Are the rear Brake drums supposed to be extremely hard to get on?

I changed the rear shoes, hubs, springs and all the little stuff on my wife's 1990 Nissan Stanza, I got the driver side drum on, but now cant get the passenger side on.....how the heck do i get it back on and is it supposed to take a hammer to knock it back on?Are the rear Brake drums supposed to be extremely hard to get on?
Is the brake adjuster spun all the way back in at the very bottom of the replacement shoes? There should be no free space between the tooth adjuster wheel and the body of the adjuster that slips over the base of the shoes .



Try switching brake shoes side to side.Are the rear Brake drums supposed to be extremely hard to get on?
Several possibilities.

First of all, did you totally release the adjustor?

Some cars have a star wheel on a threaded shaft; other have wedges, etc.

Second is that could the parking brake be hanging up?

That should be totally loose.

Third is that the wheel cylinder could be sticking?

Make sure the piston turns easily and is not binding from rust.

Also make sure you did not turn the piston slot upside down, as they often are not flat, but slanted.

Also make sure the shoes are centered.

They can move up and down considerably.

You can have the ridge machined off the drum, but you should not have to.

It should fit because replacements should be no larger than the originals.
Noooo hammer! ... When you brake, the shoes wear down. But the drums wear down as well over time.



If these are the original drums there will be a ridge inside the drum on the leading edge. This is what stops the drum going back on.

The best way to remove this is in a lathe but failing that you can carefully use a grindstone in your drill

to remove most of it and the drum will just push on.



One point There is a maximum diameter for the drum which should not be exceeded. Usually if you wire brush them you will find the size stamped on it somewhere. Check this also as you may need new drums. Here in UK replacement drums are about 拢25 a pair roughly $40

Also check your handbrake adjuster.
no no no hammers,usually the self adjusters are all the way out by the time you put on new shoes, you need to set them back, and them adjust them out to specifications which should be in the repair manual.

drum brakes must be adjusted correctly, or else in a panic stop situation the car can lock one or more wheels and or pull to one side or the other, if you did not get a repair manual yet, go get one. it would have all the Information you need in it
did you run the adjuster all the way in? also there is a ridge on the inside edge of the drum sometimes will make it hard to get on. take the drums and have them turned down to get the edge off. don,t hammer them on or they will get stuck and the wheel won,t turn. do like i said and they will fit. try adjusting the adjuster in all the way.
No! There should be an adjusting screw spindle. I looks like a cowboys spur on the end of a tube. Pull the hold down tang away from the star wheel and turn the star wheel to bring the shoes closer together. Once it's on you make your preliminary adjust through the hole in the back(maybe the front) using a flat screwdriver or a brake spoon.

Good luck.
did you install them properly. the drum should slide right over. is the parking brake on. remember,brakes,when engaged, press out onto the inside of the drum. your parking brake ';tighten's'; the rear system.
adjust it in some bump shoes with hand

should be little tight but not that you have to hit it



turn adjuster make it shorter