I think every Newby on the list - and maybe some Oldies  as well -
should be told ----

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO REMOVE THE REAR AXLE NUT TO CHANGE THE REAR BRAKES!!

That said, here is the reason.

On the face of the brake drum there is a 14 mm bolt that holds the drum
to the stub axle flange to prevent the drum from coming loose when
changing a tire. Simply remove that bolt, then the drum will simply
slide right off over the studs. In reality, it may not be quite that
easy, as some rusting will have occurred and it may take a lot of hammer
tapping to get the drum to release it's tight grip on the studs,  but it
will come off. If you hire the job done, be sure you tell the mechanic
about that silly little bolt. Those not familiar with the Vanagon miss
it more often than not, and sit there and hammer and bang on the drum,
getting nowhere.

You WILL need to remove the axle nut if you need to replace or grease
the rear wheel bearings. If that is necessary, before re-assembly - you
might want to consider having a Zerk fitting installed near that inner
bearing so as to avoid the necessity of ever having to remove the axle
nut again for greasing purposes.

If you have neared the life of your engine - somewhere in the vacinity
of 150,000 to 200,000 miles, somewhere in between when a brake job is
done, have those rear bearings greased or replaced. Be proactive on your
vehicle maintenance, and it will give you good service with few
failures.leaving you stranded Somewhere out from Nowhere in the middle
of a dark and stormy night.

Regards,

John Rodgers
88 GL Driver

rogersisler2000 (via Flickr) wrote:
> Hi,
>
> Lots of people are getting ready to replace those rear
> brake shoes,this spring.This is about all the Vanagon
> specific information needed(for those who dont have a
> Bentley).
> Just follow this link to my photos:
>
> http://www.flickr.com/gp/90778605@N00/iX5f20
>
> If the link doesn't work, try copying and pasting it from
> this email into your browser's address bar.
>
> See you on Flickr!
>
> rogersisler2000
>
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