How do I get these brake drums off?

[Anthony Fremont]

I have 66 GMC. Do the front brake drums come off over the studs like I'm expecting, or do I need to remove the dust cover and spindle nut? Surely the hub and brake drum are seperate parts, right???? I'm pretty clueless with this vehicle since I don't have a factory service manual yet. I can't get the brake drum to budge.

The odometer says 59K miles, I'm inclined to believe that it's never rolled over. The backing plate doesn't have the thingys knocked out, so am I to assume that these have never ever been apart?

[N2TRUX]

It sounds like your brake shoes have worn unevenly or or grooved. You will probably have to back the adjusters off manually to allow enough clearence to remove the drum.

[neonlarry]

If they have never been off they are probably still riveted to the hub. Grind off the rivet heads and knock the rivets out and they will come off. That way next time it will be easier.

[Anthony Fremont]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

It sounds like your brake shoes have worn unevenly or or grooved. You will probably have to back the adjusters off manually to allow enough clearence to remove the drum.

I'm back on this project. :-( How do I get to the adjusters. There is no hole in the front of the drum and there appear to be no knockouts on the backing plate. How can this be? I found some places on the backing plate near the bottom that appear to be rectangular and about the right size for adjusting holes. How hard should it be to knock them out? I gave them a pretty good smack with a hammer/punch but they didn't budge. I hate working on drum brakes. I should drag the truck over to the local $99 brake house and let them figure it out.

[Anthony Fremont]

Originally Posted by neonlarry

If they have never been off they are probably still riveted to the hub. Grind off the rivet heads and knock the rivets out and they will come off. That way next time it will be easier.

Rivet heads are gone, but they are still in there flush with the surface of the drum. I took the spindle nut off and the whole thing wont come off, so I figure the shoes are worn into the drums.

I should probably throw it all in the trash and go to the boneyard for a set of replacement a-arms and spindles with 12" rotors.

[Anthony Fremont]

Originally Posted by neonlarry

If they have never been off they are probably still riveted to the hub. Grind off the rivet heads and knock the rivets out and they will come off. That way next time it will be easier.

OMG, I finally got it apart. I drilled into the remains of the rivet to make a recess. By using a drift and a ball peen hammer, I finally drove the rivets out. I was then able to work the drum off the passenger's side. The driver's side still had the rivet heads, so I ground them down and applied the same technique to get them out. Man, it took allot of force to budge those rivets. They really didn't want to move.

The shoes look pretty good, and no sign of the wheel cylinders leaking. I'm just going to clean everything up real good and not spend a bunch of money yet. Is there any kind of lubricant that is safe to use on all the moving parts, or at least the adjuster screw threads?

[umwtnt]

I have used white grease for years on drum brake jobs and have never had any problems. Use it lightly though.

[Anthony Fremont]

Originally Posted by umwtnt

I have used white grease for years on drum brake jobs and have never had any problems. Use it lightly though.

Thanks, I was thinking of using a little of that. I'm back on this project again. I picked up some new wheel cylinders and brake hoses. I didn't like the looks of the rubber seals, plus I wanted to head off any possible rust problems from the system sitting for so long. I hate spending money on the drum brakes since I really want drop spindles and disks.

[Anthony Fremont]

I bought new wheel cylinders and am ready to install them. Now, how do I get the old ones out? The 1 1/8" stud like thing holding it on will not budge. Is there any trick to getting it loose? It's also looking like the hose isn't going to want to unscrew either. I have new hoses, once I get the "stud/bolt" out of the wheel cylinder would I be able to get away with cutting the hose in half (I bought new hoses too) and leaving the fitting attached to the wheel cylinder? Will it come thru the backing plate?

I've PB Blastered it pretty well, no helpee.

[Anthony Fremont]

My neighbor loaned me a wrench from his oil field tool box. By applying slightly less force than would tip the truck from the jack stands, I got them loose. I put on new wheel cylinders and hosesl. I took everything apart and cleaned it all up. I put small amounts of white lithium grease on the adjuster parts. The shoes and drums were in good shape. Looks like someone redid the brakes before it was left sitting for years. The front is basically done, now to do the back, replace the master cylinder, and bleed the system out and I should have "excellent" brakes. One more thing, I can confirm that the front wheel cylinders will come out with the bleeder installed and the brake hose still attached.

[royo]

kool i want some pics

[Anthony Fremont]

Rears are done now. I put new shoes on the back along with new wheel cylinders. The rears had adjusting holes in the backing plates, unlike the front. This made it easier to get the drums off, but they fit snug over the end of the axle and don't like coming off. New problem now, I wasn't able to get the upper fitting loose for the rear brake hose, so I haven't changed it yet. Naturally, I have no fluid getting to the back end at all......it never ends......

The semi-good news is that the front is bled out and has a decent pedal with no leaking, but I'm not driving it til it's all fixed. At least I haven't destroyed the flare fitting yet so there is still the possibility to get the hose loose without having to replace the fitting afterwards.....i hope.... It's just in a hard place to get to with the bed installed.