I have a 1936 Olds and I started to bleed the brake system. When I went to remove the rear driver side drum, I noticed that I could pull it out and push it in. I removed the drum and I'm getting about 1/2 inch of play in the axle. Local shop is booked up and they are the only ones in the area with the expertise to work on the car. Any suggestions on what the problem is and what the proper fix is? A couple folks told me to shim it. The shaft does have a key to hold it in place, could it be that the key just isn't pressed in far enough to really lock it in place??

Side note.... I can't get the passenger side rear drum off. I've tried a puller, lots of lube, and tapping it with a sledge hammer. It will not budge. Any other recommendations??

 

Hello - I'm working on a 1936 Olds also - and am working on the rear diff. I need to remove the axles to remove the diff - Do you have to remove the axles?

Thank you.
Todd
tstellhorn@esri.com

 

Suggest you back off the star adjuster on the passenger side to remove the brake drum. Do yourself a favor and replace both axle bearings and lock rings, and both axle seals. Sounds like you probably need to reline brake shoes and turn the drums to true them. Also, maybe the eccentric bolt is improperly adjusted. The rear brake drums should each have two bolts holding them onto the rear axles, so replace the bolts if they are missing.
Good luck.
Russ