Need some resto help...

[stock SVT]

I am currently working on my 65 fastback and I am currently in the scraping everything off the undercarrage and painting phase. Well, I have the motor and tranny out and have made my way back to the rear and I have removed the gas tank but I ran into a problem. My problem is that the rear drums have not been off the car for about 15-20 years and I cannot for the life of me get them off. The drums spin freely with the driveshaft out so I don't think the pads are holding them so I beat on them for about 2hours with no luck. I have heated them up with my small torch and even used WD40. I need suggestions before I just cut the drums all the way off and start all over. How the hell do you free the drums up?

Greg

 

[GaPonyFarm]

Try turning in the self adjusters for the brakes. There's a small horizintal slot on the back side of the backing plate, toward the bottom. If your brakes lock up, go the other way...

You did take off the lock ring, if its present.. Small star washer looking thing on one of the lugs?

 

[stock SVT]

Yeah I thought about the adjusters but if it turns freely then the brakes shouldn't be holding it right? Also there aren't any washers on the wheel studs I checked the rears cause the fronts had them.

 

[SuperDave]

If the shoes have cut into the drums. they may have expanded so that the drum can't be removed unless the adjusters are MANUALLY backed-of. It is also possible that the drum is stuck on the axle. All little WD and heat may be needed to free the drums.

Wailing on the drums with a BFH is tempting but is not the answer.

 

[bud4660]

I just went through this on my 67. They were stuck real good. Take a wire brush that will fit in a drill and run it around the center of the drum at the axle hub. Clean all the rust off and spray wd40 or PB Blaster around it and keep working it. I ended up using two big flat blade screw drivers between the drum and backing plate before mine finally popped off. Then I enlarged the center whole on the drum a little before I put them back on. Next time shouldnt be a problem getting them off.

Bud

 

[stock SVT]

I tried WD 40 and heat but my buddy at work told me about he shoes possibly cutting into the drums and sitting in a groove. Thanks for the help I am going to try the adjustor screw idea.

 

[LMan]

a method that has worked for me - I have a large gear puller, large enough to hook onto the edges of the drum. I put some tension on the drum with the center screw (along with the WD40 and so on), and every now and then (while doing other things) I retighten the screw as it pulls. After a few hours (or overnight in extreme cases) it will (at least for me) slowly but surely pull off the drum.

 

[red65]

If it's been a decade or two since anyone took the brake drums off, the drum can rust and glue itself to the axle flange. It can be pretty tenacious. The way to tell is that you can turn the drum, but you can't get it to budge away from the flange. If it's just the brake shoes holding it on, you'll be able to move it a little, even if the shoes catch it and hold it. If it's rusted to the flange, it won't move at all, other than turning.

Take the other posts' advice and make sure the brakes aren't hanging you up. Then, using a hammer and a little common sense, strike the drum on its face - perpendicular to the axle flange, avoiding the lug studs. There's usually no need to go nuts on it, just tap it a few times and normally the blows will loosen the grip between the drum and axle flange and it will come free.

Then you can fight with the brake shoes

Hope that helps.