Help! rear drums won't come off!

[Cpt.Fred]

thanks for all the advice, folks!

the puller looks nearly the same than mine, i can turn the drum with my bare single hand, and i checked the adjustement screws, so thats as easy as it gets... was back there yesterdayday night, slapped it like you said... still nothing.

gonna buy a propane torch and a BIGGER HAMMER today.

where exactly do you hit the puller?

right on top of the nut, where i put the tube on for turning the puller shaft?

so, lets say, the strike goes 90° right on top of the center axle shaft?

i hate this construction...

[Andydodge]

Fred, you hit the hammer right onto the head of the bolt that goes thru the puller body, the bolt/nut/hexagonal thing has thread that goes thru the puller body onto the brake drum axle........the nut on that drum you have already loosened a thread or two, the puller centre bolt thing is screwed hard onto the axle end, when you hit the puller nut/bolt thingie it transfers your displeasure down the threaded bolt thingie onto the axle and scares the S**T outa the brake drum which procedes to come off...........this of course is the theory........the application of the hammer to the bolt thingie is the practical application of this theory.......lol..........andyd

[Cpt.Fred]

great! thats it, we should write that down in a book or something,

"how to hate things off other things",

"the practical use of hate in mechanical procedures"

"the hammer as a symbol of dislike in the history of mankind"

etc....

ok, skywards ho!

i'll keep you updated, if i don't accidently crush my hand...

[Andydodge]

Fred, remember, big is good, bigger is better.......and give the SOB one from me as well.........lol...also if the puller wants to turn as you tighten the bolt/nut/thingie place a large screw driver/piece of steel/etc in between the puller arms and turn the puller/drum assembly until the protruding screwdriver/whatever jams into the floor, then turn the bolt thingie an extra turn , discuss the drums "parentage", then give it some more hammer.........lol...andyd

[Joe Flanagan]

If Fred's drum is turning freely, then could it be that the place where it's stuck is at the hub, where the axle end goes through the hole in the drum? Maybe some solvent is needed in that area?

Now Fred if you don't tell us when you get it off, we're all going to be disappointed, 'cause we're all waiting on this side of the Atlantic.

[oldmopar]

You should have only one side jacked up if both rear wheels are off the ground the axle will turn.

[Cpt.Fred]

good morning everyone,

i'd like to bring good news, but unfortunately i can't.

it was an epic battle, but i had to retreat finally and accept the supremacy of

THE DRUM.

though i used a torch and bought a huge hammer, it didn't move.

i completely wrecked the drum puller and broke the hammer in 2 pieces.

i brought it back to the shop and yelled at the guys, got my money back and yelled some more. felt better afterwards.

hail to the drum. master of stolidity.

i won't touch it for a long while, then, one day, get a bigger puller and an even bigger hammer. and when it least expects it....

i have enough work on the car at different places, so i just let it rest and do some other stuff. started repairing the upholstery, worked out great. sat in the sun and drank beer. decided to have a great day.

thanks again for all your tips, guys!

[Young Ed]

You need a better puller. I wish I had a picture handy of the one we have. The legs move but are permanently attached. Twice as big as the one you pictured. Might have to watch ebay etc until you can find a beefier puller

[Joe Flanagan]

Fred,

Watch the puller on e-bay that Greg pictured. While you're doing other things, you might want to spray around the hub with a good penetrant every now and then in case it's hanging up at that point. See what that does after a week or so. Someone posted a picture of a home-made drum puller here a few weeks ago I think. It didn't look too hard to make and it seemed pretty sturdy. Can anyone help with that one?

[Reg Evans]

Just curious. Did you try the other side?

[Cpt.Fred]

didn't have the guts yet.

the car is parked real close to the wall at the moment, when i'm done on this side i'll turn it around and go for the right one. might have a puller by then that can do the job... who knows? i'll ad some pics of the action later.

[Cpt.Fred]

here we go.

the puller on the hub before the battle:

and the ones that went first:

the one on the right was a cone ones with even sides and a sharp point...

those big pullers you mean are hard to get over here, never seen one on the bay so far. shipping might be a bit expensive from the states.

[Don Jordan]

one hint from experience:

when you use the wheel puller make sure you leave the nut on it because when it breaks lose it comes off like a shot.

third pix you can see the nut still on.

[Go Fleiter]

Cpt. Fred,

here in Düsseldorf, we too didn´t have success with my 51 rear drums. See my setup with a nose on the puller taking impact to the floor instead of the gears of differential.

http://plymouthbulletin.com/smf/index.php?topic=2027.0

Foto is of march, 14

Good luck! Go

[Cpt.Fred]

hey go, i don't see a photo on the link, i'll just pm you in a minute! thanks!

[JIPJOBXX]

Just a little oft the subject here but it does have to do with big hammers and pullers. I spent my career working for Uncle Sam at Puget Sound Naval Ship Yard. My particular trade was Marine Machinist which involved removing, repairing and installation of various on board ships equipment. One of the jobs I did have was to remove the main hub nut from the props. Well we would use the same kind of equipment like the ones seen here but of course alot bigger. But here the main thing use a big hammer and don't be afraid of breaking oft that axle. At one time I used a 40 lb hammer to get one of the main wheel or hub nuts oft and it worked but I can still remember that big old hug hammer and getting maybe three swings in and then die. I have not tried that drive it oft thing but it sounds like it would work. Good Luck!!!!

[PodSquad48]

I've read as much as possible on this subject here and STILL CANT GET THE HUBS OFF! This is my third weekend and Im not giving up. I already broke the rental hub puller. I've now got a very high quality puller, whacked it with a sledgehammer, doesnt even budge. I can't move the drums by hand more than a quarter turn, they do move when I tighten the hub puller. I've played with the shoe adjustments, I've tried heat, cant get these bast***S off. I keep thinking Im missing something, but everyone I've talked to as well as on here says the same thing. If I am hung up on the shoes somehow, what options do I have? I noticed in the manual that there is an oil drain plug below/behind the drum, if I pull that plug and PB Blast the hell out of it would I be getting the PB wear it needs to go/ I've already PB'd frm the front with no affect. Any help is greatly appreciated. I need to get the rear brakes n cylinders done and shes almost ready to go after 30 years in hibernation!

[Young Ed]

Even if you are hung up on the shoes they should still come off. The parts car I did the drums were grooved bad and the shoes were stuck in them. I had to use the puller beyond just getting the drums to pop off the axle but they still came off. Of course I bent the shoes this way but I don't think they were coming off any other way. Put the puller on there and hit it so its tight. Then hit it some more. You can try leaving it tight on there overnight and then hitting it more the next day

[Joe Flanagan]

And did Capt. Fred ever get his drums off?

Capt. Fred?

[BobT-47P15]

Guess I've been lucky so far.

I removed the left rear tire from the coupe to have a tube put into it.

Decided to look at the brake shoes at that time......the drum just came

right off, no problem. Ones on the convert were never a problem either.

(knock on wood)

[blueskies]

I noticed in the manual that there is an oil drain plug below/behind the drum, if I pull that plug and PB Blast the hell out of it would I be getting the PB wear it needs to go/ I've already PB'd frm the front with no affect.

If you are referencing the pipe plug that is on the bottom and at the end of the axle housing tube, it is there to grease the axle bearing. There is a seal in the backing plate to keep the grease out of the brakes. Squirting PB blaster in there wouldn't do much, but wash out the bearing's grease.

How about drilling a couple of small holes in the hub, down to the tapered axle, and squiring the PB in there?

Pete

[RobertKB]

I have never had trouble pulling drums even on cars that have sat for 30+ years. There is more to it than just hitting it hard. Every time you hit it dead centre you also have to tighten the puller by turning the handle, usually with the same hammer. It is very important to keep the centre of the puller really tight to the axle.

[Brendan D25]

I saw a post on the H.A.M.B. where a guy soaked his with water and got them off. I sent a PM to Capt. Fred about it, don't know if he tried it, it sounds crazy but water might do the trick.

[cherokeebobb]

Had same problem on 49 Desoto couple years ago. There was no hammar or puller big enough to budge the dang thing. One side came off ok. It took some real heat just about red hot and steady hefty tapping with the hammar for my to come loose.

[RobertKB]

I have always removed them the way I described but hey I could be wrong. I have never suffered any axle or bearing damage as I always look for that. I was shown the technique I use by an old time mechanic so I assumed it was correct. Anyone else out there have any input?