How do I remove the rear brake drums? Do I have to pull the axle?

 

Bill, yes you will need to pull out the axle(s) to remove the brake drums. should be eight bolts to remove that hold the axle, then there are two large nuts on the axle itself. They can be tricky to remove. These come out one at a time, and there should be a washer with a tab between the axle nuts. A shop manual would be a good idea before doing this so you will have correct torque specs for re-assembly. You may ned to adjust the brakes "down" so the drum will slide off as there may be a ridge on the drums. Good luck.

Wayne
e-mail
http://home.pacbell.net/whomrig

 

Thanks, Wayne,appreciate the assist. I've been trying to find a service repair manual (eBay and a few other sites) but so far have only found Chilton which I've never liked very well. I'm mostly puzzled by a couple of small clips on the outside of the drum, on the wheel studs, that give me the impression that the hub could be removed without pulling the axle. Any ideas??

 

Bill, you could be correct as my F-350 is a lot older. These clips were used to hold the drum in place during assembly. They are not necessary to replace. The best shop manual will be a ford manual. E-mail me if you like.

Wayne
e-mail
http://home.pacbell.net/whomrig

 

Bill, maybe I'm missing something here, but I replaced the rear drums on big doolie last year and other than jacking the beast up, and having tires and lug nuts seemingly everywhere, it was a piece of cake.

My old drums slipped off easily without issue. No axle removal, no clips. I did have to back off on the brake shoe adjustment to allow the new drums to slide on.

Hope this helps.

Chris
'88 F350 XLT Lariat CC DRW/7.5l/C6/4.10
'93 Mustang LX 5.0l/T-5/3.55's/Flo's/pulleys/K&N/Synthetics
Nissan p/u (DC commuter)
Volvo 940

 

Thanks for all the responses - all the info is helpful. In this case, it turns out that what I initially thought was a leaking wheel cylinder, wasn't brake fluid; it was an inner wheel seal.
I've run (mostly) Fords all my driving/owning life, about 50 yrs., but this '88 has been a real pain - I have just over 80,000 miles on it and have had more problems and repairs than anything else I've ever owned; very discouraging.
Bill
'88 F-350 (diesel)
'52 F-600
'61 F-600
'69 3500 Tractor (diesel)

 

Some trucks came with Dana rears and some had a Sterling. The drums just slip off the Sterling and the hub and all has to come off the dana.

 

Guess I must have the dana, or else they are rusted fast - I tried to just slide them off, even made a 'puller', but finally had to remove the axles.
Thanks - Bill