proud or ashamed ?

i was trying to get my 55 parts car to roll and of course the brakes were stuck---i started the long process of prying and beating---then i thought , can my beloved die grinder solve this delima ? i went above the pin where the retainer springs for the brake shoes attach and cut a slot about 3 inches wide all the way across the top of the brake drum , knocked it out with a hammer, reached in and removed the springs and the retainer ---ground the heads off the brake nails, removed the spindle nut and slipped the drum off ,removed the shoes and reinstalled the hub---the whole thing took less than 5 minutes on the second one ---lots of rust from sitting on the ground so the drums were toast ---seems destuctive but it sure did work...

 

or you could a released the parking/emergency brake handle.....lol....j/k






i'm proud of ya

 

Who cares it worked!

Hey at least you didn't do what I did... On my '61 when I tackled the front brakes I ***umed that the drums come off like newer cars and I beat the **** out of the drums with a sledge, torched the hub, pryed and drove to each auto parts store looking for a drum puller, just to open the shop manual and realize that the drums and hubs are riveted together and come off as an ***embly via the castle nut.

Waste of half a day...

 

Oh man, I did that SAME thing once!!

 

There are two systems of procedure.

The think,think,work or work,work,think procedure.

Both have their limitations. With one way you might get less work done, but the work will be done faster and probably with less difficulty and mistakes. The other may get more things done, but makes you wish you hadn't have done it that way. :]

 

ingenuity at work

 

you ruined the brake drums?

 

Or have to do it all over again.

Did you consider grinding off the nail heads, unscrewing the adjuster and unbolting the wheel cylinder? That would have had about the same result without ruining the backing plate. Some backing plates even have a screw on pivot at the bottom.

 

Haha cl***ic case of not RTFM'ing!

 

did not harm the backing plates only the drums ---too mch rust for adjuster function...

 

I guess that works...

 

I hate that!!

 

Well if the drums were shot anyhow it's no loss and time and headaches saved.

 

You're not alone. Been there, wasted 2 days soaking and beating with a 3lb sledge.
Funny how easy they came off after I removed the nut.

 

Didn't you feel like a dumb***? Once my dad found out what I did he laughed at me and to this day he still clowns me about it.