Any tips from you guys how to get the drum off, I have oversized control arm BMR tubular and the adjustment slot is pretty much covered up, While driving tonight I heard a twang and a grinding noise from front driver, limped the car home and now have a problem of trying to get the drum off, I got in there with a light and something blew a hole through the plate, maybe the spring?

Here the pic of the hole in the plate



Pic of the arm in the way

 

Any tips from you guys how to get the drum off, I have oversized control arm BMR tubular and the adjustment slot is pretty much covered up, While driving tonight I heard a twang and a grinding noise from front driver, limped the car home and now have a problem of trying to get the drum off, I cant figure out how to release the brake if I cant get into that slot. I got in there with a light and something blew a hole through the plate, maybe the spring?

Here the pic of the hole in the plate



Pic of the arm in the way

 

I've had some backing plates without the hole to put the brake spoon in. Prybar or big cheap screwdrivers, one on each side to work the drum loose and slide off the shoes. That's what I've done.
John

 

If something went through the backing plate they must be getting mighty thin. You may want to think about replacing. Is your drum part of the hub? You can try forcing drum side to side and see if you can work it past the shoes, if not, last resort use large adjustable wrench peel back plate to get at star adjuster. ONLY AS A LAST RESORT. Guy

 

I hadn't paid attention to the hole in the backing plate. Yes, if its thin it might be good to replace it while your there. Since lots of people have swapped drums for disc I suspect several members here would have a replacement for you at a reasonable price. John

 

No guarantee but you could try grinding off the back of the hold down pins, and remove the outer wheel bearing. This may allow enough room to pull the drum either off with the shoes or allow room to get to the adjuster wheel. Be careful springs may start to fly when trying to remove the drum this way, wear eye protection.

Good luck!!!

 

Ok I have it off and looking to buy a rebuild kit, it seems all the backing plates for the front being sold are for disc brakes and not drum, is that what goes on the front even though its drum?

 

I don't think the backing plate is available new. I'd encourage you to create a parts wanted thread and purchase a good used one from one of the members here.
John

 

Given how many people throw away their drum brakes after converting to disc, I suspect used backing plates should be plentiful.

 

"Ok I have it off and looking to buy a rebuild kit, it seems all the backing plates for the front being sold are for disc brakes and not drum, is that what goes on the front even though its drum?"

On drums I've always heard it referred to as a "backing plate", on discs a "heat/dust shield" and "caliper mounting bracket/spindle".

None of these are interchangeable between drum and disc.
Good luck!!!
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The disc brake plate is just a splash shield with no structural requirements. The drum brake plate holds the shoes and is integral to how the brakes work.

Common sense should tell you that they aren't the same part.

 

Ok..well there is no aftermarket source I can find do I guess I will try the wanted section

 

I just looked through one of my wish list books Year One list backing plates for drums. My False teeth fell out at the price. Others here have the right idea list what you need in the parts wanted section and get good quality USA made parts. Guy

 

These are the same front brakes used on 67-69 Camaros and 68-74 Novas, so I'm amazed that no one reproduces them. The Camaro houses are asking stupid money for used ones ($80 each used?!?!?!). Wow.

 

Got to thinking which puts me in trouble right from the get go! While you are fixing the obvious, you should look at doing maintenance to your whole brake system. Inspect the rears also, when was the last time you changed the brake fluid. People think about their brakes about as much as they think about the coolant in the engine. Only time they do is when something goes wrong. Since you are already working on the brakes check out everything, it will pay dividends down the road. Not to mention peace of mind.

 

Hello,
Sorry to read about your troubles. As it happens, I just converted my '69 Cutlass S over from front drums to discs. I was one step away from throwing all of the drum hardware in the scrap heap about a month ago and thought 'somebody might want this' so I kept it and have cleaned it all up. It's all original GM stuff and in great condition (car had 80k miles and was well maintained).
I have no idea if it has any value unless somebody is doing a nut and bolt resto or somebody like you who just wants to replace old parts. I'm not trying to make a sale here, I just saw your thread and thought I might be able to help you out. The parts are for a '69 and I'm not sure what year you have (picture looks like a '71 or '72). I don't know if everything would fit but I'm sure one of the other guys would know. I suspect it's all the same.
I have everything - backing plates, drums (original bell shape and all lugs good), small hardware that bolts to the back of the backing plates and some of the brake hardware (adjusters). The only thing I threw away were the shoes and springs.
Let me know if you're interested. I was going to list it all in the parts for sale section in a week or two.

 

Here are some pics of what it looked like after I took the drum off

Are things installed right what is there lol, the writing be up side down at the top, I see a L on the right side etc


The parts that fell out when I took the drum off, I think a pin piece is missing


and the swiss cheese backing plate thats on there now, I just rebuilt the whole front end except the brakes cause Im gonna do a disc swap this winter, but i will need to do a fix to get me through the summer and fall..

 

Is the 69 chevelle a donar as well? I can get one locally if it is.

 

All 64-72 A-body cars are the same, so yes.

 

Thanks Joe much appreciated.

 

So I emailed the guy that pulled it from the 69 chevelle and there are some differences, Pretty sure he pulled the passenger side, I wont no until he pulls the driver because the orientation of cylinder is wrong, I need that flat part at 10 not 2, and the other 2 small holes are clocked wrong. Another thing to note is the hole at the top where the castle bolt goes through is smaller on the donar so if its like that on the driver he pulls there gonna be an issue, the plates also have other small differences, I wonder if my 4 door is not the same.

 

The other side will have the same orientation as yours. They are mirror images. There are minor detail differences in the shape of the flange around the outside, but that has no impact on functionality. One of you apparently has the backing plates swapped.

 

Does this look right before I button it up, should both hold down springs be yellow.

 

It appears to be correct. When I do my Brakes I do one side at a time so if i'm not sure about something I got the other side as a reference. You might want to adjust the shoes out to the drums as close as possible, so you won't have to spend all day backing up and hitting the brakes to adjust them,since you will not be able to adjust the star wheel through the slot.

 

The original backing plate had a slot. I would have used it as a template for cutting a slot on the replacement plate

 

the green spring kinda dosen't feel like its right, has a lean to it, I wasn't sure if it sat in one of those metal pockets they give in the spring bag, probably should check the other side since there were springs that fell out when the drum was pulled and I lost a few pieces.

 

Looks to be right, you can wiggle it around a little to get it centered better, but I would not worry about the green anchor spring.

 

That isn't correct. The "top hat" washer goes on the side with the adjuster lever. This side normally doesn't get a washer, or just gets a flat washer under the spring. That spring should have a reduced diameter coil at the end that goes against the shoe. In the photo below, the green springs go with the flat washers on the right and go on the primary shoe. The yellow springs go with the "top hat" washers on the left and go on the secondary shoe with the adjuster lever. And FYI, the short "nail" pins are for the 2" rear brakes and the longer ones are for the 2.5" front brakes.

 

Plenty of cursing can be saved, if the hole was copied from the old one to the next one not having the hole. If the drum hasn't developped a ridge, the hole wouldn't be as necessary.
By my what looks to be a Bendix system, I got lucky, because the shoes have been recently replaced. Despite that, I'm still going to perforate the backing plates, so that I could pry the adjusting mechanism apart. When I'm done, I'll simply install a proper-sized rubber plug. By your plates, you can simply cut the hole and use the old plugs from the originals. Putting the old plate over the next one, simply trace the hole with a scribe and then cut and file accordingly.
The adjustment's regulated by the fine teeth located between both parts where that Label's shown:

 

Besides the hold-down spring issue Joe mentioned, it also looks like someone has installed two secondary brake shoes.

The primary shoe has friction material that is shorter and that shoe is installed toward the front of the vehicle.
The secondary shoe has friction material that is longer, and it should be installed toward the rear of the vehicle.

I suspect if you take the drum off the other side, you'll find two primary shoes installed on that side.

 

Good catch. I missed that completely.

 

Good call everybody on all points, just one other point SkyHigh has oversize control Arms that covered up the access slot tracing out and cutting a slot in his new backing plate will not solve his problem adjusting the shoes manually. He will have to lower it down in the Plate. SkyHigh you are looking at doing a Disc Brake conversion this fall. Don't bugger up your "new Plates" just pre adjust the shoes so you can barely be able to slide the Drums on and you will be fine. Then you will be able to help someone else in the future. Good Luck

 

I missed the brake shoes also, it looked like there were anchor cups on both sides so I didn't give that a second thought.

 

Those aren't the kind of mistakes one would expect you to make, Joe. Did you also not notice that the Emporer is not clothed?

 

Its been a while since I did drum brakes. Shouldn't there be a horizontal bar with a spring beneath the wheel cylinder?
John

 

On the rears

 

That's called the emergency brake strut and it's only used in the back.

 

And I'm sure it was rear drums I last worked on!
John

 

Ok this should be better thanks to your keen eyes, thanks alot guys, I really appreciate that, changed the shoe to the right 1, fixed the green spring, packed the bearing, bleed the brake and took it for spin and yes the adjuster is on, I just didnt get that pic lol.