desperately seeking advice , rear drum removal

[Phreakboy]

I am working on a 47 dodge four door and I am having a lot of problems with the rear drums, I am looking for any help to solve this. This project started because I had two stud stripped out so I was hoping to pull the drum and replace the studs. I attached my puller to the three remaining studs after soakin this hub for days and promptly pulled the threads off of a third stud basically making it so I had two good studs left and they were side by side. I then tried installing The puller and welding a lugnut back to the stud and ended up breaking the puller. So then I tried a fork puller grabbing the outer flange and heating with a torch. Also resulting in another broken puller I have hit on this thing while under pressure. And soaked it while under pressure and no matter what I do it just won't move. I'm really hoping that someone can give me some advice that I haven't already tried andully get this off as I'm starting to think I need to just find another differential.

[MacGyver]

Did you back of the 'minor' adjustors? Does the wheel turn freely?

Check this thread from the Tech Archive:

http://www430.pair.com/p15d24/mopar_forum/showthread.php?t=693

Tech archive is found here:

http://www430.pair.com/p15d24/mopar_forum/forumdisplay.php?f=22

[aero3113]

Do a search for drum removal and you will come across my threads and the issues I had removing a drum. Just stick with it, a lot of heat and banging and it will come off.

[aero3113]

I can't find my other post but here is one.

http://www430.pair.com/p15d24/mopar_forum/showthread.php?t=17960&highlight=Drum+removal

[Niel Hoback]

What I did: Grind the rivet heads off and pry the drum from the hub. Heat the hub with tension on it from a large gear puller hooked around the edges. Warm up your vocabulary and have at it!

[Phreakboy]

Did you back of the 'minor' adjustors? Does the wheel turn freely?

Check this thread from the Tech Archive:

http://www430.pair.com/p15d24/mopar_forum/showthread.php?t=693

Tech archive is found here:

http://www430.pair.com/p15d24/mopar_forum/forumdisplay.php?f=22

I did back off the adjustors, Can someone tell me if a 47 is supposed to have studs or lug bolts? I have found mixed answers to this question.

[Flatie46]

I did back off the adjustors, Can someone tell me if a 47 is supposed to have studs or lug bolts? I have found mixed answers to this question.

I have a 46, 47 and my son has a 52 they all have lug bolts.

[Phreakboy]

ok yea mine has studs all the way around, I will try to post a picture tonight and maybe someone can identify what it came from.

[Guest P15-D24]

What I did: Grind the rivet heads off and pry the drum from the hub. Heat the hub with tension on it from a large gear puller hooked around the edges. Warm up your vocabulary and have at it!

There are two adjusters, minor and major. Simple question is does the brake drum turn freely? If not the adjusters are not backed off. If you have done the minors and it is still stuck, remove the nuts holding the major adjusters. (on the backing plate) Take a hammer and drive the major adjuster bolts inward. The hole in the brake shoe rides on a "shoulder" on the adjuster bolt. When the adjuster bolt is in far enough in the brake shoe comes off the shoulder and is pulled inward away from the drum. This will release any binding. Never use a puller on the edges of the brake drum. Use the correct type of hub puller as noted on the main web site and many threads here. If you have the brake shoes pulled back from the drum it will come off easily.

[james curl]

I would do as Neil said in post no.5. Grind or drill the rivet heads off and remove the drum from the hub, then you can get to the hub with a puller and a torch. You may be able to install new studs to replace the ruined ones by knocking the old ones out then sticking the new ones in and use a sleeve or socket to tighten a nut down on the stud to pull it into place. Might not need to pull the hub then. You can thread the rivet holes and counter sink machine screws to hold the drum to the hub if you feel that it is necessary.

[Flatie46]

Wher are ya located? If your close to a felow forum member maybe they could lend a hand.

[Phreakboy]

There are two adjusters, minor and major. Simple question is does the brake drum turn freely? If not the adjusters are not backed off. If you have done the minors and it is still stuck, remove the nuts holding the major adjusters. (on the backing plate) Take a hammer and drive the major adjuster bolts inward. The hole in the brake shoe rides on a "shoulder" on the adjuster bolt. When the adjuster bolt is in far enough in the brake shoe comes off the shoulder and is pulled inward away from the drum. This will release any binding. Never use a puller on the edges of the brake drum. Use the correct type of hub puller as noted on the main web site and many threads here. If you have the brake shoes pulled back from the drum it will come off easily.

Yes the brake drum can be turned very easily with only one hand. As for drilling the rivets, mine does not have any rivets. If you look at the picture below, mine looks quite different than any of the other pics I have seen. I assume that these must have come from something else, any insight?

[Phreakboy]

Let me be the one to ask. Did you loosen the center nut? Not being a wise ...

It has to be asked.

And that is not an original drum for a 1947 Dodge

yes center nut has been loosened. I didnt think so, now im wondering what it is off of.

[Young Ed]

Post more photos of the rear end. Does it have a cover or a removable center section?

[Phreakboy]

Post more photos of the rear end. Does it have a cover or a removable center section?

no cover, it has a removable center section.

[Guest P15-D24]

and see if there is a square key (I think it is 1/4"). I'm wondering if the axle has been swapped by a previous owner. Other than that did you unbolt the major adjusters and drive them bolts out?

[Dodgeb4ya]

You have the correct OE rear drum on your car. Dodge used their own stud drums I guess to be different at least through 1952.

Bob

[Phreakboy]

You have the correct OE rear drum on your car. Dodge used their own stud drums I guess to be different at least through 1952.

Bob

This is where I'm kinda confused, one person tells me I should have the lug bolts and another is saying that studs are normal

[Young Ed]

This is where I'm kinda confused, one person tells me I should have the lug bolts and another is saying that studs are normal

For some reason dodges have studs and plymouths have bolts. The people telling you lug bolts probably weren't aware you had a dodge.

You already stated you've got the nut loose and the drum turns freely. It should come off. It took probably 20-30 hammer swings yesterday when I pulled mine. Then BAM they fly off. Make sure you leave the nut on just below the surface of the axle. You want it there for safety but the puller must push on the axle. I wrecked one of my axle nuts last time.

[greg g]

If the car is driveable, loosen the axle nut, back it of a couple of theads, then drive the car through a series of hard alternating turns. You should hear it pop. then drive it back to your work place and is should come off with little trouble. But that rear acle set up doesn't look mopar. What does the rear U joint look like??

[Merle Coggins]

You say that you broke your puller. What brand was it? A good puller shouldn't break no mater how hard you hit it with a hammer. Get a good quality puller and weld some nuts onto the stripped studs again and play Wack-a-Mole with a minimum 3 lb hammer on the slugger wrench until you think your arms are going to fall off, then give it a rest for a few minutes and wack at it again.

Merle

[Dodgeb4ya]

Here is a pic of the rear drum for a D24 right out of the factory 1946-8 parts book.

Bob

[Dodgeb4ya]

I think all that is the problem is that three studs are stripped, and the hub is really tight on the tapered axle shaft. The drum and axle are free to rotate-not a tight shoe or drum ridge issue. At this point it will require really good quality tools like a 10 ton Posi-lok or Snapon 3 jaw puller to grab the back side of the hub flange and a Oxy acetylene BIG tip torch. A rose bud or large cutting tip to get the heat in quickly on the small outer hub area while tightening the strong high quality puller and that little 11" drum will pop right off. Leave the nut on loose to prevent the whole assembly from ending up on the floor!

The drum might get damaged where the jaws hook onto the flange and push against the drum web unless the jaws are not too thick where they hook onto the flange.

Good strong tools are priceless.

Bob

[Phreakboy]

I think all that is the problem is that three studs are stripped, and the hub is really tight on the tapered axle shaft. The drum and axle are free to rotate-not a tight shoe or drum ridge issue. At this point it will require really good quality tools like a 10 ton Posi-lok or Snapon 3 jaw puller to grab the back side of the hub flange and a Oxy acetylene BIG tip torch. A rose bud or large cutting tip to get the heat in quickly on the small outer hub area while tightening the strong high quality puller and that little 11" drum will pop right off. Leave the nut on loose to prevent the whole assembly from ending up on the floor!

The drum might get damaged where the jaws hook onto the flange and push against the drum web unless the jaws are not too thick where they hook onto the flange.

Good strong tools are priceless.

Bob

the snap on 3 jaw puller is one that I have already tried and snapped one of the arms right in half, Hoping to get that replaced this week, I have now tried to have a puller on there with tons of pressure, heated and used a large slide hammer to go around the outer edges of the flange and still have yet to move this drum, Im really running out of ideas quite quickly.

[RobertKB]

Good luck with removing the drum. One piece of advice I would mention is to make sure the nut is on the end of the axle. When that drum finally comes off it will really pop and without anything to stop it, it will end up across the garage. If you are in the way, you will suffer some serious damage!