Technical Stuck/frozen brake drums, Help

So I'm bringing a car ('64 Buick) back to life that has sat for many, many years. The rear wheels won't move. I suspect the brake shoes have bonded to the drums. The retainer pins, holding the shoes to the backing plate are broken and out. After impacting with hammer blows and an air chisel, the drums come away about 1/4 to 3/8 inch. A large puller has no effect and I do not want to risk bending the backing plate.
The next tactic is cutting the face of the drum away to expose the shoes and cut the springs to get them off the plates. The adjuster wheel does not turn to slack the shoes away from the drums, nor can any penetrating solvent be applied to the lining/drum surface due to the semi-circle shape of the bottom of the backing plate.
I have a spare set of rear drums and hardware, so destroying the old ones is not an issue. Heating with a torch is not a viable option, due to circumstances.
Anyone have other tactics/ ideas as to how to proceed?

 

Verify that the parking brake cable is not seized in the ON position.
Are you sure you are turning the self adjusters the correct way? Even if the shoes/drums were seized you should still be able to retract the jack screws. You were pushing the parking brake self adjuster plate out of the way?

 

Remove the wheel cylinders bolts.
If still impossible to get loose, remove the bolts holding the backing plate/bearing retainer to the axle housing and remove the axle. Dropping the whole axle studs down will get it apart.

 

I just went through that on a 61 Buick. I pried and pried, took the bolts out of the wheel cylinders no go. I ended up doing as you mentioned. I took my torch and cut the face of the drum. That made it easy peasy

 

When I've had the same problems with drums or any other tough part, I discovered through a friend a product
called "Aero Kroil", which is unbelievable. 10x better than PB Blaster, WD40 or any other penetrating oil I have
ever used. I was completely skeptical when I first heard about it, but after trying on a frozen drum and other parts,
I have never used anything else. For the drum, I just spray a ton of it around the back lip, into the brake adj. holes
and on the studs and flange. Wait 20-30 minutes and then hit the rim with a hammer. It says that it is the oil that creeps, and whatever it does, it seems to get into and past places that nothing else can.

Here is a pic of the product. Have never seen it in stores, but on-line.

 

Since you say a torch is not viable at the car's location; unbolt the bearing retainer/backing plate bolts, unhook the brake line, and chassis end of the parking brake cables; then pull the axle, drum, backing plate as a chunk and take it somewhere you can torch on it.

 

I have used aerokroil for several years. Works better than other products.

 

Kroil is a great product. I use it often when dis-assembling old Stromberg carburetors. several year ago, my youngest son bought me a can at the Englishtown flea market. I asked my son if the seller had any more. My son replied that the seller had a case of 12 cans for $ 1.00 per can. I asked my son, why didn't you buy all 12 cans, he told me that he didn't think that I needed 12 cans

 

You say heating with a torch is not viable, does that also exclude cutting?

I ask because I have much luck by burning the adjuster off through the adjuster slot. That's pretty quick, not much gas used.

The problem is if the adjusters were tight, (and on the rear with the parking brake strut) there isn't room for anything to move.

 

A couple of years ago I had a 63 Galaxie that had sat beside a slough for near 20 years. I had to cut a window in the drum and cut the brake adjuster with the torch. After that and a few smacks with an FBH the the drums nearly fell off. Everything inside the drums had been wet so often everything was just rusted to everything else.

 

As an aircraft Mechanic, I've used Kroil forever. It's very effective, but it retails over $17/ can these days.

 

Yes, this can was given to me and when I went to the web, I realized I didn't say thank-you enough times to my
kind giver...Bob

 

As mohr hp said Kroil is pretty expensive, works well but most other penetrants will too given time, ran into this issue before and the fastest method is to pry the drum away from the backing plate and cut the outer sides with a slitting disc, the face of the drum is quite thin so it will bend out easily and you can get at the guts of the brake system. Your hopping to save the backing plates? In my experience when the brakes are that corroded the plates are usually done too.

 

Look up Kroil on the internet. I did, and I got 2 cans for $ 17.00 with free shipping.

 

Where would that be? Inquiring minds need more info; I am getting low and was looking a couple days ago didn't see anything priced like that.

 

I have always just clamped a jitterbug sander to the drum and let it rip for about 10 minutes, drums come off after everything shakes loose. Silikroil is awesome stuff too - the silicone version.

 

Wonder if a air chisel with a round nose tool in it would jar the drum enough to free it. It might be wise to put a bit of wood or thick plastic between the drum and tool when trying it.

 

I did this with a 4 1/2 inch cut off wheel

 

There’s a big old ridge on the lip of the drum behind the brake shoes where the shoes never make contact.
Keep working at that adjuster wheel even if you make that hole bigger, it’s easy to weld up a backing plate.

On late model stuff in Ohio where drums are about $30.00 we cut them drums off all the time because it ain’t worth fucking with.

 

You say that you have new drums. Start with a BFH and begin breaking the cast away. You will work out your frustrations with whatever issue is bothering you.

 

Kano Kroil is the same product but in a spout can without the spray and is quite a bit cheaper than the Aero Kroil....

LynnW

 

Where do I buy Kroil? Yet to try it.

 

His drums move 1/4 to 3/8”
Penetration oil isn’t the problem solver.
Broken pins wedging shoes and wear Ridge on the back of the drum

 

Hook up a chain and drag the car, if that doesnt get them loose, pull the wheel and sledge hammer the drums, either to loosen or just break them off. Your choice.

Ive fought seized drums for days just to find out theyre garbage. By the time most of these cars are parked the brakes have been used to their limit anyway.

 

knock out the wheel studs use a lot of pb blaster or other. big hammer and pry bars. last four I done took a hour a piece. They rust around the center hub not just the shoes.

 

You could take the fronts off at the ball joints and work on them at workbench.

 

Yeah!.........

 

^^^ This^^^ is what the issue is.

The self adjuster lever on that setup pushes down on the adjuster's teeth on the wheel side so you have to push up on your brake adjuster tool to push down on the adjuster wheel to back the brakes off. AT the same time you have to push the adjuster lever away from the wheel so the wheel will turn. I used to use a piece of 1/8 welding rod bent just so or an old skinny and rather long screw driver to do that with. It won't turn unless you push the adjuster away from the star wheel .

If that doesn't work and you don't intend to use the drum I'd sacrifice the drum as suggested.