Brake Drum Stuck On

[boggie]

Hi All,

 

I have nearly completed a complete brake replacement but in doing so have created a big problem. I replaced both rear drum brake cylinders and fitted new shoes etc. The drums are in excellent condition with no ridges, the pistons are pressed fully into their bores and the adjusters are wound right off. However the drums were very difficult to fit over the new shoes so after an hour of cursing I filed a slight chamfer on the edge of the friction material and used my big rubber mallet to thump the first drum into place. When I finished I centred the shoes with the handbrake lever and the hub turned ok with very slight binding / rubbing so all was well.

 

I then repeated the procedure on the driver's side but it took more thump to get the drum on. When I tried to centre the shoes with the handbrake lever there was no movement at all and so the drum was effectively seized. I fitted the wheel to get more leverage but even using all of my strength I cannot budge the wheel at all.

 

I need to get the drum off so I can resolve the problem, I am considering removing a little of the metal shoe where it sits against the cylinder piston but the drum is stuck fast. No matter how much I bash the rear edge (which is hard to get to) I cannot budge it at all.

 

Have any of you any advice or is there a tool / puller etc to get stuck hubs off? If not I may need to try and carefully cut the drum in half with my grinder but obviously I want to avoid that if at all possible.

 

Thanks,

Ian

[Alec Pringle]

Hi Ian,

 

my usual technique for a stuck drum is a big hammer and hardwood drift shaped to suit - you don't want to thump the drum too hard with a steel hammer, or it may shatter. The hardwood drift prevents that. Work your way round thumping steadily and keep going round . . . . it may only move a few thou initially, but it should gradually slide off. As it starts to move, a wedge in the opposite side from where you're whacking it helps prevent 'rocking'. Keep moving the wedge round opposite where you're hitting. Slow but steady.

 

Cheers,

 

Alec

[TR 2100]

my usual technique for a stuck drum is a big hammer and hardwood drift

shaped to suit

 

Hi Alec,

 

That's my standard technique as well, but it's more appropriate to

when the brake drum is stuck on through being left for a long time.

Knocking frees up the shoes.

 

As everything is new, it's a different problem.

The problem is, I think, that with the new shoes jammed in the drum,

they will tend to move out with the drum as you knock it and jam against

the drum even more.

 

I don't really have a solution - can you turn the drum at all?

 

If you are going to tap/knock/hammer the drum from the back, it

will be more effective to do this at the wheel cylinder and adjuster

locations rather than in between.

 

The hammer/wooden block routine will help the shoes find the central

location - this may help a bit.

 

Ian - I take it you haven't left the countersunk screw in place?!!

That's not intended to be an insult to your intelligence, any more

than it is intended to be an insult to the rest of us TR owners who

have themselves done equally stupid things in the past.

 

AlanR

[M. Pied Lourd]

Ian,

 

I had a stuck brake drum on a TR6 that I was restoring last year and no matter what I did, I could not get it off.

 

I resorted to a large 3 arm puller and within about 2 minutes I had the drum off after fighting with it for a couple of days.

 

I can post some pics of the puller that I used if you think that it will help.

 

Cheers,

M. Pied Lourd

[cvtrian]

Also presuming the adjuster is fully retracted?

Ian