OK, Check out these pics. Someone has welded the brake drums to the axles. Yup. Ya got me? any thoughts? Think I can grind off the welds and save the axles? (I know the drums would be toast.) But I'd like to save the axles. Just when you thought that you've seen it all. -Pat
Call me crazy, but that's some awfully nice welding for guy that just welded a brake drum to the axle...
there is no reason to weld it on. are you sure it is welded? heat the drum and see if you can see a defined line.
Smack the drum with a hammer, I bet the wheels had a nice contour that matches that "weld" Most likely it will fall off.
LOL thats what I thought too. The only thing I could possible think is the guy wanted the wheel to center on the axle not the lug nuts.... ah even as I type it it's crazy. Maybe he was drunk? But then he welds pretty good for a drunk.... Nic
I've scratched at it with a scribe. You can see the marks in the first pic. I pryed it with a large screw driver, wacked the drum with a 3 pound hammer. The drum flexes at the lugs but that's it. It's weld alright. And yea a nice clean job. LOLI just can't understand for the life of me why someone would do that. Any way I'll try the holesaw trick tomorrow on one side and see if that'll do it. -Pat
Yea and as clean as a whistle too. Like one perfectly smooth pass. funny thing is it's got a teeny bit of undercut in some areas like it was stick welded. But it's as clean as tig. -Pat
I swear I've seen that before.... i think its a type of situation that perhaps you need to remove the dif cover and release the axles from the dif. and the whole thing comes out together. The welds do seem suspiciously good for jus somebody to weld it up for some 'seems logical at the time" situation.
I was thinking maybe for use as some type on farm or industry conversion thing. There were three push nuts on the lugs They were flat and locked the drum on. Guess they were put on first before the welding. Funny thing was i thought that they were what was holding the drums on tight so while prying/cutting them off I saw the weld, thought it was caulk at first. LOL -Pat -Pat
Just my opinion, but not welded. Tapered area is part of the drum and just stuck on there that tight. Clean up axle hub, soak area down with rust penetrant of choice. Screwdriver between backing plate and drum prying out, then give it a good smack with the BFH.
Break out the oxyact and heat it up good where the "weld" is ,bet you a 6 pack it is not welded. Just rusted on .
I agree with riverview - not welded. I have seen them like that before. Lately I have been using a blunt punch in the air chisel to rattle it loose. careful use of heat works also - key word careful. Besides, there is no logical reason to have welded it.
What he said. It's NOT weldment, but a taper built into many drums, in part to keep water out. I wouldn't, however, pry them off. Smacking with a hammer should loosen, then pull them off as normal. You will need to back off the adjusters, or break the nails, depending on how worn/rusted are the internals. Cosmo
8" ford rear approx 65-66. They have tapered drums? It's sitting on a couple jack stands not mounted in a car. -Pat
You sure did...it was on hamb just a few months ago. and the answer is the same as last time; it is not welded. That is the tapered edge of the drum. Many drums were like that. When you finally get it off, you will see that it is almost like a knife edge, that bites into the rusted axle end. That is why it seems solid, because it it is rusted together. heat all the way around at that spot that looks welded, then hit the front outside edge of the drum at a 45 degree angle, so it won't bend the drum. The drum will start to loosen if you keep rotating to a different spot when you hit it.
Could be, the other side the drum is rusted to the backing plate. LOL Thought I'd start on the easy side first. -Pat
Same reply from me....not welded, just delt with the very same thing about a week ago, thought some ahole had welded the drums on a 9" I had just got till I got pissed and knocked the shit out of it and one popped off.....not welded!! Jim Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
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