Was delaying this job because I didn't like the looks of things. I was right.

Got into the pass side drum by using the 2 screw holes in the drum to try and force it off.

One nice shiny bolt was made in China and snapped off...the other old US bolt held, but only budged one side some. Was using some good penetrant.

Then found this site with some good info on removing them:

http://mgaguru.com/mgtech/brakes/bt105.htm

Ended up making a drum puller...though I had to bend the sheet metal shield around the edge of the drum in 3 places to get it on.

right click?




Using this puller and a large hammer...I finally got it off. The one on the drivers side I managed by using the 2 bolts...but also some serious hammering.

Looks like they'd been on there for at least 100K miles...some serious rust and crud...about the hardest drums to remove I've seen. And this truck is relatively rust free.

So I cleaned up the mating surfaces between the drums and the axle flanges...carefully...and added a thin layer of moly grease.

Also drilled and tapped the holes for some 3/8"-16 bolts...so we're ready next time.

I "rang" the drums by holding them in the center and tapping the outside edge with a hammer...a clear ring is supposed to mean no cracks.

So far...just getting the drums off has been 85% of this job. The rear brake hardware is a complicated mess...so I'd do one side at a time and have the other for reference.

Basically...you get one chance to use the 2 bolts holes (8mm?) so don't mess it up? If you do it's either a puller or a torch?

The wheel bearings on both sides seem a little rough when both drums are off and the trans is out of gear...but no noise when driving.

I understand wanting to treat the flange area so the two surfaces won't rust together, but don't you think heat and centrifugal force will fling that off and into the brakes??

WHy not some barBQ paint instead( and more frequent maintenance)?

A lot of times it's the shoes grabbing the drum that makes it difficult to remove it. Maybe the shoe edge catching the wear ridge. A method I've been told is to look at the back of the brake housing, there should be a hole or rubber plug that gives access to the brake adjuster. Unwind that and loosen the brakes before trying to remove the drum. The only other contact for the drum is the hub, and once you break that loose it should be easy going if the shoes aren't binding.

-Spike

The guy that owned this truck either didn't fix stuff or didn't fix things right....many miles on these brakes...not sure, but they could be the originals at over 200K.

Shoes caught a little, but major thing was just rust....because both the flange and the studs fit real snug. Once the drums were out maybe 1/8" they were loose.

I made sure the grease was very thin.

I also filed the ridges down by hand and also the rough surface on one drum. Didn't think this would work...but can't feel any warping.

Drums were in spec...costs $15 to have one turned...$33 for a new one. Will probably spring for new ones yet due to the hammering.

* found a pair of drums for $36 at Autozone...got these and the quality is suspect...I'd spring for better quality.

Ended up putting new springs/hardware kit on...new shoes...2 new wheel cylinders...2 new drums. Probably flat spotted the bearings with all the pounding...so new wheel bearings eventually.