A Haynes manual would be great to have but I doubt you can buy a new one today, you could possibly get one off ebay. Having said that, the suggestion to take the drums off on each side and compare as you do one side is probably the best idea. Front drums are not hard to do, the key is to be careful and take your time. As you take off a piece lay it on the ground as it is positioned on the backing plate making sure it is oriented correctly. The springs are the most difficult pieces to work with, they are extremely strong and will can cause serious injury if they hit you. If you are somewhat mechanically inclined I suspect you can do the job with minimal trouble.How do you change or remove the front brakes on '66 Dodge Polara?If i remember correctly...it has drum brakes on the front like a lot of new cars have on the rear.... Look at a book on the REAR brakes of any chrysler vehicle...they are held mostly by strong springs. Get a BIG pair of pliars and a big screwdriver...jack up the front end take off BOTH front wheels and drums and look at one to see how the OTHER goes every step of the way. you can't go wrong with a pattern to go by like that....good luck.How do you change or remove the front brakes on '66 Dodge Polara?no disc brakes on that model, there drum brakes, you have to take all the springs off and pull the shoes off and rebuild the wheel cylinders or replace them, best to do 1 wheel at a time as then you can look at the other wheel for reference to put back together, you need to get a chiltons manual for that year dodge as all the models in 66 had the same system as dodge didn't start coming out with disc brakes until 67 and that was an option, if you never have done drum brakes it's very intimidating but not that hard, I worked for a dodge dealership in 66 and did them daily after school in the evening and in 67 when they came out with the disc brakes I was lost until a mechanic taught me how to do them, I couldn't believe how easy they were to do.How do you change or remove the front brakes on '66 Dodge Polara?Like most of the cars of the era, the drums are held on by a big nut, which is torqued to a specific value (not really tight, because it has conical wheel bearings). The washer under the nut should be able to be moved when pried. Anyway, a cotter pin and castle nut top off that nut and keep it from backing off.
Be sure you can obtain new brake shoes and new springs (if you need them). Take digital pics from several angles before you disassemble, and print them out to refer to.
I use Vise Grips to pull the springs off. A good strong screwdriver helps to pry springs off, too.
When you reassemble, be sure to repack the front wheel bearings with fresh bearing grease, and put some anti-sieze compound on the star adjusters' (if applicable) inside threads (just don't get it anywhere near the shoes!).
Lastly, pay attention to the lengths of the shoes. I believe the longer shoe goes toward the rear, but NOTICE that before you pull them apart.How do you change or remove the front brakes on '66 Dodge Polara?I have a 1972 Satalite with 4 wheel drum brakes and there should be a large castle nut locked in place with a cotter pin (with a washer underneith) This is tightened to a specific torque (tighness value) This nut preloads the wheel bearing which should be cleaned and packed with fresh grease every so often. One bearing will fall out the front and the other falls out the back (once you remove the wheel seal). I normally do one side at a time using the other side as a reference and as metioned in another answer, on the brake shoes the fricton material should be 2 different lengths, keep track which one goes where. Also when assembling make sure wheel bearing is tightened correctly (not too tight not too loose).
