What exactly is the point of swedged on drums?

I just got a D27 hub as a spare. It has the drum swedged onto the lug studs. I can see how this might be a great way to keep the drum/hub true and eliminate problems, until you have one.

Was that the thinking?

I immediately pressed off the hub through the drum but in the process destroyed the drum. I am fine with that since i don't want anything to do with the drum, but what if I did? I will also need to press out the lug studs and if i do manage to successfully press them out it will wallow out the lug holes in the hub and probably bend the hub itself.. Last time I did that I cut them off flush with an angle grinder and pressed them the rest of the way out.

None of this is problematic, unless you want to reuse lug studs or drums. Is there a proper way to do this for a guy who wanted to fix it without just buying everything new?

Thanks.

 

back in the 60's and 70's the had a tool called a stud cutter . it was like a hollow end mill . so you could just replace brake drums

 

Swedge cutter.
You can still get them. I've posted links here a couple of times before. A hole saw could work, and is cheaper.


http://www.fordgarage.com/pages/swaging.htm
http://www.macsautoparts.com/assets/pdf/macs/A1107T.pdf
http://fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=124924
http://www.amazon.com/Swedge-Cutting-Tool-7-16/dp/B0009RDIVM?tag=duckduckgo-d-20

 

So, with the right tools and some determination, you can replace the studs and reuse the old drum, right?


Good stuff, PeteL. thanks for posting those links. 'schpensive tool but, I guess if you need it, you need it.

And, back to the original question........WTH were they thinkin'.........designing something like that?


edit: Oh, I think I get it. Those old studs are not splined into the hub? So the swedge keeps the stud from turning? Correct?

 

same reason they thought it a good idea to put left hand lug nuts on it. It solves a non existent problem. Jeep is still building things the hard way to this day. I just worked on a grand cherokee with non replaceable u joints in the driveshaft. Got to buy a $300 drivesaft to replace the $12. u joint because they decided to swedge it instead of spending 12 cents on some clips.

 

I read the model t link and i see why they did it in 1928. Not serrated, not pressed but a key on the lug stud and cold riveted in place. I don't think that any of my 2A stuff was swedged on and thats a bit older, so why go back to an older technology even though the lug studs are modern? All I can think of is that the drums are thinner where they connect to the hub and they needed the extra mechanical clamping to get around the fact that the drums aren't as strong? I BENT the crud out of that drum I pressed off. I have never bent a drum before. Seems like there was a window of time for those drums and the swedging made them strong enough to not bend while on the vehicle? They didn't do it before or after as far as i can tell.

 

Ah but the rotation of the wheel could make them loosen over time so i have been told. I have also been told that modern vehicles have their rims constructed in such a way as to add spring to the area surrounding the lug nut interface acting as a lock washer. I then asked about aluminum rims and was told that they need to be retorqued and checked periodically.

 

Sorry. I kept editing my post as I was reading and thinking.

Yea, the aluminum wheels.........I looked at 2 sets of wheels for my truck before I found and bought the 3rd set. The first two sets both had at least one wheel that had wallowed out lug holes. I was told the same thing about checking the lugs periodically. I check mine every week or two. The rears seem to stay pretty good but, the fronts take a little sometimes. And not every lug on each wheel either. Just this one and that one. Odd.

 

The depressed center rim is what allowed lugs to be all threaded the same way. When wheels were originally completely flat the lugs tended to unscrew themselves. But with the stamped wheel that is "cupped" and tapered it works like a lock washer.

 

I've fought with them for years and the only thing I've come up with is that it is a good way to keep the hub and drum in good alignment for the brakes. The later versions had three screws to align the drum to the hub. I unscrewed them many years ago on the front of my 3B with the 11" brakes and have I have no clue where the screws are any more. Everything works fine.
Somewhere we got into left and right handed threads on wheels. I read somewhere it goes back to horse drawn wagons, left hand threads on the left side and right hand threads on the right side axle. They wouldn't loosen up on a bumpy road. It could all be total BS but this is as good as any explanation I have ever found.

 

" I BENT the crud out of that drum I pressed off. I have never bent a drum before."

Be aware that swaging and splining are different animals.

A splined stud can be driven out and replaced without damage. Standard practice on an F-350 hub and drum, for instance.

A swage is expanded and has a larger diameter than the hole in the drum which it must pass through to be removed. Hence the cutter.

 

I used a hole saw and drill press to cut the swedges on 2 hubs/drums. 5/8" as I recall, but don't quote me on that. It has to fit tight over the lug bolt. Don't worry about damaging the lugs- you'll never be able to re-use them anyhow. I think the hubs were off a 2A. The hole saw worked ok, just don't cut down too far. If you go too far, you cut into the hub and then you'll never get a lug bolt to stay in the hub. The swedge itself is somewhat shallow.

Plan on replacing the hole saw afterwards- it'll more than likely be destroyed in the process

 

This is my current problem as well.

 

Do a search for “swaged drums”. Covered ad nauseum here in the past with lots of good information.

 

The swaged studs only made sense on the early Jeeps with the drums inboard of the hub, these were the old Lockheed designed brakes. When they went to the more modern Bendix brakes the military version did not have swaged studs, but did have three screws holding the drum to the hub. This was a big improvement as far as servicing is concerned, but for some reason they kept swaging the studs on the civilian Jeeps with the 9" Bendix brakes. Neither the screws used on military Jeeps, or the swaged studs on CJs serve any real purpose other than to frustrate those who work on them. It has been speculated that both practices were to keep the drums on the hubs while going down the assembly line, and that is the only explanation that makes sense to me.

You have to cut the swaged portion before you can drive out the studs, then replace with studs with shorter splines such as used on early 70s Jeeps with the 11" brakes.

 

Seems excessive to my mind. But I wonder if it might have been related to the military's real or perceived need to sometimes ship jeeps with the wheels removed.

 

Wait until your hemi grand cherokee gets an oil pan gasket leak.. It requires removing the entire front axle and cradle assembly..

 

I suspect the military realized that brake drums which can be removed without removing the hubs makes service in the field much easier.

 

This.
Different manufactures tried this on various models throughout the years. Many early models had the drum mounted behind the hub, which made installation impossible without swagging. Later on it allowed the drum and hub to be assembled, shipped, and installed as a unit.

 

Anyone have an idea where to buy the cutting tool? I tried links above by PeteL but no success in finding a cutter.