I usually just swap to disc brakes, depending on the vehicle.
Drilled/tapped drums?
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Drilled/tapped drums?
On some vehicle or other that I had, the brake drums (definitely rears, possibly fronts too (yeah, I predate front disk brakes)) had holes drilled and tapped in the mounting flange between the studs. The idea was to put bolts in them when it came time to remove the drums and use them to push the drums off the axle flange. Once the drum began moving it could be pulled the rest of the way off by hand. No heat, no hammering, no drama, just a little contemplative ratchet work to tighten the bolts then to remove them once the drums came off. (As I remember, they did a fine job of knocking the threads off a pair of Grade 2 or 3 bolts but the bolts did start the drums moving.)
Has anybody here drilled and tapped their drums for later use of a 1/4-28, 5/16-24, or 3/8-24 bolt to start the drums moving on the hub? Since the hole is round I don't imagine in itself it would cause a stress riser that would leave the drum more prone to crack through the hole, but would the threads cut into the hole cause those stress risers?
Right now I'm just blue-skying. If you have any comments on the idea feel free to make them.
Has anybody here drilled and tapped their drums for later use of a 1/4-28, 5/16-24, or 3/8-24 bolt to start the drums moving on the hub? Since the hole is round I don't imagine in itself it would cause a stress riser that would leave the drum more prone to crack through the hole, but would the threads cut into the hole cause those stress risers?
Right now I'm just blue-skying. If you have any comments on the idea feel free to make them.
Fleet Mechanic
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hey ... i am old enough to remember drums on the front, too , and i have had more than 1 vehicle with holes tapped in the drums for exactly this purpose; never thought of actually doing it myself, but they sure work great on a vehicle that may not have had the rear drums removed for a dozen years . looking forward to hearing from some engineers/brake techs on this topic ... good question !
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I hit the hub with a wire brush and painted the drums -- all surfaces except friction. Hopefully my financial situation will improve in the next few months and I'll be able to put some severe service shoes in back and SS pads up front, so I don't anticipate too many problems getting the drums back off. The thought popped into my head last night, and I figured I'd ask. I thought it was A Timely Question, given the number of rusted-on brake drums that have been reported here.
Lead Driver
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From: Roseville, MN
I'll second Brad on the anti-seize. I use lots of that stuff, especially when putting aluminum wheels onto steel hubs.
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My concern with anti-seize is with how long it would remain between two flat surfaces with eight 9/16-18 studs torqued to 140 ft-lbs clamping them together and where any that extruded would go, since I'm looking at brake drums rust-welding themselves to the hub. Between the drum and wheel any that extruded would obviously sling out and make a mess on the inside of the wheel; between the hub and the drum, though, it seems to me there would be a fairly good chance of it contaminating the inside of the drum and, in turn, the brake shoes themselves. I used quite a bit of the stuff when I replaced the plugs, shocks, leaf springs, and starter on my '94 (and had the occasion to bless my foresight when I wound up having to replace the starter again in a snowstorm at a gas station pump), but none of those spin at 800 RPM for hour upon hour in the same plane the anti-seize is applied on and none of them present a chance of contaminating any safety-critical hardware.
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Tuned
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From: Farmington, MO
I have done the anti seize numerous times. It pushed the access towards the inside as you tighten the lugs back down. Simply reach behind and wipe it clean. No mess. I've never had an issue with it contaminating any of the insides. Also, you are not applying a goopy mess. My anti seize comes in a bottle that has a brush attached to it. So I can apply a thin layer.
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It would be more than a little difficult to reach through the solid brake backing plate or through the solid brake drum, go around the springs, reach past the adjuster, and miss stubbing fingers on the brake shoes to get to the joint between the hub and the inside of the drum.
I guess I didn't realize anti-seize came in cans with a brush. Until my financial situation improves, I'm going to be working with a four-dollar tube of paste instead of going out and getting a brush can.
At any rate we're way off topic here. Can we get back to tapping removal holes in brake drums?
I guess I didn't realize anti-seize came in cans with a brush. Until my financial situation improves, I'm going to be working with a four-dollar tube of paste instead of going out and getting a brush can.
At any rate we're way off topic here. Can we get back to tapping removal holes in brake drums?
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bryan_johnson
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Jul 24, 2004 12:15 AM
