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Brake Drum Stuck on / Wierd Lug Bolts??

dalelease

New Member
Joined
Oct 31, 2007
Messages
29
Loc.
Fayetteville
Spent a large part of the afternoon trying to remove my driver side brake drum. I used tons of PB blaster and lost of whacking it with hammers to no avail. It has strangely shaped Lug Bolts that have what seem to be key slots or strange grooves at the flared base. The passenger side drum came right off, but it has different Lug Bolts, the traditional linear strikes or scores near the base. Are there any weird tools for removing Drums, or did they have a different system back then with Lug Bolt designs?
 

bluebroncodrive

Full Member
Joined
May 16, 2004
Messages
284
I came across that afew times ended up tapping the lug bolts in with a hammer and removing the drum then reinstalling the bolts again.
 

DirtDonk

Contributor
Bronco Guru
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Nov 3, 2003
Messages
47,275
I assume that you're talking about the rear here? Reason I ask is that some front drums are removable from the hub, while most are not.

As for the rear, I've never seen studs like you're talking about. Maybe a PO had some trouble with the originals and replaced them with oversized units. If so, they might have cut deep into the drum and rusted on there good over the years.
You say it's more like a deep key-way rather than the usual spline type "teeth"?
 

Chief Master Sergeant

Contributor
Retired U.S. Air Force
Joined
Nov 6, 2002
Messages
5,172
Try taking a propane torch and heating the drum where it slides onto the axle face (Right near the center of everything). Sometime the end of the axle and the drum get locked together. When I did my rear brakes the first time, I couldn't get one of them to budge until I heated it. It popped when it released and fell off.
 

Jeepster

Bronco Guru
Joined
Jul 13, 2001
Messages
1,507
Run a file around the center hub to clean any dirt/ scale that might be there. 2nd make sure your shoes are backed off.
Then heat- cool-heat the center while rapping with a sizeable maul around the face of the drum.

If that dosent work give us a photo of what your talking about as far as the lugs.
 

Explorer

Bronco Guru
Joined
Mar 2, 2008
Messages
4,390
Loc.
Raphine, Virginia
I have seen thin star type push-on washers over the lugs holding drum on, but not on a Bronco. And yes they do make a tool for removing stuck drums, Think it comes in a slide hammer set.
 

ep67bro

Contributor
Bronco Junky
Joined
Aug 28, 2008
Messages
3,639
Loc.
Easton, MD
I know exactly what you are talking about. I could not remove the drums from the front axle on my 73 sport tried heating didnt work, tried hammer didnt work. Like you said their was someting like a longer shoulder or groove on the studs that was holding the drum on. What I had to do was remove the hub and drum from the axle in one peice. Then I put the drum up on blocks and drove the hub out with a hammer and a block of wood. It took alot of banging but I got it done. Becareful not to bend or damage the hub. When I got the drum off it turned out that the studs had too long of a spline and were holding the drum too. I drilled the holes in the drum out a 1/32 more now the drums come off no problem.
 
Last edited:

blubuckaroo

Grease Monkey
Joined
Jun 11, 2007
Messages
11,795
Loc.
Ridgefield WA
My drivers side rear drum is always a problem comming off. This has happened since replacing that axle with an aftermarket one from Toms. I've changed drums and it still happens. It looks like the fit at the axle is too tight ang whem you put the wheel on it wedges it on really tight. My plan is to have that drum fit on the axle trimmed a bit on a lathe next time I have it out.
 

KyleQ

Bronco Guru
Joined
Apr 24, 2008
Messages
5,480
I couldn't get the drums off my 74' - I just yank the lockout and spindle nuts. I can have the drum off in under 10 minutes.
 
OP
OP
dalelease

dalelease

New Member
Joined
Oct 31, 2007
Messages
29
Loc.
Fayetteville
I will try some of these ideas. And it is my front, driver side hub by the way. If what DirtDonk said is true, and I have a non-removable drum/hub combo, I guess I will have to take them off together and beat them apart. I planned on replacing both the front drums and now they have to be replaced because I have broken several pieces of cast iron off of this drum that won't come off, just by beating and prying on it. So now, this leads me to my next question...how do you take the hub and all of that stuff off of the axle? I have a warn hub locker with 6 allen wrench type screws on the very end of the hub. Do I take those off to start with? I am going to buy new drums and order shoes...be back soon.
 

ep67bro

Contributor
Bronco Junky
Joined
Aug 28, 2008
Messages
3,639
Loc.
Easton, MD
Yes you have to take the locking hub off. Then take the spindle nuts off. Slide the whole drum and hub off. Becareful not to drop or damage the outer wheel bearings and be careful of the grease seal on the back of the hub. Get your self a big peice of wood,I used a 4x4 and a 5 lbs hammer to drive the hub down and out of the drum.
 

iwlbcnu

Bronco Guru
Joined
Nov 1, 2001
Messages
3,341
Guys grab a shop manual, the drum is pressed on the hub and held by the studs. Drive the studs out and it will come apart. Buy a new drum and studs and press it back together.
 

brewchief

Sr. Member
Joined
Feb 11, 2007
Messages
871
Before I spent the money on new drums and shoes(and maybe more when you get into it) I think I would think long and hard about upgrading to front discs. Just my 2 cents, of course I despise drum brake so any chance to rid myself of them I will.

Brewchief;D
 
OP
OP
dalelease

dalelease

New Member
Joined
Oct 31, 2007
Messages
29
Loc.
Fayetteville
Well, got it all apart and all back together again today, miraculously. Just need to hit the lug nuts with the impact gun in the morning. I put the lug bolts on the studs and drove them in enough to be able to pry the drum free. It wasn't easy, but it worked. Between two of us, we were able to figure out all of the springs and such. The only thing I am worried about is the drum getting back on all the way where it should be. The new drums slid on, but not over the swelled, scored base of the lug bolts. I am banking on the impact gun pushing it on the rest of the way when I tighten the wheels down tomorrow morning. Will this work??
 

Chief Master Sergeant

Contributor
Retired U.S. Air Force
Joined
Nov 6, 2002
Messages
5,172
Before I spent the money on new drums and shoes(and maybe more when you get into it) I think I would think long and hard about upgrading to front discs. Just my 2 cents, of course I despise drum brake so any chance to rid myself of them I will.

Brewchief;D

I second this. You live in Colorado Springs and there are more than enough salvage yards there to be able to find the parts. You won't regret it at all.
 

mark rowell

New Member
Joined
Aug 5, 2013
Messages
1
front brakes rrr

do you need to saperate the hub from the front drum or are thay one piece i nocked out the studs and cant seem to get them apart on my dana 44 think its a 72 bronco
 

DirtDonk

Contributor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Nov 3, 2003
Messages
47,275
Hey Mark, welcome to CB!
Seems like you've been cruising the old threads hunting for info. Using the way-back machine by the looks of it too!

Do you have the hub/drum assembly off of the vehicle? Or is it still installed on the truck?
Be easier I would think, if it was off. Presuming it's off and on the ground, have you soaked the junction with penetrating oil and given it some heat? Soak it on the backside too (in the drum) because there's a fairly large surface area there that is pretty sure to be rusted together after (most likely) 41 years or so.

Can you see the seams? Can you see the separate hub flange on the inside of the drum?
If so, it should work at some point. Maybe the heat will do the trick.

Otherwise, you might be looking at buying a hub/drum assembly already put together, to avoid the extra hassle of removing yours.

Good luck! As you can tell by the OP's (original poster) experience, it can take some pretty good hits and still not come apart. Enough to actually break bits off the drum and still not release.
So keep at it. Worry it into submission. But not to death... ;D

Heck, maybe put a couple of the studs back in with some nuts on them and crank 'em down to kind of "flex" the drum in the opposite direction of what you're trying to achieve first. Maybe that will break some of the rust free.

Paul
 

73azbronco

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Bronco Guru
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Nov 11, 2007
Messages
7,790
I know exactly what you are talking about. I could not remove the drums from the front axle on my 73 sport tried heating didnt work, tried hammer didnt work. Like you said their was someting like a longer shoulder or groove on the studs that was holding the drum on. What I had to do was remove the hub and drum from the axle in one peice. Then I put the drum up on blocks and drove the hub out with a hammer and a block of wood. It took alot of banging but I got it done. Becareful not to bend or damage the hub. When I got the drum off it turned out that the studs had too long of a spline and were holding the drum too. I drilled the holes in the drum out a 1/32 more now the drums come off no problem.
I did this after heat, cool, heat, PB, invention of new language, and still taco'ed the drum when I beat it off. It had become one with the hub.
 
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