[Mace2580]

Hello, I've been trying to get my 1966 mustang off of jack stands for 3 weeks now. I have the back wheels turning but I can't even get the front drums fully off. Both of the front drums have been disconnected at every part except for the springs that hold the brake arms in place, the pads are stuck to the drum and nothing I've tried has worked to separate them. The adjusters won't turn even when I push the locking mechanism back. Can anyone help me?

 

[awhtx]

Grind the heads off of the pins that hold the brake shoes to the backing plates and everything will come off.

 

[Mace2580]

Grind the heads off of the pins that hold the brake shoes to the backing plates and everything will come off.

I drilled through the heads of those pins a couple days ago but the break shoes are still sticking to the drum. I did leave the shaft of the pins in the drum, do you think removing these could help?

 

[22GT]

I assume you removed the outer wheel bearing. The only other thing there is the shoes, and perhaps a lip on the inside edge from wear. If you killed the two retaining pins, nothing is holding the drum on.

 

[Vintage Ford Guy]

Big slide hammer and you rip the hub. drum, shoes and springs off together. You might see if O'Reilly rents them for free or maybe the local tool rental yard has one. Usually they are used for pulling rear axles and bearings out.

 

[Mace2580]

[/QUOTE]

Big slide hammer and you rip the hub. drum, shoes and springs off together. You might see if O'Reilly rents them for free or maybe the local tool rental yard has one. Usually they are used for pulling rear axles and bearings out.

Ive been using this, should I just keep going until it eventually breaks?

 

[Vintage Ford Guy]

You could grind the front of the drum away and just leave the ring part of it that is stuck to the shoes and then sut the upper springs? I just watched a video where the guy did that so he could show you all the parts working inside so I know it can be done. You don't warp the hub with the slide hammer if you can help it. You might want to check it on the face with a dial indicator and make sure its still flat after all its been through. What if you cut a few slots in the drum 90 degrees to the shoes and see if you can pry in the slots? You could heat the drum wit a big rose bud on a torch. I think no mater what you do your going to end up buying new drums anyway. If I was at work and this was a Verizon vehicle the torch would have been out a long time ago. Even if I torched the backing plates off. Wasn't my money!

 

[Vintage Ford Guy]

I found a video of a guy cutting the drums in half with a grinder. I vote for trying this!

 

[22GT]

Why would you destroy the drums? The slide hammer trick should do the job. make sure the heads of the "nails" are gone and slide hammer the drum off.

Like I said above, you need to remove the outer bearing.

 

[mustang656man]

I have used a small sledge hammer and beat around the outside of the drum like you hate it while plying with a tire iron between drum and backing plate. That process has never failed me. Wes

 

[Vintage Ford Guy]

These are not drums stuck to the hubs with rust which break loose with a tapping hammer. More than likely these drums are worn and have large lips on them that are keeping them from sliding off the shoes. Normally you would back off the adjusters to get the shoes past the lips on the drums but these adjusters are frozen solid. If there are large ridges on the drums they are probably worn beyond their legal limit New drums are around $30.00 each. If you pry hard enough between the backing plate and drum your going to bend the backing plates and cause the new shoes to not sit square with the drums. I just went through this on an F-350 and I had to straighten the backing plate in my hydraulic press. I got to the point that I did not care it was bending the backing plate.

He has been prying and hammering on these drums for three day's. Its not like he didn't try to save them. Three day's worth of my free time is worth a lot more than two new RockAuto drums for $60.00 (plus shipping).

I was working on a Chevy C4500 truck's front brakes, up on the hoist, where I had all the leverage in the world to try and brake loose two very large brake caliper bracket bolts and they would not come out. There was no room for an impact to reach the bolts. I broke two I/2" breaker bars, split two heavy wall impact lockets, broke a 3/4" to 1/2" adaptor and broke a 3/4" drive chrome socket. I was the only one there, nobody to help pull. I pulled so hard I tore my left shoulder in two places requiring two separate surgeries all because I didn't want to heat the bolts red hot with a torch and ruin their heat treating. In the end that's what it took to break them loose. I should have done it to begin with. That same shoulder just ripped again. I'm going to the doctor in the morning. It hurts so bad three Tylenol and two Hydrocodones doesn't touch it. I ripped my right shoulder on another job at work and had surgery on it. I blew out my lower back discs and had them fused. That's all from beating myself up working on trucks.

 

[mustang656man]

Sounds like you need a real dose of smarts!

 

[Vintage Ford Guy]

Sounds like you need a real dose of smarts!

Too Late!

 

[Mace2580]

This is my current situation, it appears to be off but it definetly isn't I am still encountering a lot of resistance at the top of the drum when I try to just pull it. Ive drilled out the pins, cut the brake hose, I've disconnected the brake cylinder from the baking plate. I know the drum is chipped, I know I will need to replace it or upgrade to disk brakes but I'm currently just trying to roll the mustang out of my garage turn it around a pull the engine out for as cheap as possible

 

[Mustangerbob1]

I take apart a LOT of drum brake set ups for the spindles. Many had the drums seized onto the shoes, etcc. rust, lack of rotation, etc.

I have a 3 pound hand sledge. Smack the drum where it goes from flat to down toward the backing plate. Focus on 1 area, and it will crack, and just move the impact point a little and soon the entire flat part will crack off. You can also hit it same place, and when it starts to crack, head toward the backing plate (but not all the way) and it will crack to the edge. Within 5 minutes, the drum will break up enough to come off.

If there are no fenders and you are accurate, you can use a full sized sledge, and in my experience, 5 or so so smacks and the drum will break up.

Based on condition, you need new ones anyway.

Once off, just smack the studs, and they will come off the hub, and the hub will separate from what is left of the drum, and you can then pull new studs into the hub. Sometimes the hub will pop off the drum with studs still on, so just put it in the vise, and finish punching out the studs.

 

[C6ZZGT]

Hello, I've been trying to get my 1966 mustang off of jack stands for 3 weeks now. I have the back wheels turning but I can't even get the front drums fully off. Both of the front drums have been disconnected at every part except for the springs that hold the brake arms in place, the pads are stuck to the drum and nothing I've tried has worked to separate them. The adjusters won't turn even when I push the locking mechanism back. Can anyone help me?

You know if you bothered to put your location in your signature /profile someone could have come over to your house by now and helped you.

 

[C6ZZGT]

This is my current situation, it appears to be off but it definetly isn't I am still encountering a lot of resistance at the top of the drum when I try to just pull it. Ive drilled out the pins, cut the brake hose, I've disconnected the brake cylinder from the baking plate. I know the drum is chipped, I know I will need to replace it or upgrade to disk brakes but I'm currently just trying to roll the mustang out of my garage turn it around a pull the engine out for as cheap as possible View attachment 746746 View attachment 746747

So even with the drum pulled off like that it WON`T turn at all ?

 

[Mace2580]

So even with the drum pulled off like that it WON`T turn at all ?

on the rear drums it turns after I took the drum off and remove the braking system and clean off the backing plate it turns fine, last night I took as 5 lb sledge (as suggested) and broke one of the drums to the point where I could get to the springs holding the brake pad in place and just cut those, so now I hav e 2 off. the drum will still turn for what I need it to in the current state, and I plan to do the same thing for the last drum