New to early Mopars. Like brand new green. Have a rear brake that is chattering, causing pulsating in the pedal, and even sounds as if a return spring might have broke off on a just acquired 1946 dodge coupe. So am ready to do a brake inspection. Have the recommended OTC puller to pull on all 5 studs. Read everything high and low on procedures and steps for removal. Ready to go. But cannot find any info on re-installing except to make sure it is clean and dry. Does just screwing on the castle nut press the hub back on or is there an added steps I am missing?
The taper if it is any good at all will startle you when you first slide it on for a trial fit...when it touches down with almost no force it will grab hard enough that you will have to wrestle it off to proceed! Once you actually tighten it hard it is like it is welded, and the force needed with puller is scary. Read all the stuff on Ford taper drums, probably yours will be fine as-is, if not there are posts on blueprinting the taper with valve grind compound. Mopars (except for the biggest Chryslers) used Bendix brakes very like Ford.
Thank you. Anyone have the torque spec? I have the repo'd shop manual but it seems as if pulling and replacing hubs was quite common to mechanic's they just skipped over the procedures and went right to the brake job
Someone here will probably have your answer about the torque spec. But if not...try visiting the "P15-D24" website.There you'll find a wealth of information about your Dodge.
Checked both the 46-54 US Plymouth book and the Oz 46-53 Dodge/Plymouth book and both state 142 Ft/Lbs...........basically TIGHT...........and reinstall the brake drum dry, maybe check the 5/16th key on the axle for any wear as they can sometimes be worn offset due to the drum not being TIGHT and moving slightly against the key and wearing it........keyway material is sold in about 1 foot lengths and is easy to cut to size...........did I mention that the nut must be TIGHT?..........lol...........and ideally use a new cotter or split pin...........and as mentioned the P15-D24 Forum is a must join group for mopar owners ......regards, Andyd
And BTW...this is the puller I have for tapered axles.........it hasn't met a tapered axle it didn't like.......tho' my 40 Dodge has had 4 wheel discs for 40yrs but I bought this puller when I first got the car in 1971 and started working on its stock drums......andyd
I'm reading 142 minimum. I think we used to torque them to that and then turn them past that to the next slot in the nut that we could put the cotter key in. That was 55 years ago in high school auto shop though.
And if it is tight enough, removing it will be SCARY. You will be wondering if the puller is about to explode and fill you with shrapnel as you push past tight to godawful tight and then more. When the thing finally pops, the CRACK!! will make dogs six blocks away jump. One other thing...three arm pullers shown are fine on cars with smallish bolt circles. I consider them bad news for 5 1/2" Ford drums as at that diameter they put a STRONG bending load on your parts, enough to warp the hub and even crack the drum. Find one that pulls from the center for your Ford! I actually had a Model A drum (an original steel one, not iron) crack right across with a sound that was downright shocking...I did not autopsy it to see if hub was bent permanently.
I have to second the warnings of when those drums finally release. when I did my '42 Fargo, which II don't think had the drums off in 50 years, it sounded like a rifle shot. almost had to change my pants!
If the car runs, use the no drama method. Remove the hubcap, remove the cotter pin, loosen the axle nut about three threads, reinstall cotter pin. Drive car slowly to a parking lot. Drive about making a series of opposing turns till you hear the hubs pop. Drive back to shop, remove cotter pin, remove nuts, remove drums and hubs. Go to Plymouth the first decade website and follow the procedure for re***embly and initial adjustment.
Something I always do when ***embling a tapered anything is torque it to spec and then give it a good smack with an appropriate size hammer and then re-torque. Rarely does it not require a little more tightening. I'll also use a little oil on the shaft to help things along. An old trick I read somewhere the way to loosen a tapered drum is to back the nut off a full turn and drive the car at 20MPH while doing sharp swerves left to right and supposedly you'll feel and hear when it pops loose. I suppose you could do this with the puller attached for a really tough monkey.
Old Mopar manuals are very clear, the axle and hub should be dry and clean. No dirt, oil or grease. and, by extension no anti-sieze. By extension since that was not a common shop item then so not mentioned in the old manuals.
Studebaker manuals also state to ***emble DRY. My next adventure in automobile repair will be pulling the drums on a 58 model 44 Stude Hawk rear end and unfortunately I cannot utilize the drive around suggestion, and I would if I could.
This I did not know. Perhaps if it was lubed the increased wedging action might split the hub along the keyway slot?
Maybe try towing it if you had the place to do it safely. One thing I'd try if I ever had to pull another is instead of jacking the rear and blocking under the frame and letting the axle hang from the springs, I'd put solid blocking under the axle and let all the weight sit on that. The springs could be absorbing a lot of the force from the hammer. Just a thought.
So sorry, I hadn't read the whole thread when I posted the same driving around trick that you posted right before me. Credit goes to you.
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