I have been trying to remove the slotted screws that secure the rear drums on a '48 F4. I have an impact thing-a-ma-bob that uses a bfh for the impact. I don't seem to be making much progress. Now I am considering drilling them out. For those of you that have been through this, how long are the screws? I'm wondering if there's enough length to get a hold of after I get the drum off.
Y'all have any ideas?

 

Those screws have been cussed, discussed quite a bit. Go here for a bit of information.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...m-removal.html

 

Yep they are a pain. I used an impact driver over several days. I would spray penetrating oil on them then come back later and give it a whack or two with the impact driver. I did that over time and they finally came loose.

 

Soak that puppy for several days to help loosen the corrosion and dirt, then apply your impact driver. You can also help the process by "shocking" the drum: using a brass hammer to moderately smack around the drum face. This "shocking" helps to break and crack the rust.

In the most dire of situations, drill the head off. I am thinking these are 3/8" screws, so select a 7/16" bit. After the drum is off, it is usually pretty easy to grasp the nub of the screw with vise grips to remove them.

I replaced all of these flat heads on Gertie when I went through the brakes last year. Replacements are readily available from any good fastener dealer.

Do use anti-seize when putting the screws back in.

If the screws are REALLY intractable, this would be a good opportunity to remove the axles and the hub/drum in one piece. That way you can drill the screws out in a drill press. And with the hub off, you can inspect the bearings, re-pack with grease, replace the seal, etc. I went that route many years ago on Gertie. Needed to replace the axle gaskets and wheel seals anyway at the time.

To remove the axle, take all the nuts and lock washers off of the axle flange, clean out the two threaded jack screw holes, and install a couple of bolts into the holes, alternately tightening them until the gasket seal is broken. There is no lock key or ring in the differential, so as soon as the axle flange is loose from the hub, the entire axle just slids right out.

 

The screws are not very long. If you decide to drill the cap screws, replacements are available from McMaster Carr. A pack of ten was just $6.82.

 

The screws are 1/2 -13 x 3/4. I got hex heads so I wouldn't have a problem loosening them again.

From McMaster Carr - Alloy Steel Flat Head Socket Cap Screw, 1/2"-13 Thread, 3/4" Length, Black Oxide item number 91253A710

 

Thanks for the replies! I have more options and ideas now.
Joe: did you end up drilling some of the screws out of yours? I am surprised they are 1/2", but maybe I'm not so surprised since the heat shield on the front of my engine is held with a 5/8" nut at one point. They don't build 'em like they used to.
I suppose I'll keep tapping on these for a few days and see how that goes, while considering the next method.
J.D.: Your explanation of the axle shaft removal is much better than the manual!

 

Thanks for the correction Joe. Been a year since I did the brakes on my truck.

The socket heads are a good alternative as far as easier removal in the future. On my truck, I went with the slotted type to maintain originality, but slathered them good with anti-seize.

 

I ordered the new cap screws before I had the wheels off. And THAT'S when I discovered the PO didn't put the screws back in the last time he had the drums off!

I had to tap the rust/crud out of the threads to get the new screws in. But it's done right now.

 

These were a big problem on mine. Soaked them for weeks, heated them, broke 2 impact drivers and all my big screwdrivers and then got serious about it. I took a cold chisel and ground the end until it was a perfect fit into the screw heads, then I blew the end of the chisel red hot and quenched it in oil to case harden it. Heated the screw, inserted chisel tool and gave it a couple of good hits with a hammer, used a piece of steel to put pressure on the end of the chisel and an 18" pipe wrench to turn it. That got the buggers out. When putting the rear end back together I left the screws out, not really necessary.

 

You are actually quite right. I recall thinking about the necessity, or lack thereof, of these screws when I was laboring on the brakes last year in 95 degree heat. I remember thinking: "Well, in the 70's, the car companies no longer screwed on the drums, but only used thin "jam" nuts around two studs to hold them on. You just twisted off the nuts, chucked them in the trash, and never replaced them. On new vehicles I have since put brakes on, there is nothing to hold on the drum/rotor."

Obviously the wheel and lug nuts sandwich the drum. In the 60's through 80's, the sole purpose of the skinny jam nuts, was to keep the drum/rotor from falling off the hub as the vehicle went down the assembly line.

I also contemplated whether to install new screws when re-assembling the brakes, but the idea of the open holes bugged my aesthetic side, so I filled them with the new fasteners.

 

Over the weekend I tried whacking those darned screws a few times and finally decided to just drill them out. After I got them partially drilled, I suppose they warmed up enough to make a difference, because a few taps on each with a chisel would start them turning. By then they were too boogered up to reuse so I ordered a set that JollyRogerJoe mentioned from McMaster Carr. They'll look much better!
While I was in there I replaced the rear wheel cylinders and discovered that the shoes look absolutely perfect- score! Glad I don't have to reline them.
I used a wire wheel and cleaned up the leaf springs, hubs, and drums and put a coat of gloss black on them. This was a brush job, but I plan to clean up the frame rails and everything rear of the cab and spray everything gloss black before I put new steel brake lines and hoses on. I got the wheel cylinders, hoses, and master cylinder from Job Lot.
I think I'll start a build thread to keep all this in one place for anyone that needs some reading material to get to sleep.

 

Nice work! Yes, by all means start a build thread.

 

Very good. Your build thread must contain lots of pictures. You won't put us to sleep, we are easily entertained. It can also be educational for you and us. So, build away and keep us updated.

 

Are those widow makers hiding underneath that drum? Oh, and you thought the brake drums were a pain.
If they are widow makers, you'll probably want to look at alternatives.

It's looking very nice. Several of us especially like bigger truck build threads.