2006 Suzuki Grand Vitara brake issues

[user 64972]

My younger brother has a 2006 Suzuki Grand Vitara 4X4 that he drives to work. It needs front pads and rotors and he wants to replace the drums and shoes on the rear at the same time. We started on it last night and once it was on the lift, we tried to remove the rear drums with no luck. He used two 14mm bolts and ran them into the holes in the drums and hit it with a dead blow hammer with no luck. He also sprayed PB Blaster on the center of the drum. It will move out ward almost to the end of the wheel studs but is hung up on the brake shoes. Evidentially there is a ridge that they're hanging on and its pulling the shoes and hardware away from the backing plate. Unlike the old rear drums I'm used to working on, there is no removable rubber plug to use a brake tool on the star thingy to run the shoes inward, We thought maybe there is a problem with the parking brake and loosening it up might move the shoes back a bit but we can't get to the adjustment which is in the interior, under the rear of the console (per the factory service manual he has)! Has anyone here had experience with this type of vehicle rear brakes? If so, any help would be appreciated that will get us moving on this one.
OLE442

 

[Todd Z]

only thing you can try to do is release the cable under the truck to take the tension off but if the adjuster is holding it, that will not work..
A pry bar in there to push the shoe off the drum may help...... Sadly most of the time it takes a person pulling on the drum and some one smacking it with a hammer to get them off..

 

[EddieS'04]

If you can get to any part of exposed cable. I have used vise grips and pulled the cable towards the drum. It will either release the shoes. Or if the connection is external unhook the cable at the lever on the backing plate.

 

[EddieS'04]

If you get it done. Be shure to replace all the auto adjuster hardware.

 

[user 64972]

We gave up and took it to a shop! They unbolted the wheel cylinders. cut the back on the pins that hold the springs on and pulled it all out. Replace the hardware when he re-installed the shoes and drums. One of the bolts broke off on the front caliper mounts so he drilled that out, removed the rest, cleaned the threads and put 4 new bolts in when he replaced the rotors and pads. Cost a couple hundred bucks plus some change and was worth it to my brother! Thanks for the responses.