I have a brake problem and I am in hope that some one out there might be able to give me some direction. I was in the process of adjusting the brakes when I notice that there seem to be excessive fore and aft movement in the cross shaft when the brake pedal is actuated. The cross shaft is supported at both ends by a bracket with a rubber type bushing and this bushing appears to be worn enough that when you step on the brake the cross shaft moves laterally enough so that there is metal to metal contact between the shaft and the bracket.
Now this is where my problem comes in, in attempting to disassemble this mechanism I have found that the crank arms (that operate the push pull rods to the front and rear brakes) can not be removed in order to get the shaft out of the bushings. It appears that both ends of the cross shaft have been peened over in order to hold the crank arms on the shaft. Was this the normal method that the factory used to hold the crank arms on the shaft?
It appears that my only recourse here is to grind off the material that has been peened over in order to remove the crank arms from the cross shaft. Hopefully there will be enough material in the end of the shaft that I can have the ends drilled and tapped in order to use a cap screw and retention washer to hold the crank arms on when I put it back together. Would this be a viable solution for this problem?
One other question, must the rear brake drum and axle be pulled in order to service the brake shoes? If so how is the axle assembly retained in the housing?
Thanks
John in KC
