Rear Brake Drum Mistake :(

[Marshall]

When I replaced all the wheel cylinders I ran into a small problem. The rear right drum didn't fit on as smoothly as I had hoped after replacing the cylinder. I thought maybe the new cylinder what a bit larger, so the pads got pushed out slightly, increasing the diameter of the circle of the top and bottom shoes together. Being new to working cars, I had read the manual on brakes the night before - but... I must have missed this section. So I hammered on the drum, not too hard, but definitely with force, and got it on, then moved onto the other rear wheel. This one's diameter with the new cylinders was much greater than it had been before, there was no working this one one. So, I went back to the manual and found the issue. I had to turn the brake show adjuster, buy turning the steel wedge counter clockwise to lessen the diameter. Ahhhh.... So, I did this, and it worked perfectly.

So, I returned to the first rear wheel drum I had hammered on. I started turning the brake adjuster, hoping it would free up the pads - no luck. In fact the bolt head twisted off. So now I have no adjustment and the drum is stuck on there. This one that I messed up on, was difficult in the first place to get off, now I'm sure it won't budge to fix my mistake. Unlike the front drums, the bolt holes to help remove the drums isn't threaded. (too bad I didn't see when the drum was off and thread it for the next time).

So, my question is: What do I do? I am waiting for my master cylinder rebuild kit to arrive, then I'll bleed the brakes. Will the issue work itself out? Will the pads wear down enough to give it the millimeter of space it needs? Or while I am hoping this wear down process is happening, will I be hurting other things - the engine, transmission, etc?

The drums have been on now for almost a week while I'm waiting for the master cylinder to arrive. I woke up in the middle of the night worried about this back wheel, and not really sure what to do. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Sorry, I don't have any pictures of this back wheel with the drum off, but I can take off the wheel and snap a few, although I don't think this will help - it'll look like any other wheel drum.

[moore_rb]

Hmmmmm... Yeah, You probably should have stopped at "hammer"

Hammers are great for taking things apart - they are rarely the right tool for putting things back together

You'll need to get that drum back off, and fix or replace that brake adjuster- you need those adjusters to be fully operational. if there is friction between the pad and the drum, then the heat generated when you try to drive the Patrol could glaze the pads, warp the drum, relax (soften) the return springs- all kinds of nasty heat-related stuff could happen in there.

the safest way to slide the drum back off when it's under tension, is probably to be with a crows-foot pry bar between the drum and the axle flange, and pry it a little bit at at time going around the circle (in between the studs)

but don't be discouraged - as far as Rookie mistakes go, this one is maybe a 4 out of 10...

If the brake adjuster turns out to be unfixable, then I'm sure we'll be able to scrounge up a replacement one for you....

[RiverPatrol]

^ What he said.

One positive thing you have going for you: a stuck rear drum is easier to get off than a stuck front drum. This is because the rear drum doesn't have the locking hub in the center, so you have access to pry the center of the drum against the axle, like Robert described. You'll get it, no need to lose sleep over it.

[Cameron110]

A quick question for those who are familiar with the braking system on this truck:

If Marshall loosened or removed the brake line from that wheel slave cylinder would he potentially release a bit of pressure on the shoes to allow the drum to slip off?

[Esteban]

I would try forcing water inside the drum to wet all the brake shoes' material to aid in the sliding out of the drum. Might help.

If that doesn't help you will have to free the wheel cylinder and the adjuster from behind so everything comes out a little bit and maybe you can work something then. Just some ideas. Hope you resolve your problem.

[RiverPatrol]

A quick question for those who are familiar with the braking system on this truck:

If Marshall loosened or removed the brake line from that wheel slave cylinder would he potentially release a bit of pressure on the shoes to allow the drum to slip off?

If the wheel cylinder were under pressure and expanded, yes that would work. But the wheel cylinder naturally retracts when the brake pedal and subsequently brake pressure is released. It's always worth a try though.

[Marshall]

Thank you for the advice! I will do everything suggested together and hope to get it off without too much effort. Glad to hear the rear is better to have stuck than the front...

[Swerve]

When I was selling brake cylinders to the US before. As all Australian cylinders were designed for the H260 rear diff, a slight mod was needed to fit them to C216 diffs. Otherwise with new relined shoes they would jam.

See previous thread

http://www.60patrol.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=2278

[Marshall]

Thanks Swerve! I was wondering about the shoulder lips on my new ones as well, wondering if I would have to modify. This thread shows exactly what I was thinking I might have to do. Once I get off the jammed drum I'll see if the adjustment nut makes enough room... If not, I'll grind away.

[Marshall]

So I got the drum removed today!

image.jpg

I used a long prybar borrowed from a local shop. I can see why the rear is much easier, with the open center, that's all I used to leverage against. I had also rented two pullers from AutoZone, but neither of them fit. I worked on the brake adjustment nut for about an hour with ample PB Blaster and vise-grips, it didn't budge being that I snapped the head off the bolt. I think I'll get a set of bolt extractors and see if those work. Any suggestions other than that? I am hoping to pull the bolt out completely then weld on a new head.