drum removal

[Ryan1]

hey there. I tried removing my drums the other day and I couldnt get them to budge. Is there something special I have to do to get them to come off

Please help

Ryan

 

[Dannyboy]

Hey Ryan,
I are you talking about the covers or the whole thing. Like you know I know little to none, but when Kampy did my rear end after Attica, I learned how to pop the covers off...A BIG *ss screwdiver, flathead and possibly a hammer.
Hope it helps, Also I'll be heading up your way in a few weeks, lift is going in tomorrow and sat, Sun if needed. So I'll have the "Real" lift in at this point

 

[Ryan1]

ya just the drum it self......the only bad thing about using a screwdriver is you bend that backing plate up.

I might have to resort to that anyways.

thanks

Ryan

 

[JDraper]

There are adjustment levers inside the drums which can help you get the drums off. There is a rubber oval shaped plug at the bottom of the backing plate. If you pop that off, you will see what looks like a ribbed washer. This is the star adjuster, if you lift the lever that is on it with a small screwdriver, and back the star adjuster off with another, you can move the brake shoes away from the drum, which makes it much easier to get the drums off. Get yourself a Haynes manual, and they have detailed instructions and pictures.

 

[Ryan1]

thanks for your info jeff I really appreciate it. My crappy chilton shows jack about removing the drums



Ryan

 

[Hotweels]

HE HE HE

I have seen many MANY people try to take a drum off with the
e-brake ON cant help but laugh even tho i have almost made this mistake my self (almost). Not that that is or was your problem.

 

[J. Kennedy]

if the ebrake is off, and you have spun the star adjuster so the shoes are not holding the drum, and the bugger is STILL stuck, then you can use a gear puller, a drum puller, or a steering wheel puller. Essentially the same tool. AutoZone lets you borrow one FREE, GRATIS, if you buy anything there.

Good luck

 

[Maniak]

You can always just go to a Midas or some brake place that does free inspections.. they will get it off for you.. and then when you tell them "no thanks" you can drive home and it will come off much easier now..

~Mark

 

[Ryan1]

Good Call Marcus!!

you da man


Thanks

Ryan

 

[Triton46]

Haynes says that there is a special tool to remove the springs in the drum. Do I need that tool or can I just use something like needle nose pliers/screwdriver?

 

[Maniak]

The special tool helps in putting the springs back on. I have found for taking them off that needle nose pliers work the best..

The special tool can be found at most chain auto parts stores..

There are 2 main parts.. One take the springs off the top pivot of the drum brakes (think of it as an upside down cup with piece of metal sticking out past the end of the cup..) you just put it over the pivot, push and turn and it will pull the spring off (works great on my Galaxie, but tool I have doesn't fit the Explorer pivot right).

The 2nd part is bent piece of metal.. you use this pices to pivot the new spring on the the pivot point.. This is much easier than a screw driver (screwdriver tends to slide off the pivot since it is round).

The rest of the stuff I use use pliers, fingers and a screw driver.

~Mark

 

[Triton46]

Thanks!

 

[diveron]

I saw what Ryan was saying about his fozen on brake drums. I went to inspect my rear brakes today. I could not get the brake drums off on either side. The emergancy brake was off with the transmission in nuetral(used jack stands). The Drum turns easy around, removing the gromet to loosening the adjuster seems fruitless. I am considering hammering a sideways bar on the outer drum edge. Maybe tap a socket with a hammer on the inside outer edge to force the brake drum outward. Anyone ever get the brake drums off that way?

 

[Ryan1]

I tell ya what I ended up doing, I went to a brake shop and they beat the hell out of the drums with a sledge untill they came off.

Ryan

 

[diveron]

Thank you Ryan

Exactly what they did where I took mine. A claw hammer is to light. A small sledge does the trick. He hit it hard around the outsides, then hit the inner center till it came loose. He hit each one about 6 - 8 times.

I had another 10,000 miles on the shoes. That is 8-10 months of driving for me. I let them change the shoes anyway. The drums could be turned smooth with no deep scrapng. I took advantage with the tires off to rotate them. They replaced the springs. Everything went on right. There are a lot of little parts. The job took two hours for $110.00 dollars.

 

[mcspeed]

Usually hitting the face of the drum brake with a hammer works......just made a new discovery today. I took my air chisel with a blunt tip and gave the face of the drum a few quick shots by the hub and it loosened up right away. No brute force or prying!