Seized Brake Drums

[SPDguns]

Yeah, try driving out (In actually) the studs. That will tell you if the drum is frozen to the studs or axle face. Next option is torch and hammer. I always use a 6ft piece of 4X4, hitting the drum at an angle to "shock" it loose. You can hit it pretty hard without damaging the drum. I always insert strategic cusswords, which does absolutely nothing other than make me feel good and scare the neighbors. Heat might warp the drum, but at this point it probably doesn't matter. If you get the drum off, you can put the wheel on without the drum to at least get it rolling. Good luck.

Is there any play or movement whatsoever? If the drum wiggles in the least little bit (in and out, not rotational) it is stuck to the brake shoes, not the axle.

 

[MacFromOK]

Did ya miss the suggestion about drilling small holes in the backing plate? That should be the least invasive and/or damaging. Assuming y'all haven't already done some damage.

If he's been beating on the drum perimeter with a sledge, you may have to replace the axle bearing.

 

[Dave70968]

Yeah, try driving out (In actually) the studs. That will tell you if the drum is frozen to the studs or axle face. Next option is torch and hammer. I always use a 6ft piece of 4X4, hitting the drum at an angle to "shock" it loose. You can hit it pretty hard without damaging the drum. I always insert strategic cusswords, which does absolutely nothing other than make me feel good and scare the neighbors. Heat might warp the drum, but at this point it probably doesn't matter. If you get the drum off, you can put the wheel on without the drum to at least get it rolling. Good luck.

Is there any play or movement whatsoever? If the drum wiggles in the least little bit (in and out, not rotational) it is stuck to the brake shoes, not the axle.

No, there's no wiggle at all that we noticed. We also tried using a three-jaw puller to pull the drum off (out), with the center post against the hub, and got no motion there.

Did ya miss the suggestion about drilling small holes in the backing plate? That should be the least invasive and/or damaging. Assuming y'all haven't already done some damage.

If he's been beating on the drum perimeter with a sledge, you may have to replace the axle bearing.

I saw it, but I know dad won't go for that either.

 

[emapples]

The brake cable is so loose as to be flopping around, and again, the other one turns, so I don't think that's it. @xseler , I know what you're talking about--there are two screws that hold the drum to the hub. For those not familiar with the design, the lug studs come through the back of the hub, through the hub, then the (separate) drum, then out through the wheels and lug nuts. The hub has internal splines connecting it to the axle, but is removeable. We did remove those screws, but they had no effect in either making it turn (for which it shouldn't matter) nor in removing it (which they would prevent were it not otherwise thoroughly stuck).

My next thought is heat. My portable propane torch is being stupid, even with a brand new gas cylinder, but if we can get it home, I'll pick up a rosebud for my oxy-acetylene torch. Frankly, I'm not sure the propane would put enough heat in a large enough area quickly enough to help, but a rosebud on acet ought to do it.

I've already resigned myself to the idea of cutting and replacing, but dad's a cheapass--his next thought is to take the whole axle off (somehow, just removing the backing plate and disconnecting the hydraulic line and e-brake cable isn't getting through to him) and soak it for a month, because that has to work!

A new drum would be $85. He'll screw around with $150 worth of half-ass non-solutions before he buys a new drum. His money, his car, his call.

Can you get a gear puller on center hub? Use lug nuts as attachment point. I have only had the issue one time and I was Abke to be the drum off with a gear puller chains and lugnuts. Lol, never mind I saw you tried this, Send photos

 

[Cowcatcher]

Dave, ya gotta get a Hi-Lift or Handi Man jack (brand don't matter cuz either is dangerous as the other) involved somehow!

 

[emapples]

Is the axle removable, assume it’s locked in with a clip ar the diff

 

[Dave70968]

Cross-section:

You can see the turns that any kind of lubricant would have to make in order to actually get to the surface of the pads.

 

[MacFromOK]

Cross-section:

View attachment 129688

You can see the turns that any kind of lubricant would have to make in order to actually get to the surface of the pads.

Hence a few tiny holes around the edge of the backing plate...

You have my sympathy. My Dad would occasionally get something odd in his head, and it was really hard to get past it.

Luck.

 

[Shadowrider]

My next thought is heat. My portable propane torch is being stupid, even with a brand new gas cylinder, but if we can get it home, I'll pick up a rosebud for my oxy-acetylene torch. Frankly, I'm not sure the propane would put enough heat in a large enough area quickly enough to help, but a rosebud on acet ought to do it.

That'll do it. Just as long as you get it hot enough to expand enough to break the bond. I've never seen heat fail on something like this.

Another wild ass method that might work but is honestly a lot more work, is to arc weld a fat bead on the outside of the drum, just below the diameter of the pad/drum interface that's frozen together. You don't need or want to go all the way around, 1/4 to 1/3 will do it if it's going to work. The heat and force of the bead contracting will break the bond.

I saw my FIL remove from my truck a roller transmission input shaft bearing that had cratered and lost the inner race and all the rollers leaving only the outer race pressed into my crankshaft this way. We took the flywheel off and he welded a bead on the crank flange just above the hub part which located the flywheel. We took it out with a seal pick. True story, I saw it with my own eyes. I had used all manner of pullers and chisels and that sucker wasn't coming out. I was like "what friggen sorcery is this?" I ground off the weld so the flywheel would locate back up true. If I had been able to access a lathe at work I could have turned a shaft to hammer on after packing the cavity with grease, but it was the weekend and I had to have it done by Monday to actually go to work. My FIL was an oilfield machinist. I thought he may have been a sorcerer for awhile.

 

[Dave70968]

The whole axle assembly--from one wheel to the other, including the differential--is removable, but it'd be a pain as it's mounted above the springs. The drive axle (inside the tube) can't be removed from the assembly without removing the entire brake assembly, backing plate included.

The backing plate is held to the face of the axle tube by four bolts with the nuts on the inside (where I can't get to them). It's possible that I could remove them (if lucky) or at least loosen them enough to slip a Dremel wheel in and cut off the heads (probably more likely). The downside of that is that either way, once I get it off, it's not getting bolted back to anything, so I won't have any way of applying rotational force. Right now, it's at least anchored by the car; when it's free, I lose a lot of options.

The gear puller was a three-jaw version, like this:

Because the lug studs come through the hub, I can't pull the studs without removing the hub, and the hub appears to have a nut securing it to the axle shaft (I know it does on the MGB, having rebuilt the rear brakes on one). I tried the jaws on the drum flange (see picture) using the center jackscrew on the hub, but no luck, and dad was afraid we'd break the flange of the drum (back to his "don't damage the drum" concern).

So...I'm stumped.