1936 P2 Rear Brake Drum

[bighammer48]

HELP ! I just broke my 2nd hub puller trying to get the left rear drum off my '36 P2. The right one came right off, but this one ??? I have now broken almost $300 worth of heavy duty hub pullers. My latest pulled the lug bolts right through the puller arms and they were hogged down tight against the drum. So far, I've tried the old drive around a corner trick, PB Blaster, heat, impact, 36 " breaker bar, and nothing has worked. I need to get the LR qwheel cylinder sleeved as it is dripping off the backing plate. Any more ideas ???

[Norm's Coupe]

What kind of puller are you using? Can you post a picture of it?

[bighammer48]

It's a "heavy duty" weighing about 10 lbs. It has a 7/8" center bolt with a hex head that a tee for hammering fits on. There is a heavy steel ring about 1 1/4 " thick that three forged arms lock on to via a C shaped forging that slides into a top and bottom groove of the center ring. I could take a digital picture, but don't know how to post it here.

[bob westphal]

You will need to post you picture on 'Photobucket first and then use the yellow 'insert image' button on the quick reply window.

You might want to be certain that the brake shoes are retracted. I have seen them hang up in an expanded position even with the excentric backed off. I have had this same trouble in the past. I resorted to heating the hub around the axle until it was bright red. Then cooling it with water until it was cold. This will expand the hub around the axle just enough to let it to pop off. When it is especially stubborn I had to do it several times but it has never failed. I hate doing this on drums but it has to come off. You might want to check the drum for warpage. Good luck!!

Bob

[bighammer48]

The drum rotates freely. I have a pir of new drums from Kanter, but cannot find anyone locally( 15137 ) who is willing to press the hubs out of the old drums and into the new ones. I am to the point where I am afraid of damaging something irreplaceable such as the axle. Thanks for your advice.

[bobby horne]

I could not get the drum off the left rear on my 38 Plymouth. I just ground off the rivets, the drum came off easy, and then worked on the wheel cylinder and put on new brakes....

[greg g]

silly queston, did you back off on the brake adjusters. If all else fails and you have new drums, perhaps its time to use a cut off wheel to the darn thing.

[Young Ed]

I've never seen one be stuck that hard. I pulled the drums off a 40 plymouth pickup that had been in the junkyard since the 50s. Probably 45 years of MN winters on those things. The shoes were stuck to the drum but it still came off without heat or wrecking the puller. This is a bluepoint puller though. Hate to say it but if you wrecked those pullers they couldnt have been that good IMO

[billwillard]

I know some of you keep telling me it doesn't work but it works for me every time. Loosen the nut 1 turn and drive and you will hear it when it pops. No it may not come loose just driving it around th block but sooner or latter it will. For those of you who keep telling me this doesn't work take your hub nut off and through it away. See how far you make it without your wheel falling off and then tell me it doesn't work.

[Norm's Coupe]

Well, if you've tried everything and it still doesn't come off, it's like Greg said. It's time to cut your losses and cut the thing off. Even if you mess up the axle, it can be replaced too. Bottom line is, if you never get the drum off, you'll never get the brakes fixed to drive the car, so what good is that?

[Don Coatney]

For those of you who keep telling me this doesn't work take your hub nut off and throw it away. See how far you make it without your wheel falling off and then tell me it doesn't work.

Bill;

I believe you. It will work:D

[Niel Hoback]

All four of my drums are separated from their hubs. I had them off the car when I cut the rivets, but if I were to do it again I would leave them on the car and grind the heads off of the rivets.

Prying the drums off the hubs should be easy then, and brake work could be done. Chevys were like this for years.

I worried that they would creep around the hub without the rivets, so I put 3/8" roll pins in after pushing out the rivets. I wouldn't do that again because they are unecessary.

The drums have not moved since I put them back on, they are trapped between the wheel and the hub and can't go anywhere anyway, and brake work is much easier even if all I'm doing is checking.

Once the drums are off, you can work on removingthe hubs, but removing the rivets from the hub is not necessary.

I wish we were closer, I would do it for you.

[Don Coatney]

quando omni flunkus moritati.

Neil;

You are as sneaky as the only American marsupial:cool: You gonna splain this or should I ask Red Green:confused:

[bob_amos]

In the past I have used Bill's method with great success. On a few of them I did have to "slide" it around a corner to break it free. I now have a Snap-On puller and it works on every single one that I have had for the last 20 years. It did break a couple of times but has a lifetime warrantee so I never worry about using it. There are loads of lesser pullers and breaking them is costly as they have no warrantee... If at all possible, and after you try Bill's method, see if you can find someone in your area with a Snap-On puller. If you break it there is nothing to be conserned with as it'll be replaced free of charge.

[Norm's Coupe]

Even if you remove the rivets to get the drum off, that only solves part of the problem. What happens if you still can't get the hub off? If you don't get that hub off at some point, you can't service the wheel bearings.

[bighammer48]

Thank you Gentlemen for all of your suggestions. Just an hour ago I got the hub off using a combination of the advice I received here. This is how I did it:

1. 
   Turns out a neighbor had a Snap-On puller that he lent me. I soaked the hub once again with PB Blaster;

• Put on the puller and let it sit under tension for 2 1/2 hours;

• Came back to it and gave a few sharp raps to the hub with a baby sledge and some steel chisel stock;

• Took a 3/4" Breaker bar with a 1.125" socket and put it on the puller screw;

• Took a 42" piece of fence post pipe and put it over the breaker bar handle and began lifting;

• After about a 1/4 turn, there was a loud bang which caused me to think I broke another tool, but it was the hub breaking free;

After all of this, the hub slide right off like it was on a greased rail.

I carefully inspected the hub and axle. There was no corrosion or anything else to indicate why it was seized so tightly. I think the guy who did the frame-off resto must have hogged down the spindle nu with a large impact wrench to make it the equivalent of a hydraulic press fit.

Anyhow, I'm back in business, thanks again to all of you !

[Young Ed]

According to the shop manual spec there is no too tight setting The spec for the nut is 142 ft lbs minimum.

[Niel Hoback]

Don, when all else fails, play dead. Works for me.

[billwillard]

Why couldn't you put anti size on axle to make it easer next time?

[Niel Hoback]

I put a very light coat of grease on the axle thinking it would retard rust and maybe keep the hub from sticking. Some day I fill find out if it worked.

I just figured it couldn't hurt. Anti-seize would probably have been better.

[Normspeed]

Why couldn't you put anti size on axle to make it easer next time?

Bill, I've tried that, doesn't seem to improve the situation.