I am trying to replace the brake shoes on my Ranger, but I've run into a strange problem. In removing the Starboard side brake drum, I discovered that the star shaped adjustment bolt and nut assembly seems to be broken. It took over an hour to get the damn drum off, because I couldn't turn the adjuster to retract the shoes from the inside of the drum. When i finally got the drum off, I took a closer look and realized that the bolt refused to thread back into the nut when it was turned. It was very rusty, but even after I got the star shaped bolt rotating again, it was as though it nut was stripped inside, and the threads on the bolt would not catch. Rotating the nut just turned it in place, it didn't tighten the shoes together at their ends by threading into the nut.
I didn't have time to finish the job today, or i would have taken the shoes off and gotten a closer look at the assembly in question.
The only thing I could think of that would be causing the problem is that the bolt is nearly all the way un-threaded, and the threads don't come flush to the end of the nut, making it so that though the end of the bolt is in the nut, it wont catch the threads.
My question is, where can i find a replacement adjuster bolt/nut assembly? i seem to be able to find every part for the drum break assembly but that.

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Owner of a 1994 V6 4.0 Liter Automatic Transmission Ranger with 4 Wheel Drive and the XLT extended cab package. 280,000+ Miles (Yeah i know its a lot. I signed up to Ford Ranger Forum so i could get information on how to fix it up)

it should come in a new box of drum hardware.

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2021 F150 5.0 Screw

Past:18 F150 2.7, 16 F150 5.0, 14 F150 5.0, 07 F150 5.4, 03 Ranger 4.0

Master Certified Ford Parts / Warranty Admin

Ya usually when you buy the drum kit everything you need comes in the kit.

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this reminds me...i have to check my rear shoes lol

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2021 F150 5.0 Screw

Past:18 F150 2.7, 16 F150 5.0, 14 F150 5.0, 07 F150 5.4, 03 Ranger 4.0

Master Certified Ford Parts / Warranty Admin

Looked on autozones website. However they dont show very good pictures of the kits.

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Well, ive solved the problem. The Star Bold Adjuster threads into its nut, backwards. As in, lefty-tighty, Righty-Loosey. Why the hell would they make it this way? I know not. But i laid under my truck for an hour trying to figure this damn thing out, turns out, I was turning the bold the wrong way, and it was just rotating in place, with its tip held in place by the bolt.
Also, a replacement did not come in the set of replacement parts that i picked up from pep boys. But i have it in, and the brakes are working fine, so you live and you learn.

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Owner of a 1994 V6 4.0 Liter Automatic Transmission Ranger with 4 Wheel Drive and the XLT extended cab package. 280,000+ Miles (Yeah i know its a lot. I signed up to Ford Ranger Forum so i could get information on how to fix it up)