Ok folks newbie to the forums here. Having a problem finding the rear shoes for my 2005 Dodge Dakota SLT 4x4 with the 4.7 Magnum V8 motor. Have been to *******ly every parts dealer here in the town I live in which is Las Cruces NM and several ones nearby to include Alamogordo,El Paso Tx, Santa Fe. Can find what everyone says is the direct replacement but even when looking at the parts pictures provided which shows the exact part I have when the shoes get here they do not have the proper mounting holes for the upper return spring which is by the way a single spring on top. Everyone wants the vin number which I supply and the manufacture date which I supply but no one can find the correct shoes for this truck. The dealer says they only make the new style and a conversion kit or retrofit kit to make it go from a single upper return spring to a two upper return spring setup. And they want the outrageous price of 280.00 bucks just for the shoes and the retrofit kit. OUCH>lol. any suggestions would be a big help. I did add an attachment pic of the actual ;shoe from the truck the problem hole is the one with the upper return spring in it when the shoes get here that hole is missing. Hench the problem. Im going bald trying to find the right shoe. Sorry if I posted in the wrong section but I am a newbie. Just tell me and I will repost in the correct area.

 

I had the same issue a couple years ago. Was able to find the rotors, pads, drums, and shoes that I needed from www.brakeperformance.com (it was recommended to me from another forum member). Prices were pretty good, shipping was quicker than expected, and the parts have lasted a few harsh winters up here in Ohio. Only issue I've ran into is that recently my driver side caliper seized while on the highway, by the time I got home the rotor was super hot, after cooling I think it may have warped slightly. It did come with a warranty and I just heard back from an email I sent them a few days ago, not sure how easily the process is going to go, but so far they are working with me.....not to mention that when I had originally ordered my stuff I got the regular brake pads instead of the premium ones...only took one phone call and they sent me the right ones, didn't even ask me to send the other ones back.

 

Oh and by the way, if you already have your drums off and really don't like the typical rust build up, now would probably be a good time to clean them up and paint them.

I was able to do mine just before winter and they've held up pretty good. Sprayed them down with some WD-40 Rust Remover Soak (comes in a gallon jug, just poured some in an empty clean spray bottle), let them sit for a couple hours, cleaned them up best I could with a brush on an angle grinder (and my dremel for the hard to reach places, then used some VHT caliper paint (you need a high temp paint, but if I was to do it over I'd use rustoelum or dupli-color that specifically has Ceramic added to it), did a couple base coats in silver, taped off a few places where I wanted it show through, and then after a few coats of black I did a few coats of clear. Came out pretty good...and even though you can't see the writing when I'm moving, at a stand still they match my caliper covers pretty well.

If you don't want to go through the trouble of painting but just want to get rid of the rust, you can try using Rustoleums Rust Inhibitor (designed for unpainted bare metal), now sure how well it holds up to high temps, but I used it on my new calipers to see how it does. It just sprays on (similar to regular WD-40) and you just wipe it down removing the excess.

BEFORE

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AFTER I cleaned them up

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Silver Base Coat

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Traced Dodge logo from Caliper Covers and transferred to Drums (took a lot of patience)

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Black Coats

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Final Product

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On the Truck

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I got the rear brake shoes for my 05 at local napa had them in stock which is good for living on an island .I think they were about $45.00

 

One thing I love about NAPA, everything is always in stockk and if not, they can get ity from the warehouse that afternoon

 

Brakes replaced all is well. It seems that all new brake shoes come with different springs and new mounting holes but no instructions on where to place the different length springs. Napa solved this by finding a printed picture of three different types of springs and shows the new style shoes and mounting holes. Three seperate ways to attach the springs just depending on how many spring you have to start with some models differ. Thanks for all the help.

 

If possible, please post those instructions. This is a common issue and it would be nice to have them for others.