Arrangement and method of drum brake spring attachment

In a drum brake assembly having a pair of brake shoe assemblies with adjacent ends thereof separated by adjustable spacing means, and tension spring means attached to said shoe assemblies and acting substantially parallel to said adjustable spacing means to hold said shoe assembly ends and said adjustable spacing means in operating relation, the improvement in which:

• each of said shoe assemblies has a web section with a spring-receiving aperture therethrough adjacent said shoe assembly ends;
• said spring means is a coil tension spring having an axially extending coiled body section and transversely extending opposite end sections formed to provide V-shaped end hooks extending generally perpendicularly with respect to the axis of said coiled body section and transversely beyond said coiled body section in the same direction relative to each other when said spring is in the free condition, the spring having terminal ends at the extreme ends of said V-shaped end hooks located transversely beyond said coiled body sections, said terminal ends being shorter than the portions of the V-shaped end hooks joining said coiled body section, the width of said V-shaped ends hooks at said spring terminal ends being greater than the width of said apertures and the apexes thereof being of substantially less width than the width of said apertures, said V-shaped end hooks being flexible to permit insertion thereof through said apertures with said coiled body section being in tension and when said terminal ends pass through and beyond said apertures, said terminal ends springing back toward their free positions to hook on said webs on the opposite sides thereof from said spring coiled body section and retaining said spring means on said shoe assembly webs with the tension in said coiled body section holding said shoe assembly in operating relation with said adjustable spacing means.