Removing rear drums

[47ply]

Howdy,

So I'm going to replace the rear wheel cylinders and brake springs on my 47 Plymouth. Haven't opened it yet but my research indicates the drums are hard to remove. I'll loosen the castle nut and try to put on backwards and use a beefy drum puller and smack that thing to remove the drum. But i heard i can loosen nut a little and then drive in circles to break the drum loose, is this something I should try?

 

Also when I did the front, one of the lower brake anchors just wouldnt go in enough to get the cotter pin in. Okay to tighten it real good and not worry about it or any ideas what the issue was? Also that same side was hard to get the drum back on an drags a bit, not sure why, okay to not worry?

 

Also, i put the anchors in with arrows pointing toward the wheel cylinders, is that correct?

 

Thank you for the help, I need to do this right so it's safe. If brakes go out should I just pull the brake lever and shut the engine off in gear?

 

Should I just replace the master cylinder while I'm at it or not worry about it if it works. I want brakes to work as good as i can get them so everyone is safe.

 

Thank you!

[Tom Skinner]

47ply,

I always used a puller. Remember to leave the nut on a turn or two while using the puller so the drum doesn't shoot out at you.

When they break loose it can sound like a gun shot some time. I bought a puller for $30 long ago, they are now allot pricier on ebay now.

Rented pullers from say Advanced Auto don't seem to work as well. If you know an older mechanic he may have one you can borrow.

Be safe!

Tom

[Tom Skinner]

47ply,

On your other questions, please, please! go by the Service manual, it sounds like you may have other issues and need to know how to adjust brake shoes etc. etc.

Good Luck!

Tom

[47ply]

Thanks. I'll try and find a manual 

[keithb7]

To get these brakes right and safe, you need to understand the fundamentals of the Lockheed brake system. If you aren’t sure of the differences between major and minor brake adjustments, or how to get shoes set concentric, you should do more research.  
 

Drum to shoe clearance is very important. 
 

 

[keithb7]

 

[Sam Buchanan]

You can begin your education with this article in our Technical section of the forum:

 

https://p15-d24.com/page/p15d24/tech/brakes.html/

[47ply]

Thank you!

[47ply]

Watched the video thanks.

 

Is that special adjustment tool expensive or rare?

[joecoozie]

14 minutes ago, 47ply said:

Watched the video thanks.

 

Is that special adjustment tool expensive or rare?

Hard to come by and around $500-$600

You can make one or buy a "fabricated" one

[47ply]

My grampa might weld me one up. Any guides on that?

[joecoozie]

52 minutes ago, 47ply said:

My grampa might weld me one up. Any guides on that?

 

[Bryan G]

Some of my experiences: I found a decent puller from a vendor on walmart.com and it worked well, once this knucklehead figured out he was supposed to hit the arm on the puller with the hammer, and not the drum! It did sound like a gunshot when it broke loose.

 

I adjusted mine without a tool but it took a lot of back and forth. I finally broke down and bought one of the tools MoparPro sells. I was pleasantly surprised that I had it right on the money! It turns out the trouble I had was I skimped and didn't buy new return springs. Do it. Mine had weakened to the point that I would have the brakes adjusted just right and the first time I pressed the pedal the drum would be tight. They just weren't pulling back enough.

 

Every resurrection I've done I really needed a master cylinder, but sometimes I put it off. In the grand scheme of things, they aren't that expensive so why not?

[Kilgore47]

Inspect the brake lines also.  If original they will be rusted.  Those lines are not that hard or expensive to replace.