Wheel cylinder and torque plate construction

A wheel cylinder and torque plate combination for a drum brake assembly wherein the wheel cylinder includes an actuating piston, said combination including two torque plate parts each comprising a central planar portion affixed to the central planar portion of the other part and to a wheel axle housing or the like, one part having outwardly extending ears with each ear axially parted to provide a space for receiving a portion of an associated brake shoe web therebetween, each part having circumferentially spaced-apart notched portions each oppositely disposed and axially spaced-apart from a notched portion of the other torque plate part and for receiving a brake shoe web between the adjacent torque plate parts, the axially spaced-apart notched portions being shaped to provide curved recesses with each pair of recesses receiving therein a pin extending from an associated brake shoe, and a wheel cylinder housing portion comprising a surface disposed in a plane axially spaced-apart from the plane of the associated central planar portion, the wheel cylinder housing portions having a wheel cylinder with through passages disposed therebetween so that said actuating piston engages an associated brake shoe web extension disposed between said torque plate parts, and the spaced-apart housing portions having openings and interconnected by a pair of connectors extending through the openings of the portions and the through passages of the wheel cylinder in order to secure together and strengthen the housing portions and fixedly capture the wheel cylinder therebetween so that torque received from a pin and associated curved recesses is transmitted to said central planar portions of the torque plate.