1953 Desoto I've been pounding and heating and crying for 3 hours and can't get the rear drums off. Is there a secret to these? I've disconnected everything, plenty of WD, the hub spins freely. It almost seems rusted to the spindles maybe. I can't destroy these drums, don't make em anymore. Autozone, Kragen... no one's ever heard of a drum puller. Looks like this, but on rear.
They make a special puller for those. DO NOT use a jawed puller, you will ruin the drums. The one for those uses the wheel studs as the pull point. Also back the nut off until the axle threads are flush with the surface of the nut. Please don't ask how I know this. Painfull memory.
You likely have a nut on the end of a tapered axle. Best way is to find a hub puller. Sometimes driving it with the nut backed off one turn will loosen it, but make sure the cotter is installed before trying. The old way back in the teens, was that there was a special threaded thing the screwed onto the threads, then belt it with a big hammer.
Yeh here's from the manuel. Where the hell do I get this tool... I guess one of these? http://vorhese.com/gallery/albums/album265/puller.jpg
I have removed the ones from my 48 Plymouth (same design) with a slide hammer style puller. Before you do it with a slide hammer use penetrating oil on it for several days straight and then do not hit it real hard. If you hit it to hard you could damage the seals. As said above I know of folks who have backed the nut off slightly and drive it around the block. When it comes loose you will hear it. I have also heard of backing the nut off, jacking up the other side of the car and then pushing the car sideways toward the tire still on the ground. Never tried either of these myself but have heard of it working. With both I would again use plenty of penetrating oil. With any method you use do not remove the nut on the axle completely before the drum is loose and ready to be pulled off. When the drum comes loose it can launch itself into a shin real quick.
"Yeh here's from the manuel. Where the hell do I get this tool... I guess one of these?" Try the P15-D24 site. There are some guys on there who live in your area. If you are lucky one of them may have the tool and let you borrow it or even be willing to help. www.P15-D24.com
I had the same problem a few years back. I decided to make my own. It works great. Looks primative. If you can weld or know someone who welds you can whip one together in a snap. If you have any questions on how to build one let me know. ******Knuckles
Big *** factory pullerBigger ****ing hammer, back the nut off, and swing away like you were in Yankee stadium....tapered axles are the ****! I'd like to say mine fell right off, it didn't. Wait till you try to pull the water distribution tube.
Yeh I think I'm going to make my own tomorrow. Seems simple enough. Big center bolt and nut, and add ****** to end of bolt, 3 legs welded to a center bracket, weld nut to center braket. Use impact wrench or weld breaker bar to center bolt? If you wanna post yours up, I'd appreciate any help I can get.
if you are going to make your own be careful. I'm not sure if an impact will work?? make it superheavyduty extra strong. I've pulled a few of those. you beat that T with a giant hammer and it doesn't come off a little at a time. it pops off and goes BAM all at once. I would hate to think what might happen should your home made puller break. look at the little hammer in the picture from your manual. they may have come off with that when new, but I used a 3 lb sledge.
Last time I did brakes on my '55, I had to borrow a hub-puller, just like Vohees shows here. You could beat on it all day. Takes a hub puller.
Carl, that's a VERY kind gesture from one HAMBer to another. If he comes up with one on his end, I'd gladly pay you someting & freight out her to Ohio, 'cause I'm in a fix with my '38 Plymouth. No puller & creeping oil hasn't done the trick yet. I'm talking years of rust 'round the drum & shoes, so it's a diff. situation.
Seems like we usta warm them just a little before the flailing began. But I don't remember trying to pull them with the wheel on like the pic shows. I must be thinking about the buckboard. Is that right, Little Joe? Hoss?
If you can weld, or know someone who can, try this. There isn't a tapered axle that will stand up to it...
I've pulled them with three pieces of chain on three wheel studs. Put a fourth chain from the apex of the three, to a hell of a big sledge hammer. I welded a link to the hammer head. Then swing the hammer away from the axle, straight in line with it. The chain comes tight, and WHACK! the hub comes off...... Sometimes. If not, do it again. Just don't stand in line with the axle, stuff can come off with a lot of force. Leave the nut on the axle to catch the hub.
I'm don't know what they look like on the era car first hand but .. If they look like a later model 8 3/4 tapered axle rear on a 62 Plymouth we could take a short length of log chain and SNAP it like a whip and pop them out , never ,ever used a puller to get them out But, without seeing it first hand, I don't know if its the same ?
wow! nice puller and hell for stout. those tapered axels can really be a *****. before you start pulling heat and wick some beeswax into them as that will make the job way simpler.
And they never seem to come off without putting up a fight. The puller designed for it is the best option but the one using the hydraulic jack should work if the jack is strong enough. <input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden">
I have the correct tool, however I live in the KC area. I haven't used in in years. If you have no other luck, I would send it to you, but the freight would be expensive as the ****er is heavy. Maybe we should start a weird tool collective. I could donate the puller to the HAMB Universe, whereby folks who needed it would pay for shipping and p*** it along when the next request came along. Food for thought. trakrodstr
TrakRodStr: That'll be interesting to see if anybody else would buy in to the idea -- VERY similar to Axeman's "Pay Forward ..." thread! MAYBE (even with paying the freight both ways), a guy MIGHT be ahead in the long run "borrowing" a cl***ic tool from a fellow HAMBer???
You are showing a picture of the front suspension, they do not take a puller but the backs require all means described in the above posts. On the front the drums are riveted to the hubs and require you to remove hub and drum as a unit.
^^^ James, yeh I know. I worded it in the first post that it was a picture of a front. Anyway, I failed. I made this puller, and I was feeling pretty good. It just bent. I could probably build a better one if I worked on it longer, but at this point, it's not worth it to me. If someone wants to mail me one, I'll pay shipping. And I'll keep it until the next poor ****er in the HAMB-O-VERSE needs it.
Put the wheel and tire back on, remove the center nut and using the tire wiggle and pull, it should come right off, unless there is a big ridge on the drum, that is hanging up on the shoes. The rears need the puller, the fronts should come right off. If its hanging up, you may need to crank the adjuster cams all the way in. If this is you first experience with MOPAR brakes, go to the P15 -D24 site and read the material about dealing withthe adjusters. http://www40.addr.com/~merc583/mopar/framesets/wipbrakeframeset.html
This is exactly why I swapped out my entire rear with a 70 Mopar 8.75. same width just relocated the mounts. Not that this helps you any but you may want to consider it. Mine is also a 53 Desoto. I guess once you have a puller that works its not such a bid deal.
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