Abstract: An actuating lever for a parking and emergency brake mechanism for use in a vehicle drum brake assembly includes a backing plate mounted on the vehicle for supporting a pair of brake shoes. A service brake mechanism is provided for selectively moving the brake shoes apart from one another into frictional engagement with an inner friction surface of a brake drum mounted on a wheel of the vehicle. The brake shoes include respective web portions which are generally flat and crescent-shaped. Arcuate table portions are secured to the opposed outer curved surfaces of the web portions, such as by welding, and friction pads are secured to the outer arcuate surfaces of the table portions of the brake pads. An aperture is formed through the upper end of the web portion of one of the brake shoes. The actuating lever for the parking and emergency brake mechanism is pivotally supported on the one brake shoe.

Abstract: A method of installing a vehicle spindle and brake assembly on a vehicle component. First, the spindle and brake assembly are "preassembled" into a complete brake unit. The preassembled spindle and brake assembly includes a spindle, a rotatable component, a bearing member for supporting the rotatable component relative to the spindle, and a brake mounting plate secured to the spindle and adapted to support brake friction pads. The preassembled spindle and brake assembly further includes a plurality of inwardly extending vehicle mounting lugs carried by the spindle, and a plurality of outwardly extending wheel mounting lugs carried by the rotatable component. Next, the preassembled spindle and brake assembly is positioned on a vehicle component such that the vehicle mounting lugs extend through a plurality of corresponding lug receiving apertures formed in the vehicle component. The preassembled spindle and brake assembly can then be secured relative to the vehicle component.

Abstract: A generally hat-shaped disc for a disc brake system is provided with an inner cylindrical surface serving as the drum of a drum in hat parking brake. A unitary backing plate supports the parking brake assembly and provides integral mounting parts for the fist type sliding caliper of the disc brake assembly.

Abstract: An automatic adjusting mechanism for a drum brake is disclosed. A spring-loaded adjusting lever is pivotally mounted on the web of one of the brake shoes such that the pivotal movement of the adjusting lever is limited to a predetermined amount of rotation. The adjusting lever is preferably of a stamped construction and includes discreet axially-protruding pads for low-friction engagement with the web of the brake shoe upon which it is mounted.