I felt like I had just about worn out my parking brake shoes and adjusting the nut under the center console was going to be enough to tighten the lines. So, I went to Cherry Hill Nissan and got some replacement emergency parking brake shoes from Brian for a great price.

Pre-Step - Required Tools

• Floor Jack
• Jack Stands
• Tire Iron or Rachet w/ Extension
• 21mm socket
• Rubber Mallet
• Metal Hammer
• Flathead Scewdriver
• Needle Nose Pliers

Step 1 - Remove the Rear Wheels

Jack up the rear of your truck with a floor jack under the pumpkin (rear diff). You may want to chock your front wheel to prevent your truck from rolling forward. Now, support the rear of the truck by placing jack stand under the rear of the frame and lower the floor jack so the trucks rest on the jack stands. Now, remove your rear tires and put them aside.

With stock rotors.


With Stillen rotors.



Step 2 - Remove Rear Rotors

Now, remove the rear rotors. They may be somewhat stuck or wedged in place. Use a soft hammer or rubber mallet and hit the rotor in the center with some force to loosen it up.

This is what you should see.


Step 3 - Remove Old Parking Brake Shoes

You will have to remove the front and rear return springs on each side holding the shoes down. I suggest using a pair of needle nose pliers to remove the springs. The pliers help you stretch the springs easier.






You will also have to remove the shoe hold-down pins from the top and bottom.



The adjuster and toggle lever will also be loose at this point and most likely fall to the ground. Keep all these pieces organized as we will need to re-install them


Now the shoes are loose and you can see how worn down they are.






Parts Identification

Adjuster (2 Pieces)


Toggle Lever


Adjuster and Return Spring


Return Spring


Shoe Hold Down Spring


Step 4 - Install New Shoes

Very simply. You should just install the new pads and all the pieces in reverse order. Start the the new pads and Shoe Hold Down Springs. Then install the Return Springs. Then return the adjuster and toggle back to their respective sides.

Step 5 - Adjust the 'Adjuster' to Desired Length



Simply put, the longer the adjuster the farther apart the shoes get and the tighter the drum brake will be. Use trial and error to find your desired length. Just rotate the adjuster clockwise or counter clockwise to lengthen or shorten it.





Step 6 - Replace Rotors and Tires

You should be good to go once you put the rotors back on and get the wheels back on. Replacing the shoes solved my problem and now my parking brake feels like new!


I'll update this if I remember any more steps or find more useful photos.


*Disclaimer*

If you have previously adjusted the nut on the parking brake lever under your center console you will have to loosen it to its original position after installation of the new shoes. If you don't adjust it, the brake cable line could be too tight and cause unwanted friction on the rear rotors, which could cause smoking on the pads while driving and a dangerous situation.