OK, I'm going to attempt to adjust the shoes (tomorrow or Monday). If I'm reading the shop manual correctly, I should do the following procedure:
1. Remove wheel and use the lug nuts to secure the drum to the hub.
2. Loosen the anchor pin nut (I assume this is from behind the backing plate) enough so that it (the pin) can be moved slightly.
3. Adjust the brake shoes until a heavy drag is felt on the drum.
4. Tap on the pin and backing plate and determine if drag changes. If it does tighten the adjuster some more and repeat until no change in drag occurs.
5. Tighten anchor nut to 60-80 ft lbs.
6. Back off 14 notches on adjuster and check for freedom from drag. If drag is felt repeat entire process.
I included the text just to be sure this is what I'm supposed to do for adjusting the shoes. Since I have a 1953, I have to go to the supplement in the back of the shop manual and sometimes I get confused. Is this the correct procedure for adjusting the shoes?
As a side note, how difficult is it to get the nut on the anchor pin loose? I didn't touch it when I was replacing the shoes/springs. It seems pretty stout to me and I'm a bit concerned about being about to break it loose... I have no idea if it has ever been touched since it was at the factory.
