Rear Drum Removal, 10 inch brakes

My tip: get new mounting studs with a shorter area to be swedged in, this way the drums are held in place by the rim instead of the hub.

I did this on my axles and now it takes 10-15 minutes to replace the brakes per side.

 

Sounds like a good idea, but if the studs are pushed out of the drums doesn't that leave the holes in the drums enlarged creating a sloppy fit?

 

With a good puller and a little heat they should come off without much fuss. When i first did mine i used a puller that actually clamped the drum itself. That was not a good idea it bent. Use the kind that pulls on the studs

 

My understanding is that the slight ring around the hub centers the drum and the studs hold it in place.

 

I believe you are correct on this. Most manafactures makes and models with drum brakes do not swag them on. My personal belief is that swaging was a feature used to simplify assembly at the plant.

 

REPORT: Got my hub puller and 15 minutes later both hubs were off...bingo. It looks like an axle seal is bad and leaking not the wheel cylinder. Good and bad, easy fix for the seal, but it also means my master cylinder is bad. But I'm going to do the back brakes now anyway since I did the fronts a while back and I have all the brake parts. One drum looks to be past turning so I'll need to buy a drum too. But, thanks everyone for the advice on pulling the hubs. With the right tool a very easy task. PS I used my impact to turn the puller and not the hammer on thing!

 

Actually, there is a metal hole saw for just this problem. Had one at the shop. You threw it on the drill press and it cut like magic. The nice thing was that you only had to take a bit off the top to get through the swag, leaving the rest of the hole intact. Might be available off one of the tool trucks or Sears.

 

I don't mean to hi jack this thread, but the discussion at hand reminds me that on occasion after backing my '63 CJ5 out of the driveway and then going forward in low gear I hear a little squeak in the rear end area. I might even be feeling a little jerk.

Do you suppose my rear hubs are turning on the axle? Never had the rear apart so I'm not familiar with that construction.

Thanks in advance for your replies.

Herb D

 

The hubs can't turn on the axle unless the key is sheared off. The key is pretty substantial and I would guess your squeek would come from one of several things that are torqued in that kind of transition: springs, shocks or ujoints. If the hub was loose on the axle you could "wobble" the wheel with it jacked up.

 

Been about twenty-five years since I looked, Herb, but I think if you pull the dust cap and nut off, you should be able to check the key. If the hub isn't locked to the shaft anymore, the key won't be square, at the least. But then, I blow it out my arse 8 times out of ten, and I'm back up to about seven or so........

How's things in your end of Jefferrson? Pretty wet up here.......

 

Steamer,
Glad to hear from another Jeffersonian. Yes, it's been wet down here too - and cold - and snowy. Although today we had a break.
Your Jeep looks like mine! Same color (I think) top, winch and Rancho. That's what mine looked like going through Wyoming mud road a month ago. I figured I'd have to ues the winch at any time but we made it through OK.
BTW, I've got a friend in Petaluma who goes by Steamer also. He's into steamcars, boats, etc. Ever seen a steampowered Kharman Ghia or a Cushman scooter?

tgregg hit the nail on the head. Rear Springs. Duh! Dummy me! I had to replace them before the last hunting trip and come to think of it now, I haven't heard that squeak since then. Of course, I haven't driven it much either since that repair. On to the next problem . . .

Thanks for the replies guys,
Herb D

 

Might want to check those lug nuts. Squeeking is a prime indicator of a loose rim.