Brake Drum Removal.....ughhh!

[1971Stepside]

OK, I have had these things off before albeit several years ago and now I am having lots of trouble. What is the trick to getting the drums off the back axle so I can get to the brakes? Between the sweat and the mosquitos I gave up last night. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[GMC1967]

I know that on my truck I ran into the same problem, and was about to start smashing things when I realized that there were two rivets holding the drum to the spindle, which I had to grind off first. Look for those

[RodC]

If they are rusted on, use a small amount of WD40 near the hub. Then give them a wack right between the lugs to loosten them up.

If they are loose from the hub, you probably need to loosten the brake shoes. They may be in a grove. There should be a knock out on the outer edge of the drum that you can get access to the self adjusters. You can replace the knockout with a rubber plug. I got mine with a spring kit for the rear brakes.

[lost wages]

should be a slot in the drum you can stick a screw driver in and adjust the brake, it will be on the bottom, rotate the drum to the bottom and use a light to look in there, once you loosen up the shoes you might still have to smack it with a hammer a few time to loosen it up, they rust around the wheel studs.

[boilrman]

You might also try some PB (not peanut butter!!!) it is a spray like WD40. I had a tire on my sisters car would not come off with any WD40 or hammering, put on the PB and within 1 minute it came off. It is some awesome stuff. Spray it around the studs and the hub, might still take a bit of work, but will do the job.

[Stout72]

I had the same problem as RodC with grooved drums. I mean really grooved. The adjuster on one side had come unscrewed enough to where when I tried to back it off, it got cross-threaded. I had to literally pry the shoes out of the groove and out of the drum with a bent screwdriver and tiny prybar thru that small gap between the drum and backing plate. Not fun.

If it's not the shoes, look for two countersunk flat head screws holding the drum to the hub. Sometimes the drums are pressed on over the studs. That's the way it is on some 3/4 tons, not sure about halves.

[Southpa]

If you haven't had the drums off in several years then I suspect that your shoes (or whats left of them) have eaten into your drums. When I had front drums I was changing shoes all around every year. Now that I have front discs there is less wear and tear on the rear drums. Regardless, I inspect my brakes frequently, about twice a year.

You will have to loosen the shoes off the drums, ie, suck them in by turning the ratchet pawl (little toothed wheel). There is a metal clip that rides on the pawl. When you turn the pawl to tighten the brakes you can hear the clip clicking on the teeth. You want to turn the pawl in the other direction. You will need 2 screwdrivers, one to pull the clip off the pawl so it turns in the direction you want and the other to turn the pawl itself.

If you manage to get the shoes backed off the drums as far as the adjuster will let you, and rust is still holding the drum tight, then a sharp rap on the center hub with a big hammer will do the trick.

You should be inspecting your brakes at least every year. The end result of letting it slide is having to get the drums turned or even replacing them.

[mrein3]

If the shoes are not hung up and the drum is rusted on, do like other are saying...


spray with a liquid penetrating oil,
PUT THE LUG NUTS BACK ON TO PROTECT YOUR STUD THREADS,
get a BFH and whack the heck out of the drum between the studs as you turn the wheel with your free hand.

Yes you will have to raise both sides if this is a rear.

[1971Stepside]

OK thanks for the input. I was sure those just slid off. I am thinking they must be rusted to the lug nuts but I didn't want to go BFHing anything until I knew for sure. The axle is off the frame so it is easy to work on. Thanks again. I'll let you know if I succeed.

[stknrdr2]

Just saw this post, im sure the info would have been handier a few days ago but hey here goes.

Someone told me once that to get a rusted drum off the ticket is to hit it around the outside edge - swinging toward the center of the hub. I tell ya what, i havent had one give me any trouble since, they pop right off! It has to do with the vibration or wave that is created when you hit it there, i dont know for sure, but I do know it works.

I had spent hours (and ruined a few drums) hitting around behind trying to knock it off, or hitting between the lugs trying to loosen stuff up.

[Jesse 67 c-10]

To get my 6 lug drums off which were so stuck that no amount or type of hammering would move them, I quickly made a puller of sorts. 3 foot piece of heavy pipe or rod, hook made from 3 short pieces of angle. one on either side of pipe with a bolt running through it all, and third welded to the ends of the two so the flat edge can go behind the drum. took me 5 min to find stuff and weld up the hook, easily removes the most rusted drums, put the end of the pipe on the hub and the hook behind the drum. pull on one side then the other in sharp yanks, It was definatly worth making it for me!
Jesse

[O'l Buck]

the PB blaster is really good stuff, the hammering is also a good method, vibration will break the rust up, and i have seen them where the metal expansion from the heat has shrunk the drum to the hub, and a little heat from a propane or oxy/acetylene torch will go along way, and there is also a very good chance it is hanging up on the shoes, but there is usually some movement and the drum will kind of ring when you smack it with a hammer. Not to discourage you, but i did have a time in the junkyard where I had to torch the drum off the axle.

[1971Stepside]

a little WD and a few good wacks and the right side came right off. The left side needed a bunch of adjustment done to the shoes, some more WD, and a few more wacks and it came off!

Thanks for the help!

[Quiet_Girl]

I had a similar problem with a f@*d van we had. I was checking it over before inspection was due and I went ahead and bought brake pads and shoes for it. I replaced the front pads in less that 30 minutes and spent the rest of the day trying to get the rear drums off. I beat and pried, heated the center of the axel flange with a torch and beat some more and stuff. I ended up knocking the studs off inside the drum and grinding the raised part of the flange slick off with the drum heated and beat some more. I had literally spent hours (most of a day) trying top get the stupid drum off. No amount of penetrating liquid or brute force helped. I left it for about 20 minutes and came back with a 10lb hammer and whack! It fell off to find near new brake shoes inside. Talk about pissed! I was. Them suckers shoulda been worn to the rivets to put up that much of a fight! LOL