Refitting drum

[NZ230]

Hi I’ve been working on 230SL rear drum brakes on a vehicle that’s been sitting. On right side struggling to refit drum despite turning adjuster screws. Handbrake cable seems loose at brake. Any ideas? Shoes seem to stay out even after wheel cylinder removed?

[rwmastel]

You can reply to the threads you've already started for your drum brakes.  It helps others if they know what work you've been doing.  I'll link them here as reference.

https://www.sl113.org/forums/index.php?topic=37784
https://www.sl113.org/forums/index.php?topic=37251

You say the shoes stay "out" even if the cylinder is removed.  Do you have the spring that pulls them in and keeps them against the cylinder (when installed)?  https://www.sl113.org/forums/index.php?topic=37840

[NZ230]

Thanks for your post. Yes the spring is there and intact. Parking brake cable appears to be loose and I have adjusted the two adjusting nuts so that the shoes are drawn in maximally. Not sure where to go from here… drum slides on but is tight. Must be seized in position somehow?

[Benz Dr.]

It might be in the parking brake linkage. Try removing the linkage and use a rat tailed file to elongate the track in arm so that it will allow the rest position to close close up more than it is now. I have had to use this method occasionally as my only way to stop the brakes from dragging. 

[NZ230]

Many thanks for your suggestion. I will try this. There doesn’t seem to be much info or pictures on the handbrake set up at the shoe side. I guess I just undo the mechanism and free it up a bit as you suggest .

Sorry for all the dumb questions!

[rwmastel]

Sorry for all the dumb questions!

Hey, the vast majority of us try fixing things for the first time with the support of fellow members.  That's the whole point of the Group.  Maybe you'll learn so much about drum brakes through enough questions, problems, and repairs that you could compile good information for the technical manual, which is weak on drum brakes.
https://www.sl113.org/wiki/Brake/Drum