Any suggestions for getting these off the car ? I personally have never had so much problem trying to get a brake drum off ever. I have tapped lightly between the studs and sprayed some moovit around studs and center. But I think have some dis-similiar metal corrosion happening. Kinda been gentle on them to this point as I know they would be softer metal. Heating an option? Thanx Dave
did you remove the dust cover and remove the nut holding them on..... i know this sounds silly but my (ex)brake guy didnt know about it and was wailing on them with a hammer......Doh scott
Scott: There is a nut behind dust cover ???!!!!! On the Skylark/GS there is a nut ? No I have not tried loosing adjuster as of yet.....it seemed it was holding in the center near studs....so maybe there is a nut then. I will check tonite. Thanks for the help so far guys...it means alot. Dave
If its not that nut they brakes often wear a lip in the drum that only backing off on the adjuster will let you remove them.
Yeah, I am aware of the split nut and cotter pin....but did not think it held the drum on ? I really hope this is all it is....if not will move on to the adjsuter. Oh well.....I have been wrong before many, many times. JUST ASK MY WIFE ! Thanx Dave
I second (or third at this point) for the self adjuster. Loosen it up as much as you can. And the spindle nut doesn't hold the drum on. My drums were stuck and it took a few hammer smacks to loosen them up.
I beg to differ; Mine popped right off after I removed the nuts and beating on them only poses risk of damage.
Yes it does, the hubs are pressed on to the drums, they can be knocked out with a hammer after they have been removed from the spindle but no reason to. I have a set sitting right behind me right now
But if you remove the spindle nut, the whole hub comes off right? How was I able to get my drums off without taking that nut off?
Loose clearances, the drums are hubcentric, clearances could cause the drum to be off center. Every set I've had were tight and I've had more than a couple both iron and aluminum.
Front aluminum drums can be somewhat of a pain to remove. I think it has more to do with it being a "softer" alloy. The problem comes from around the wheel studs. The aluminum "bites" into the thread of the studs and won't let go. You can have the adjuster backed off all the way and have it broken loose from the hub and hammer on it from the back and it will not come off. I found the only way is to pry it from the back while hammering from the back and work all the way around the drum and just keep going...it takes a while. Ask me how I know:spank: And all this on a freshly restored car. Al least that's how mine are...Just to check if that's what was going on, after I removed the drum and did my repair (new leaking wheel cyl) I put the drum back on (with anti seize on the hub) and seated it with the wheel, then tried to pull the drum back off...same problem. Hope that helps, Guy
So now I am getting a little confused ....I just wanted to go through and check my brakes on this car. So simply wanted to remove the drum to have a peek. So do I take the spindle nut off or nut to just remove the drum??? Once my wife gets home I will be heading out there soon.
The hub (PLATE WITH LUG NUT STUDS) is pressed onto the drum from the back side of the drum. Yes the hub pounds off the dum with a hammer if you feel the need to. Lets call all this the drum assembly (assy) If you want to remove the drum assy the easy way, REMOVE THE COTTER PIN out of the SPINDLE, that will allow you to, REMOVE THE NUT which likely is only finger tight but may not be, (it is ok to need a socket wrench here), PULL THE DRUM off after the nut is off. Now be careful, the wheel bearing will come off with the drum and there is a washer that lives between the bearing and the nut. The spindle will stay attached to the backing plate that the brake mechanism is attached to. When reassembling, inspect your wheel bearing, if it looks good, pack the bearings with bearing grease, slide the drum assy onto the spindle, put the washer on the spindle over the bearing and bring the nut back to the correct loaction on the spindle (line up hole for cotter pin) to reinstall the cotter pin. It is ok to use a socket wrench here too, may not need if everything is is in order. Install cotter pin......
you learn something new every day. :gp: When I did new front wheel cylinders a few weeks ago, I just took off the drums. It didnt take that much persuasion to get them off. They are still a tight fit around the hub too but I was able to slide them on my hand Maybe if I had gotten new drums, it would have been harder to put them on.
everything should be slathered with anti sieze as is, so it should come off easier. Aluminum and steel have a bad habbit of welded them self together on their own.
