This may be a dumb question...

[PolarrrBearrr]

Has anyone taken pics of their tear down of a Ford 9"? Or, can someone tell me how to get the rear drums off the axle?

I got a media blasting cabinet from the little woman for Christmas and my first project was going to be cleaning up the rear axle, hitting it with some Hammerite, and then putting it back together. I wanted to start with the drums (not only to clean them up but also to see what surprised might be hiding there) and I can't seem to figure out how to get the damn drums off.

I have a Haynes for the F-100 of that year (76) and it says there is a little cut in the drum that needs a screwdriver put in to release the pressure the pads put on the breaks - but possibly because its musty, dusty and crusty, don't see a clear cutout and am not sure if its the same set up.

Anybody have any insight or pics I can take a look at? I can take pics of what I have if that helps too. Thanks.

 

[mavereq]

i used a big flat screwdriver to turn the adjusters through the slot in the backing plate and had to really beat them off.

 

[broncodriver99]

Usually requires a BFH and a big screwdriver or pry bar. As mavereq said back the adjusters down and in may be a littler easier.

Here is a good write up on tearing one down: http://www.ford-trucks.com/article/idx/9/065/article/Ford_9_Inch_RebuildGear_Setup.html

 

[67 1/2 cab]

also it might be that a groove has been warn into the drums from lack of being taken care of .This will always keep a drum from coming off.I am trying to rememeber wich way you have to pry inside the slot but I think I made up a riddle one time that down was out on the pad,thusly saying that if you stick a break spoon into the little cut out slot on backside of drum if you pry down on the adjuster it will make the shoes expand so you need to pry upwards to contract the shoes . Hope this will help you.If all else fails go to your auto parts store and have them show you the exploded view of your rear brakes and that will show you how they are put together and then you will see the adjuster and how to turn it. Bye the way go buy a brake spoon they are wider than a screwdriver and are bent just right for this job. Sorry such a long post.

 

[first timer]

Back side bottom of the (edit) backing plate is where the adjusting holes are, they're oval shaped and about an inch long. They sometimes have rubber plugs in them or are crusted over with all the crap you've driven through. Once located you can shine a light and see the adjusting wheel

If your trucks already on jacks, you can tell which way to turn the adjustment because the drum will either start to move a lot more freely or become harder to move. Back it out then BFH if it doesn't slide off.

edit for terminology brain fart

 

[admin]

I thought there was a tech article on drums, but I guess it's only on pulling axles: http://classicbroncos.com/tech/9-axle-removal

I have a Haynes for the F-100 of that year (76) and it says there is a little cut in the drum that needs a screwdriver put in to release the pressure the pads put on the breaks - but possibly because its musty, dusty and crusty, don't see a clear cutout and am not sure if its the same set up.

They're probably talking about the slot in the backing plate to reach the self adjuster (star wheel) that others have mentioned. Here's a thread with some decent pics of that area: http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1024288-need-help-w-10-25-drum-brakes.html

Once you've loosened that adjuster wheel the shoes could still be hung up on the drums, especially if they're grooved. You might need to wrap on the drum with a hammer, working your way around the whole perimeter, to loosen the shoes up.

 

[SDlivin]

When your banging away with the BFH, you may want to try using a small piece of 2x4. Since the drum lip is only 1/4" or so, tough to hit it good with just the hammer. Rest the small piece of 2x4 on the lip and hit the wood.
also helps protect things. And what has already been said, work your way around the edge.
And don't be dismayed, sometimes it takes a lot, and I mean a lot, of effort getting a drum off, especially if it's been on awhile.. Other times it's a walk in the park.

 

[bronko69er]

Assuming the adjuster is loose I have had luck with a few techniques: With the axle on jack stands, put the floor jack under the drum and lift it just enough to be barely off the jack stand. If that doesnt work bang on it a bit. 95% of the time this has worked for.
I had one that was seized on the axle's register so bad that it took a bottle jack between the frame and the back of the drum and a torch heating the drum to brake it loose.

 

[Master Chief]

Had a buddy doing his brakes with the parking brake set, couldn't figure out why the drums wouldn't come off. By the time I got to his house he beat one so bad it needed replaced, at least his beer was cold!

 

[Justafordguy]

I have a Haynes for the F-100 of that year (76) and it says there is a little cut in the drum that needs a screwdriver put in to release the pressure the pads put on the breaks - but possibly because its musty, dusty and crusty, don't see a clear cutout and am not sure if its the same set up.

The little cut is not in the drum, it's in the backing plate and that how you release the pressure off the brake shoes.

 

[PolarrrBearrr]

Sorry, I didn't mean the drum - I did mean the backing plate. When I first got confused, I checked the manual, and did see the backing plate as having the access point.

The article is exactly what I was looking for, but what does this mean "Hitting Brake Drum With Hammer Between 2 Studs"? Where they are saying to hit, isn't that the drum itself? Wouldn't that get me a whole lot of nowhere?

 

[Explorer]

Wait till you try the front ones. I've got four to pull and not lookin forward to it again. These have been setting in the woods since 1985.

 

[PolarrrBearrr]

Actually, the front ones weren't too bad. The pads and calipers are already removed. I had to hit the pin pretty well, and the pads were almost fused to the rotor, but they are already off. (It turns out they were the reason that the truck was so difficult to push into the garage, and explains the skid marks on the driveway from doing it.)

The only reason I moved to the rear axle is because that's the way the frame is situated in the garage, and there isn't enough room to maneuver the rear axle around the front if the front is attached to the frame.

Essentially, I have to work from back to front.

The only thing holding me back from completely taking apart the front is I need the special socket for the front hubs.

 

[Rox Crusher]

I couldn't get my drums off even after I had the adjusters completely back off.

I had to go to the back side of the backing plate, put a very small screw driver under the head of the retaining pin to pry it through the backing plate so I could cut it with dremmel.

This releases the brake pads off the drums but then I still had to use the BFH to get the drum off.

Amazing what 20 years of gear oil (worn axle seals) mixed with brake dust can do.

 

[bmc69]

The article is exactly what I was looking for, but what does this mean "Hitting Brake Drum With Hammer Between 2 Studs"? Where they are saying to hit, isn't that the drum itself? Wouldn't that get me a whole lot of nowhere?

Nope. It is exactly correct. Once the adjuster is backed off and you are certain that the only thing keeping the drum on is the interference fit between drum and end of the axle..you beat the daylights out of it with a BFH in what intuitively (as you already noted) seems the wrong direction entirely..the ON direction, not the off direction. You can spend the rest of your trying to beat it on that lip in the OFF direction; total waste of time.

It's the dynamic rebound of the drum from the hard BFH hit(s) that will, often quite suddenly too, see the drum pop loose from the axle.

 

[Broncobowsher]

Had a buddy doing his brakes with the parking brake set, couldn't figure out why the drums wouldn't come off. By the time I got to his house he beat one so bad it needed replaced, at least his beer was cold!

I am guilty of trying to remove the drum with the park brake set.:-X
But not guilty of destroying a drum in the process. It only took a minute or so to tell the park brake was set because I couldn't rotate the drum.

Drums tend to stick the the axle or drums hang up on the shoes.
The difference is if you can get any movment between the drum and the axle. If you can't then you need to work on breaking the drum loose of the shaft first. stuck at the center registor bore is the most common, then the studs and mating surfaces.

After the drum is loose from the axle then you get to have fun with the drum hanging up on the shoes.

One of by drum breaking loose tricks. wedge a block (or bottle jack) between the spring and drum. put some pressure on it. Then hammer moderatly around the face of the drum and center of the axle shaft. Use a block of wood as a cushion and you can beat harder. Just don't hit the edge of the axle registor and mushroom that over. Filing that bugger is a pain with all the studs in the way.

 

[bmc69]

Just don't hit the edge of the axle registor and mushroom that over. Filing that bugger is a pain with all the studs in the way.

x2..and I probably know that its a pain for the same reason you do. ;D