# cant get brake drums off



## noquacks (Jun 5, 2010)

People,

1987 sunbird, original owner, brake shoes redone in 2004, 70,000 miles ago. Drums are frozen stiff. Used PB blaster. Bamged on them with rubber, then steel malet(gently pounded, not too hard). Any ideas?

Thahnks


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## 123pugsy (Oct 6, 2012)

Pound harder. They should break loose.

Are they wiggling but hung up on the shoes when pulling them forward?


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## DexterII (Jul 14, 2010)

May need to remove the rubber plug on the back side of the backing plate, and rotate the adjuster manually with a screwdriver, to get the shoes in far enough to clear the ridge on the brake drum. There is a tool for this, and sometimes you need it or something similar, as a straight screwdriver may or may not work, depending on how the shocks and other things are mounted around the opening.


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## Bondo (Dec 8, 2007)

Ayuh,.... Agreed,... Hit it harder,...

Make sure the hand brake is off, 'n back off the slack adjusters,....


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## nap (Dec 4, 2007)

If they are tight on the hub two thing;

Use a MAPP or acetylene torch and heat the drum immediately around the hub. Listen for a pop or snap. Then whack near the edge of the drum with a 3 pound or so sledge hammer. Whack it quite briskly. It should break free. 


If the drum to hub point is loose then it's your shoes hanging up on the ridge in the drum. If you can't wrassle it off you will need to back off the adjuster. 



Just to be sure; before doing any of that make sure there are no screws holding the drum to the hub or retainers on any of the studs.


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## Bigplanz (Apr 10, 2009)

You can beat on them pretty good with a rubber mallet without damage. I beat the living sh.. out of one with a two pound mallet and got a drum off with no damage. Don't use a sledge. You can break the drum.


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## nap (Dec 4, 2007)

Bigplanz said:


> You can beat on them pretty good with a rubber mallet without damage. I beat the living sh.. out of one with a two pound mallet and got a drum off with no damage. Don't use a sledge. You can break the drum.


I weigh 250 and have beat the Hell out of many many drums with a sledge and have never broken one. You don't hit the area where the thicker wear surface is (outer circumference). You hit the face of the drum near the outer edge. 

And yes, I used to do it for a living so this was s daily event for me.


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## paintdrying (Jul 13, 2012)

You could find one of those free brake inspection places.


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## noquacks (Jun 5, 2010)

123pugsy said:


> Pound harder. They should break loose.
> 
> Are they wiggling but hung up on the shoes when pulling them forward?


no, stuck solid for now....


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## noquacks (Jun 5, 2010)

nap said:


> I weigh 250 and have beat the Hell out of many many drums with a sledge and have never broken one. You don't hit the area where the thicker wear surface is (outer circumference). You hit the face of the drum near the outer edge.
> 
> And yes, I used to do it for a living so this was s daily event for me.


ok, I will smash gently on that "face". yes, I have access to the adjuster wheel- theres a slit in the drum to view the innards. Have a propane torch only, can try that. Will advise asap...........


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## 123pugsy (Oct 6, 2012)

noquacks said:


> ok, I will smash gently on that "face". yes, I have access to the adjuster wheel- theres a slit in the drum to view the innards. Have a propane torch only, can try that. Will advise asap...........



No, not gently.

Nail it!!!


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## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

Take some emory cloth and get rid of all the rust around the hub to drum interface so you aren't fighting it the entire way.


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## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

123pugsy said:


> No, not gently.
> 
> Nail it!!!


+1

You have to beat them like they owe you money sometimes.


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## noquacks (Jun 5, 2010)

LOL!!

OK, forget opropane- not hot enough. One key question: If the drum is SOLID on the hub and shows no movement, one should assume it is not at this stage of the game the fault of shoes hanging the drum up, right? 

Cuz it is solid on the hub. In that case, I will smash the heck out of it. Worst case, but new drums, cheap, I figure.


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## DexterII (Jul 14, 2010)

You are correct. At 70,000 miles, I would suspect significant enough wear on the drum to leave a ridge, which is the reason I mentioned backing the shoes off, but if that were all that was holding it you would typically get at least a little movement. No movement though is a pretty good indication that it's seized to the hub. Didn't think about this earlier, and doubt that your Sunbird has them, but some drums have threaded holes in which you can use bolts to help press it off, although they're not as useful as one might imagine once the drum is seized.


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## noquacks (Jun 5, 2010)

no threaded holes. No movement. running out of ideas. Sheesh. afraid when pounding that I will hit studs, ruining threads. Put on lug nuts to somewhat protec t........


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## nap (Dec 4, 2007)

When you whack it make sure you are outside the hub area. The point is to make it kind of spring back which breaks it free from the hub. 

When heating heat right around the center part of the hub that pokes through the drum and only a couple inch wide ring

If you are afraid of hitting the studs you probably aren't out near the edge far enough. Unless you have really really bad aim it's hard to hit the studs when whacking it with the hammer.


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## noquacks (Jun 5, 2010)

Wow! Got them off!! Yahoo!

yes, pounding is the key. man, I would never have figured!

Now, next thing- one rear cylinder was leaking bad- black goo everywhere- shoes, springs, oozing from one rubber "boot", one shoe , facing front, worn down to bottom of rivet. other wheel, shoes still have some material. probably time to just redo both, and be done with it.

Apparently, that bad rear wheel wads dragging bad. When turning the drum, if felt STIFF. 

Too bad that one rear wheel's cylinder leaked,dragged. Consensus- do all NOW, right?


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## DexterII (Jul 14, 2010)

I probably would, for no other reason that you are going to have to bleed the system anyway, so why not eliminate one factor in having to do it again, but wouldn't say that it's absolutely necessary. There could be another reason that one failed, but the wheel cylinders are designed for X amount of travel, taking into account the thickness of the brake material, so by letting the shoe wear to the rivet the cylinder was extending beyond its' design capability.


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## noquacks (Jun 5, 2010)

Thanks, dex. Now, why doesnt rock auto sell a kit for redoing drum brakes? Seems like you got to but everything seperate- springs, cylinders, shoes, adjuster screw, pins, sheesh.


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