Brake Drum Stuck......?

is your parking break on....if not...use a bigger hammer...they are very stubborn sometimes....beat the crap out of it...just dont hit any studs. it will come lose

I just had this problem on the passenger side...turned out to be the parking brake cable, it was stuck. I was able to hit the drum a few time with a hammer (hammer, not rubber mallet) to get the cable to let go, that let me get the drum off.

A new cable was $25 at NAPA. Wasn't too hard to replace.

My drivers side drum was also a PITA.

Get a torch (heat helps) and a HAMMER, and go to town. They can take a huge beating, so don't be afraid to really hammer on it.

I think your drums are "out of round" and need to either be machined or replaced fully.

You said your "shoes" looked ok. Maybe they are not as ok as you thought.

The drum is full of springs and stuff and they get exposed to a lot of heat, wear and tear, and the likes and may need to be replaced also.

Check the insides of both your rear rims. Is there a lot of black brake dust?
If so then your shoes are rubbing while you are driving also and the reason you don't hear that is because sound travels backwards and it only becomes noticable when you are slowing down.

Lastly, after a long drive put your hand on both drums. If they are scalding hot, then your brakes are rubbing.

I had this problem also last summer. Needed a brake overhaul on both rears. Installed new springs, replaced the emergency brake cable and machined the drums. Now, no more problems.