I picked up a Model A rear end really cheap but I may have outsmarted myself. Can't get brake drums off. The whole thing is really, really rusty. Tried turning the drums with a large pipe wrench and a piece of pipe for a handle extender. Bent the handle on the 24 " pipe wrench Drums won't turn, brake levers won't move, tried a puller and got nowhere, tried a little heat from a propane torch. Any ideas?? I've used a lot of liquid wrench. Maybe I should turn the whole rear end up on its side and soak the drum and brake assembly in a bucket of oil for a while, then turn it over and soak the other side??
Try PB blaster inside the drums.Propane won't get hot enough.White vinegar might work in your soak tank.What kind of puller?
I agree. I just bought a 46 Ford parts car for parts for mine, and the front drums are also not coming off, so I am going to torch the drums to save the spindles, backing plates, and internal parts. Once the drums get to that point they are scrap anyways. Don
After you cut them off see if that as rusty inside as they on the outside.You did back off on the adjusters, didn't you? Bob
Not a 100% sure but doesn't the key and the " ice cream cone " have to come off to correctly remove the drums . A puller is needed
Heat up adjusters back them off and get a puller. I just did this today it took awhile. One side came off easy and the other took awhile. I also used a pry bar on either side of drum and used a hammer a bunch to know stuff loose. What parts are you trying to save from it?
just use a small grinder and grind off the little pins on the outside of the backing plates, that hold the brake shoes to the backing plates, the shoes will come off with the drums. You will also need a puller
As noted, remove the cotter pin and big nut and apply a puller. When the drum moves it will likely rip out a lot of the brake parts, but it is pretty unlikely that anything in there is usable anyway. Since drums are headed for the trash, you can use a common 3 arm puller instead of the scarcer Fod specific designes. PROTECT THE AXLE! Put the nut back on screwed out to the end to support the threads. A cap would be better there, used to come with the pullers but can easily be made from a repro bingo puller from Brattons.
When trying to pull rusty old drums, back the axle nut off a few turns - don't remove it as it'll capture the drum when it finally breaks free - I back the nut off and heat with torch, when very very hot I melt either beeswax or petroleum jelly into the axle behind the nut so it runs into the tapered area on the axle. When it cools I use a puller smacking the dogbone with a sledge. I've seen them so tight the whole rear will jump when they come loose, if the nut isn't on they'll fly clean off the axle. Model A rear?
Knock out the pin that holds the operating wedge (should look like a pivot pin on the bottom). It's been a while since I've had to do this but I had an issue getting fronts off a while ago and that's what I had to do. Once that's totally out and loose inside the assembly, go around the whole drum with a BFH or deadblow to loosen it up then work it with pry bars and a hub puller.
On some models the drums are swedged to the hub. The lug studs are widen where the drum meets them.. You have to cut the top of the lug stud to remove the drum. Don't know if they did that on Model T's but that slow me down a lot on my 34 when I redid the brakes.
Tore a banjo apart this past month that had been sitting outside. Frozen drum as well, wouldn't move with a puller,heat or soaking. Finally got fed up and beat the hell out of it with a 5 lb hammer! Busted it up into thousand pieces. Must have intimidated the other drum ..it came off rather easily!
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