Hot Rods Buick drums.

i bought a Buick drum (for $60, I thought a good deal) to replace one for my '34 which can't be turned again (too little lining left). Beyond knocking the Buick hub out and using the Ford hub from my worn one, and re-drilling the holes, what needs to be done? I don't see anything else, or am I missing something?

 

If those are the Wilson backing plates I'm pretty sure that's it. No need to machine the lip off with those...

 

Thanks, it didn't look like I needed to, and the drums I have LOOK the same, but I wasn't sure. I'll knock the bad one apart and get busy, and will update. It looks like an easy job...

 

Bryan, you may have to trim a little off the outer edge to the drums , where it
may contact the backing plate. Hope that helps, good luck with your project.

.,........ Jack

 

Off to my buddy's who has a Bridgeport I go! Looks like indeed the lip on the dum doesn't need to be machined to clear the Wilson backing plate, all I have to do is mill the center hole to fit the Ford hub and drill the correct bolt pattern. Easy! I shoulda looked more closely before asking, but maybe someone else can use the info too.

 

I think the last ones I did the snout on the hub was smaller than the hole in the drum. They were Ford hubs don't know what year, I made a ring from some tubing to center them. The other issue I had the flange diameter on the hub was slightly larger than the machined recess in the drum, Just turned the flange down a little. JJ

 

By all means, make sure you have all the factory weights that might be on the drum. If not, then make some to replace what's not there if they are missing. You can usually tell the size by the area left on the drum.
r

 

i've done a bunch of Buick drums/Ford hubs and always found it was easier to turn down the ford hub to match the Buick drum than boring out the Buick drum to match the ford hub...but whatever works

raven makes a good point about balance.....i usually have them re-balanced.

 

My buddy Jake is going to turn the hub down to match the drum, as opposed to the way the old one was done. He said it's likely to have some run out done by boring the center hole bigger. Which the old one did.

 

Brian, I have a question for you: Are you running self adjusters on the brakes with the Wilson backing plates? I have a new pair of Wilsons I've not gotten around to installing as yet because always something interferes with it, either life or something else broken or otherwise needing work in order to keep driving the roadster. Plan to do as a Winter project hopefully this coming Winter. Right now I'm running manual adjusters and repro Lincoln steel backing plates with Buick drums.
Thought about trying to cut a slot for manual adjusting but I really don't want to do that if they're working OK for others with the self adjusters. But at 3 mos. from age 80, I tend to be a little storn sometimes about new fangled stuff like self adjusting drum brakes