I figure I better check the rear brakes on my 56 Chrysler Windsor while I am at it so it will be safe as a daily driver.I know the lug nuts are threaded on backwards, But how to the rears drums come off after taking the big nut off? A B.F.H.???? LOL.Bruce. SORRY REAR BRAKE DRUM.LOL.Bruce.
Go to Youtube, and type in "mopar brake drum removal". You'll find some videos there that explain what you need to do. Good luck !!
On a V- Dub you loosened the nut a 1/2 turn, put back in the cotter pin and drove it home from work. It would come right off after that. Good luck.
I borrowed a real heavy duty puller to get some similar ones off....the old mechanic, now working at the NAPA parts counter, is a nice guy. They didn't have any to sell, that were sufficient. this is a pic, from the internet, of the type you need.
That is a Snap-on "Dreadnaught!" Probably the mightiest universal puller ever. It came with an extra set of arms to pull early Ford hubs, too, since the larger bolt circle makes pulling from lugs inadvisable. Chupacabra??
You need a VERY heavy duty puller as illustrated by squirrel . If you don't have one see if you can rent one. The hub wedges onto a tapered shaft and they grow together over the years. Take off the hub nut, turn it over and screw it back on flush with the shaft. This does two things, it prevents the shaft getting mushroomed and it prevents the hub from launching across the shop like a guided missile. Incidentally when you put the hub back on the nut must be very tight to wedge them back together, that is the only thing preventing the hub from spinning on the shaft. The key only locates them.
To use properly: After you attach the puller to the drum STUDS(tightly)[unless factory manual specifically tells you to attach puller arms to drums' outside edge/lip, NEVER do so. You'll bend the drum instantly, & will still have to properly pull off now-junk drum/hub], tighten the puller up, then use a small sledge hammer to hit the "ears" of the puller until they don't want to turn. I use somewhat gentle 'taps' (or a 3lb hammer)- not log-splitting-type swings, btw - & then whack the center of the ears (over the threaded rod & this does need to be rather forceful). Go back & repeat hitting the ears 'till they don't move, center hit puller again. You may find that it takes some real force n effort to coax the hub to pop loose. I have had to use the full-swinging sledge effect, but don't start w/that level effort. Repeat as needed to get the hub to pop loose. & it does 'pop' loose. I have also had to drill/chisel the drum area just over the hub outer diameter to separate it from the hub, so I could heat the hub to expand it, but at that point it's junk & I wanted to save the axle. When you get it all apart, use a fine file to remove any burs on/near the keyway, (maybe if rust is severe, fine sandpaper/steelwool to remove any rust from inside the hub, keyway, n axle taper), then use crocus cloth to remove light rust/deposits from inside hub, keyway, & axle taper. Metal should look almost polished. BTW: Crocus cloth is NOT sandpaper. It removes no base metal when used on steel. When you put them back together, This is IMPORTANT!: assemble hub/keyway onto axle taper DRY! Then torque nut to specs. I'd guess ~ 200lb/ft, but check a good factory manual. If you use anti-seize or oil or some other anti-friction material, the hub will slide too far onto the axle, resulting in stretching the hub dia - maybe splitting it. Either way, it won't fit properly, leaving you w/a damaged, = useless, hub, & possibly a ruined axle. It's possible that someone else did just this in the past, so check the hub real carefully. The last time I looked for a tapered-axle hub/drum puller, they were ~ $60-80. I paid almost that for a used one. Worth every penny. HTH. Marcus...
Squirrel, figures .I have every kind of puller but that one. Say that dog looks kind of hungry ,Has he had all his shots??? LOL.Thanks .Bruce.
...But only on the RH side. But you probably already knew that too. At least I think it was the right hand side. Approach with caution!
At least your '56 has studs & nuts. Imagine what we had to deal with on pre '55s when they were still LH & RH bolts and every gas station had an air gun & a 16 year old attendant ...
AHH ClayMart, I didn't since I only pulled the drivers front wheel off to check the brakes Thanks Bruce.
^^^ 302 GMC.....I have to laugh at that one! I remember the 1st air gun I had in my hands....about 16 years old....I was king of the world with that whizzing sound and my own nod of approval.....only to quickly learn the results 10 minutes later of the damage I did....geez, I can only laugh now! Lessons learned the hard way!!!
Don't know about the Chrysler but the was the accepted why for the backyard guy to do V-Dubs. The drum could only move about .030" and the wheels were bolted to the drums. The nut needed 150# torque so this was the best way. Did Chrysler still have an axle face inside the drum? If so it probably won't work. Once again good luck
ahh...the much-vaunted "hey mister, your wheel is wobbling" method. Used it on occasion when everything else failed. Drove one old 38 Century coupe around for a week waiting for it to loosen up.
never know about thos 1956 mopars. I had a couple of the 56 Plymouths, that had studs and nuts on the front, and bolts on the back. And left/right. That's right, a different type of fastener for EVERY wheel! What were they thinking?
^^^ Yep, the '56 Suburban I sold 20 some years ago was that way. Had 11'' brakes vs. 10'' on other pass. bodies. Brake shoes were obsolete by then, so I bought a '51 Chrysler with "new brakes" for the shoes, & ended up with enough parts to have 1/2'' RH studs on all 4. That Plymouth was the first auto in which I experienced total brake fade on a Montana pass coming down from 13,000 feet ... Thank god for the 3 speed locked in low OD for engine braking.
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