Wow! I guess I've done it all wrong the last 30 years! I always put the shorter shoes in the front. Apparently not correct, according to the Pontiac service manual.....Is that correct????
I can do them blindfolded, the reason the picture pops lamf. The park brake lever is on the front of the assembly, so it's an illustration of the left side.
I can strip the shoes in about 30 seconds. I have played around with reversing the process, but it's too much dinking with preloading the springs.
I'll try to describe.
`Close the star adjuster, and pull the nails.
`Pry open the bottom of the shoes, remove star adjuster, release the tension, and the bottom spring falls out.
`Grab the bottom of the shoes, pry open/up/out at the same time, and the shoes fall off, about a 30 second process.
Again, I have played with reverse process for install. If an assistant were around to keep the springs sitting in preload, it might be possible to reverse the process in the same amount of time.
For all the dinking with a one-man install, it's faster if I nail the shoes, and wallow the springs on. At least for me: leave the adjuster out, install the bottom spring, wallow open the bottoms, and stuff the adjuster.