Brake Drum Removal

[bluec10]

This is a rant and a cry for help. I have read some of the other threads about drum brake removal, but it sill doesn't work. I've used penetrating oil, backed-off the drums, hammered and hammered and hammered, heated around the studs and hub, hammered and hammered, and it still won't come off.

I don't want to hammer to much because I've taken a chunk out of a drum in the past by hammering. I don't have a drum puller or a giant gear puller. Aargh! Any suggestions?

[busterwivell]

Is this on your truck? Or on an old Mopar? Old Mopars have a special puller.

[69 Short Fleet]

Your talking about the rear drums correct. Check around and get yourself a can of Bitron (the spray type). The stuff will blow the doors off of everything else available on the market. The only problem with the stuff is it can be hard to find sometimes.

[Southpa]

You say you "backed off" the drums, do you mean the ratchet adjuster for the shoes? When turning the ratchet is there any noticeable movement going on? I know, hard to see but you should be able to notice whether or not the bottoms of the shoes are moving with the ratchet pawl. Maybe the shoes are wedged into grooves worn in the drum and have to be "unstuck" or there is a broken or unhooked return spring inside. Loosen the ratchet as far as possible and see if the shoes are still in contact with the ends of the adjustment shaft. If the shoes are not in contact then the shoes are stuck. Tap around the outer edge of the drum to try and shake them loose. You could also slip a screwdriver into the drum adjustment slot and lever the bottoms of the shoes inwards.

If the shoes are travelling with the adjuster then your problem is the drum face rusted to the hub. You might have figured you hammered it every which way but loose but persistance pays. You ARE talking about the REAR drums right? Front drums are held in by a large nut with a cotter pin thru the spindle shaft. For the rear, spray whatever penetrating oil type stuff you have, Brake Cleaner, WD 40, Liquid Wrench , or whatever, where the lugs come out of the drum face. Turn the wheel as you spray, some might get inside and whicker down between the drum face and the hub. Let it sit for a few minutes and then hit the HUB (not the drum) as hard as you can with a BFH a few times.

[chevytruckfan]

Originally Posted by bluec10

I don't want to hammer to much because I've taken a chunk out of a drum in the past by hammering. I don't have a drum puller or a giant gear puller. Aargh! Any suggestions?

Swap the rear end or get that gear puller I am talking about. I would suggest a cutting torch and cut the drum in half but I think the first 2 suggestions that I am talking about would be cheaper.

[toddtheodd]

I used a 3 foot prybar.

[ChevLoRay]

Is this an old rear end that you have, or on a vehicle that hasn't been driven for a long time? Or, is it your "daily" driver? If it has been parked awhile, and I see that you are in an area that may have become infested with "grease worms", then there may not be any thing but rust holding everything together. Heat it up and beat on it with a hammer, while someone else is prying on the drum. You may find that when you get it off, that it might have been easier to replace the rear axle ass'y, based on what you find when you get inside. But, persevere.

Note: Grease worms are what eats up the grease in bearings. The excrement from grease worms causes rust to form on surfaces exposed to the air, and can lead to perforation of steel parts.

[Big J]

New rear drums aren't that expensive. Get the biggest BFH you can find and go nuts. I tried a big ball peen hammer at first on mine and that didn't work. Got out the sledge hammer and with a couple wacks it came off. Didn't break it either. Wanted to break it, hehe. Damn 30 year old rusted parts!

[bluec10]

I am talking about the front brake drums right now. I don't remember having to take off the spindle nut to get the brake drums off, but if I have to then I'll issue an official Homer Simpson "Dooh!" and ask you to forgive my ignorance.

As far as backing-off the shoes goes, the star adjuster moved quite easily. The truck does not have high mileage (34000 original), so I don't think the drums are badly grooved.

Thanks for your help.

[Tx Firefighter]

Hit the drums freakin hard with a big hammer right on the corner area where the flat part meets the drum/ fin part. I worked as a mechanic at the post office for a long time and we had tons and tons of stuck drums. I have never ever seen one that about 5 good thumps with a 2 or 3 pound hammer wouldn't pop loose. Never hurt the drum either. That corner area is where the drum is the strongest. Stay away from the fins. You are hitting it perpendicular to the axle shaft.

By the way to the folks recomending he just replace the axles....he can't remove the axles without removing the drum. You have to push the axles inboard to be able to fetch the c-clip in the middle. It won't work with the drums on.

[Southpa]

I am talking about the front brake drums right now. I don't remember having to take off the spindle nut to get the brake drums off, but if I have to then I'll issue an official Homer Simpson "Dooh!" and ask you to forgive my ignorance.



OK....HOMER! Pry off the little cap at the center of the hub and you will see what needs to be done! DOH!

[cdowns]

in times like this when the frustration sets in the $20 for a service manual would have been a good investment

[oldsub86]

If the front drums are original, you will find that they are riveted to the hub with some pretty good sized rivets. You will need to cut the rivets off first before you will be able to pull the drums without pulling the hub with it. I just used an air chisel and cut the heads off of the rivets and then punched the rivet out of the hole.

[oldiron]

If the shoes are holding the drum from being remove and the adjuster will not backoff cut the nail heads off from the back of the backing plate. They are appox. at the 3 oclock and 9 oclock positions on the backing plate. Then the drum and the shoes will pull off enough that you can free the drum from the shoes.
Good luck.

[Tx Firefighter]

If laughing so hard I've got tears in my eyes.

We probably have about 250 years of combined experience on this thread. We had lots of approaches to getting the drum off...

.....and he was working on the front brakes. Killing me....

[cdowns]

also on the front brake drums you don't want to remove them from the hubs because they are assembled and balanced as a unit

[bluec10]

Ok fine. Southpa was right. I don't know why, but my brain was telling me that the drum slipped over the hub. Weird, because I've done this repair before. Anyway, thanks for all your help. After I got the drum off the brake job went great. I also replaced the ball joints and tie rods.

I just need to pick up some inner bearing seals and I'm away.

[Southpa]

Good job BlueC10! I have to admit, when I first got my truck I went thru the same thing. After I couldn't force the drum off I put the wheel back on and only learned later from a friend how to get at the goodies inside. One VERY helpful tip for future repairs etc. is to get a Haynes or Chilton manual on these trucks. A picture tells a thousand words, as the saying goes. Keep on truckin'!