers; i first used them on my 1946 Chevrolet.

 

[Vwpower]

I have vehicles with four wheel drum brakes but I never use those things.

 

[Fedwrench]

I think these might be an example of a tool that was once commonplace but, now not so much. kind of like the 4 mm ratcheting wrench used to adjust crown vic headlamps. I am surprised though and feel a bit like a dinosaur, that a pair of brake spring pliers was listed under a What is it? thread.

 

[redwrench60]

I think these might be an example of a tool that was once commonplace but, now not so much. kind of like the 4 mm ratcheting wrench used to adjust crown vic headlamps. I am surprised though and feel a bit like a dinosaur, that a pair of brake spring pliers was listed under a What is it? thread.

There’s still a lot of vehicles on the road that have drum brakes. It goes to show how much of a mystery drum brake service is to many. Even some auto techs and car guys aren’t well versed in them.

 

[DadsTools]

I think these might be an example of a tool that was once commonplace but, now not so much. kind of like the 4 mm ratcheting wrench used to adjust crown vic headlamps. I am surprised though and feel a bit like a dinosaur, that a pair of brake spring pliers was listed under a What is it? thread.

Haha, so true!. Time marches on, and things get left behind. I'm 68, drove used cars all my life, and have done a lot of DIY drum brake jobs. But when I first found a pair of these drum brake pliers at a yard sale about 5 years ago, I didn't know what they were either without researching. I never used them.

There's a local shop where I have occasionally taken my 1978 Suburban. A young mechanic there told me he hated to work on these old cars. There's no computer, so you can't just plug a reader in it to get codes to tell you what's wrong--you actually have to understand the basics and 'manually' figure out the problem (fuel, fire and air, oh my!). The parts are heavier and bulky too. How do you work on this carburator thing? Probably pass out if he was confronted with ignition points.

When I had my computer service shop, I'd occasionally have some fun with the young PC DIY building and repair guys by showing them this tool like a pair of compound tweezers with small hook-like jaws. None of them had a clue. It's a DIP (dual inline pin) chip puller. With the advent of flash firmware programmable chips, and BGA (ball grid array) chips where the chip is soldered directly to the board by 'baking' the motherboard, they haven't used DIP chips on PC motherboards in decades. Thank goodness. It's a good thing they don't know what it is.

Old farts like me are fond of reminiscing about how they don't make stuff the way they used to. Sometimes, that's a very good thing.

 

[ecotec]

for maybe the first time ever, none of the cars we own have drum brakes… I do not miss them. I really do not miss cars with front and back drum brakes… but that has been a long long time.

I still have a lot of tools for drum brakes… including brake pliers. Even when those brake pliers were close at hand, I sometimes just pulled the spring with another pair of pliers.

 

[seber]

Certainly not obsolete. Every trailer I ever worked on including my almost new boat trailer use drum brakes.

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

I have a pair and know how to use them. I find this 3 in on e style bulky and awkward.
I also have the individual tools with screwdriver type handles that I sometimes use but usually regular screwdriver and pliers get the job done.

 

[2oolhound]

After people realized the efficiency of disc brakes the government had to force manufacturers to continue making cars with drum brakes on the rear for years because there was such a huge stockpile of asbestos lined shoes for drum brakes. Had it not been for that abundant stockpile drum brakes would have gone out many years earlier.

 

[ex-x-fire]

After people realized the efficiency of disc brakes the government had to force manufacturers to continue making cars with drum brakes on the rear for years because there was such a huge stockpile of asbestos lined shoes for drum brakes. Had it not been for that abundant stockpile drum brakes would have gone out many years earlier.

The Candian government? I've never heard of anything like that.
I don't mind drum brakes on the rear, they are much more reliable then rear disc brakes up here in the rust belt.

 

[FuzzyTiger]

After people realized the efficiency of disc brakes the government had to force manufacturers to continue making cars with drum brakes on the rear for years because there was such a huge stockpile of asbestos lined shoes for drum brakes. Had it not been for that abundant stockpile drum brakes would have gone out many years earlier.

That makes no sense at all. Drum brakes are used because its very easy to design a cable operated parking/ebrake system for them. Same reason why they're used on trailers.

Disc brakes require a hydraulic system or in the case of parking/ebrakes they are usually a combination of electric and hydraulic. They're much more complicated with more failure points and also make brake jobs more annoying since they'll require a bidirectional scan tool or some other mechanism to deactivate the brakes.

 

[Milton Shaw]

I still have mine and use them occasionally on my pickup rear brakes. Also trailer brakes as others have mentioned. I like a Proto too that was one piece with a socket on one end that could be used to twist the brake springs off the top anchor and then a long tapered section that could stretch and install the top springs. I broke the hook end and Proto doesn't make them anymore. The advantage to those as that the springs between shoes could be stretched and hooked in the shoes where the sliding part does not work on vehicles that don't use a top anchor pin

 

[4xdog]

After people realized the efficiency of disc brakes the government had to force manufacturers to continue making cars with drum brakes on the rear for years because there was such a huge stockpile of asbestos lined shoes for drum brakes. Had it not been for that abundant stockpile drum brakes would have gone out many years earlier.

Any reference you can share confirming that? What government? What market? Sounds like BS, frankly.

Toyota has used drum brakes on the rear of our Tacomas forever. Despite us owners wishing for four-wheel discs, I gotta admit the drums are fabulously reliable and long-wearing. They work.

 

[619DioFan]

Both of my vehicles have rear drum brakes ( 95 ram and 95 4runner ) have never owned anything with rear disc but have owned more than a few with front and rear drums. have a decent set of tools for drum brakes and they get used including the afore mentioned brake pliers.

 

[Ricky Joe]

After people realized the efficiency of disc brakes the government had to force manufacturers to continue making cars with drum brakes on the rear for years because there was such a huge stockpile of asbestos lined shoes for drum brakes. Had it not been for that abundant stockpile drum brakes would have gone out many years earlier.

Just like they forced the horse and buggy on the public for years after the automobile was invented. Government protecting private enterprise!

 

[Ricky Joe]

Drum brakes are used because they are better. They have more friction material and contact area, and use the rotation of the drum to reinforce stopping power. Discs are cheaper to make, and do provide good stopping on light vehicles, and are more trouble free. Not all parking brakes use the rear drums. Some use the driveshaft.

 

[redwrench60]

Didn’t have the proper drum brake tools when I first learned to do them. Used screwdrivers and pliers ect. and it was a pain in the ***. I remember my mind being blown the first time I saw combination drum brake pliers being used. I picked up a pair immediately.

Lotta people seem scared of them or don’t like them. Most of the time it’s due to lack of proper tools and technique. I don’t mind drum brakes, I’ve made a lot of grocery money on them over the years.

 

[demarpaint]

I still use them for rear brakes on my 88 E-150, brake spring pliers.

These are good to have too for drum brakes.



A brake spoon is good to have to adjust them.

 

[Blueshound_GJ]

This thread is giving me flashbacks of pinched fingers lol. I still have a pair of those pliers (also Mac Tools) but always found it easier to just use vise-grips for the springs.

 

[ChevyEFI]

Are the front brakes amazing? Then rear drums are fine in many apps.

There's a certain point where tools or parts are discontinued, and being able to service something gets to be more overhead than it's worth. When I bought new brake pliers that were too flexible, and the river ripped out, and far fewer show options were available vs. pads, I felt that way about drum brakes. On my old car, when the aluminum drums and kevlar shoes wear out, I will go disc.

 

[luvtheheat]

I still use them for rear brakes on my 88 E-150, brake spring pliers.

These are good to have too for drum brakes.



A brake spoon is good to have to adjust them.

I can't tell you how many drum brake jobs I did without this tool.

What a PITA!

 

[Desertskyy]

Not a lot to add to all of this except to say that with the correct drum brake tools the job can be reasonable. I still have a couple of vehicles that have rear drum brakes so I currently R&R my own brakes. Using the tools correctly and in sequence, the job is not that bad. Having a lift and the axle at low/mid stomach height makes the job easier from what I recall.

 

[dscheidt]

Drum brakes are used because they are better. They have more friction material and contact area, and use the rotation of the drum to reinforce stopping power. Discs are cheaper to make, and do provide good stopping on light vehicles, and are more trouble free. Not all parking brakes use the rear drums. Some use the driveshaft.

Disk brakes are making serious inroads in heavy duty trucks. Something approaching 30% of new tractors have air disks, and a bit less than 20% of trailers do. They have better stopping performance, require less maintenance, and increase fleet safety. They do cost more, and still weigh more (I think, weights have come down a lot).

 

[demarpaint]

I can't tell you how many drum brake jobs I did without this tool.

What a PITA!

+1 I did my fair share of them too w/o the tool, the tool is a big help! Well worth having if you still have something with drum brakes.

 

[Ricky Joe]

Disk brakes are making serious inroads in heavy duty trucks. Something approaching 30% of new tractors have air disks, and a bit less than 20% of trailers do. They have better stopping performance, require less maintenance, and increase fleet safety. They do cost more, and still weigh more (I think, weights have come down a lot).

Stopping is a function of pad area and surface area. Drum brakes are better at both. Drums don’t warp like discs do. Discs look cleaner, have less moving parts, simplify design. I would rather have drums.

 

[4xdog]

Stopping is a function of pad area and surface area. Drum brakes are better at both. Drums don’t warp like discs do. Discs look cleaner, have less moving parts, simplify design. I would rather have drums.

Front discs, at least, for me. My 1966 Galaxie 500XL convertible was scary with its four-wheel drums. Talk about brake fade! Yikes.

My 1962 Triumph TR3B, the last of the TR3 series, has the front discs Triumph were the first to bring to fit discs as standard equipment to a production car in 1956. That TR has incredible brakes -- as good as anything I'm driving today.

The difference in brake fade is not to be ignored between the two types.

 

[dscheidt]

Stopping is a function of pad area and surface area. Drum brakes are better at both. Drums don’t warp like discs do. Discs look cleaner, have less moving parts, simplify design. I would rather have drums.

Stopping is about turning kinetic energy into heat, and then removing that heat from the brake components. Disk brakes are vastly superior for that, because it's easier to get air flow at the parts generating the heat.

That's just one of the reasons no one has built a high-performance drum brake system in fifty years. Others include sucking in wet weather, self-servoing making them difficult to properly modulate, requiring more maintenance on a more frequent schedule. Drums are cheap, and easy to make cable operated, which is why they hung on as rear brakes for as long as they have.

 

[no704]

Did a front disk conversion on my 1959 dodge Sierra wagon. Best thing ever for that car. Some times the right front drum would lock up. Had to reverse to get it to release.

 

[oldmachinenut]

I use a pair of these, Proto 216. They do all the springs including the large and small hold-downs. They may be out of production now, I bought them years ago. When I worked flat-rate it was handy only having to grab one tool.

 

[2oolhound]

The Candian government? I've never heard of anything like that.
I don't mind drum brakes on the rear, they are much more reliable then rear disc brakes up here in the rust belt.

That makes no sense at all. Drum brakes are used because its very easy to design a cable operated parking/ebrake system for them. Same reason why they're used on trailers.

Disc brakes require a hydraulic system or in the case of parking/ebrakes they are usually a combination of electric and hydraulic. They're much more complicated with more failure points and also make brake jobs more annoying since they'll require a bidirectional scan tool or some other mechanism to deactivate the brakes.

Any reference you can share confirming that? What government? What market? Sounds like BS, frankly.

Toyota has used drum brakes on the rear of our Tacomas forever. Despite us owners wishing for four-wheel discs, I gotta admit the drums are fabulously reliable and long-wearing. They work.

Sorry guys, this is stuff I'd heard about back in the 70's by someone older and wiser than me. I've tried a google search and have run out of time to find anything specific. It doesn't help that this was pre internet.

I did find this link to a study on asbestos brake parts though which goes world wide and has several references to studies from that time period. I didn't find anything on the stock piles of brake shoes that had existed prior to the government's concerns about asbestos content and the cancer causing effects that triggered the gov's responses.

ASBESTOS BRAKE COMPONENTS

How many of you remember standing around after you had your drums turned while the mechanic ground down the new shoes to fit the new contour or radius of your newly turned drums?

 

[Debcrow]

What many do not realize is that Asbestos IS NOT illegal for use in brake components, friction applications (like clutches), gasket materials. etc. A lot of the 'cheap' components that are imported (mostly China, India, etc.) have a high asbestos content.
Just this year (2022) EPA is finally addressing this with a ruling that has not passed yet.

In the past, only certain items were banned from having Asbestos. Non-Friable Asbestos is still in use in many applications.
Asbestos was one of those great advances that originally saved a lot of Lifes because of its 'Fireproof' nature. There are many cases of life lost, for example in places like theaters where the stage curtains would catch fire from the Gas Lights used for illumination. Asbestos curtains prevented things like this happening. Once we got out of the Gas Lighting era, fires everywhere reduced a lot. However, fireproofing was still a big life saver.

We tend to panic when we see words like Asbestos and PCB. I have had to oversee removal of asbestos and dispose of it from old electrical systems. How do you dispose of this very dangerous substance? By federal regulations, we went to the dump, dug a hole and threw it away, making sure it was covered.

 

[engineer2]

The hazard with asbestos happens when you breath in asbestos dust and it lodges in your lungs. You body reacts by building a nodule around it. Years later (typically 40-ish years) it turns cancerous.

I don't know how many brake jobs I did as a kid on old cars that has asbestos brake linings.