I feel like Im missing something here. I have soaked it in penetrating oil, heated it with a torch, and beat it with a hand maul. This brake drum just wont come off. It rotates freely and smoothly, so I know the shoes arent dragging on it. I can move it a bit forward on one side, but the other wont budge much. It seems like it wants to come forward but something is holding it back.

I feel like I need to do something other than beat it. There is a long spring wrapped around the drum that Im not sure why its there or if it needs to come off. The front of the drum has a weird faceplate too.

Any ideas are greatly appreciated!

 

Um, from the looks of the wheel studs, the knurls are pressed into the drum as well as the hub. You can clearly see the outer ends of the knurls extending through the drum on the two studs in the RH side of the photo. Have you tried removing the dust cap, nut, and outer wheel bearing and sliding the hub and drum off as a unit?

The spring is simply a dampener to deaden vibration noises.

 

Yes, the wheel studs look like they are splined or something where they enter the drum. I can use a screwdriver and from behind the drum I can pull the drum forward a bit and it clears a few of those splines, but doesnt budge on a couple. You think that the studs are pressed into the drum purposely? I dont see how that assembly would make any sense since you would never get it apart.

I have not taken the cap/nut off and removed the whole thing. Im trying not to do more work than necessary, but maybe thats the only way here.

 

As Joe mentioned, remove the whole thing and then work from there. The drum is probably rusted to the hub. It will be a lot easier to work with off the car.

 

Also be aware that on this vintage the big nut that holds the outer wheel bearings in is right or left hand threads, depending on which side of the car your working on. Redoldsman, do you know right off if the drivers side is standard threads or the reverse threads?

John

 

By not understanding how its all put together you have unintentionally created more work than necessary and will damage parts if you continue the route your taking. Remove the dust cap, cotter pin, and nut, then take the hub/drum assy off as a unit.

 

Good point John. The drivers side is left handed thread.

 

I've no doubt you are correct.
But over here at any rate trucks and buses with left hand thread lug nuts, these are on the left of the vehicle.
Anyone able to tell me why the opposite should be the case for hub nuts?.

Roger.

 

Hi Roger
We might be mixing up our terms as over here the drivers side is the left side of the vehicle.

 

By not doing this correctly, you've ALREADY done more work than necessary.

 

Okay, left side of vehicle, left handed threads, right side would be right handed threads. Or to put it in boating terms, port side would be left handed threads and the starboard side would be right handed threads.

 

D'oh!!!

My bad, thanks for putting me right.

Roger.

 

To close the loop, I probably should have told everyone what I was trying to do. I just wanted to take a look at the brake shoes and wheel cylinders to see if I needed to replace anything. I thought that once I removed the tire, the drum would be able to be pulled off the hub, and then I would have a good look at the brakes.


Since my brake drum and hub seem to be rusted together (and maybe at one point were riveted together but don't seem to be now), all I really needed to do is remove the axle nut and slide the two off together to have a good look at the brakes. I don't need or want to separate the hub from the drum, so I was just wasting my time beating on it while it was on the car.


Thanks for all the replies... that was a total goof on my part not understanding how this was all put together. Thanks!

 

Your not the first to go through this exercise. Its a learning experience.

 

Of course, when the hub and drum assembly are off that's when you have your best chance of separating them.

Roger.