I am trying to take my rear brake drum off. I have the tire off. There is a center cap. I dont know if that has to come off or not and if it does can somebody tell me what to take it off with. The cap is almost flush with the brake drum. thanx for any help that can be given.

 

Perry get your hammer and keep whacking at it, if the wheel is off, it should come off. Try loosening the shoes also.

John
jowilker

66 F100s
In the still cool hours of the night, you can hear chevys rusting away.

 

well that thing in the center of the drum isn't a cap, thats the axle. first try using a screwdriver to back off the brakes by inserting it into the inspection hole in the backing plate, and turning the starwheel. if your not able to back the brakes off, get a BFH ( big Bleepin' Hammer) and force the drum off. the downside of this is you'll destroy alot of the brake components, possibly the drum, maybe even a few wheel studs or an axle. I once used a torch to cut a stuck brake drum in half, it was alot faster than beating it off, and had about the same result.

 

Apply small amounts of penetrating oil or kerosene to the "cap" area. It isn't a cap at all it's the axle flange. TAP" gently with a small hammer around the circumference of the drum, apply more penetrating oil, using a brass drift, tap around the axle flange and the area between the axle flange and the wheel studs. Since you are working on this yourself I am assuming you either enjoy this work or want to save a few bucks and do it yourself. Either way using a BFH and torching the drum off will waste parts and run up your cost. Have patience. Heating the drum (small propane torch) near the axle flange and continued tapping should work the drum loose. Once its loose it should slide off (probably not). Turn the shoes down using a brake spoon and turning the star wheel visible through the access hole in the backing plate. Penetrating oil will help here also.
William in Atlanta

 

I agree with the other posts except for that hammer stuff. Assuming that you have loosened the brake shoes ( I had one where the shoes had worn a groove into the drum making release a real bear), you have rust bonding the axle hub to the drum. I like lots of WD-40 and turn the drum as you apply; then I use a dead-blow hammer on the outside flange and haven't broken one yet. Time is important to get that fluid to that miserable rust.

Lee
1965 F100 short box styleside

 

this is a 35 yearold truck, I'm assuming the brakes havent been rebuilt any time in the recent past. sometimes on a vehicle of this age the adjuster is either worn out or too rusty to allow you too back off the brakes. If you can't back the brakes off , your gonna have to use some force. If the brakes aren't backed off, you can use a 5 gallon bucket of WD-40 and tap on it all week with a brass drift, and it still won't come off. I don't like the Idea of breaking things either, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

 

what is the opinion of everyone here about the next time you rebuild your brakes putting a little antisieze on the area that bonds, not much, but just a real thin coating, would it help years later when you need to take it back off?

 

Hey guys have any of you used Pam cooking spray on your parts. I have put it on some places on my truck when I was putting things on. I have heard that Nascar teams uses it a lot on things that they want to work quickly.

I'll agree sometimes you have to use the BFH on the drums.


John
jowilker

66 F100s
In the still cool hours of the night, you can hear chevys rusting away.

 

P" One thing we all agree on is that sometimes taking these old trucks apart can be difficult. So what happened? Did the drum come off? Did you break it? Who is this Pam anayway, and why is she so fond of WD40?
William

 

William;
When you get to meet Pam, see if she also has a sister.
Lee
1965 F100 short box styleside

 

My truck is a 69 f-100 that sat in a feild for about 10 yrs before I got it. I as well had a real problem getting the rear brake drums off. what I did was first, go out and get some wd-40 in the gallon can, works MUCH better than the aresal. What I did was spay heavily around the axle hub and lugs, then took two heavy duty screw drivers and carefully pryed on opposite sided against the backing plate working all around the drum, eg. top and bottom, sides, top and bottom. Takes a long time but with patients you should get it off without damaging.

Hope this helps Don

 

I remember once about 40 years ago I had aproblem like this. Sollution was to release the parking brake.