I just aquired a 72-240 that has been garaged for 20 yrs !

Great body/chassie condition..no rust, all stock, all there.

However, the right rear wheel will not turn. I disconnected the

E brake cable, and attempted to remove the drum. No luck.

Severe attempts to remove the drum, still no budge. Left

side rear wheel turns OK.

So, is it really a stuck brake issue in the drum or possible half

shaft/diffy or wheel bearing stuck ??

I even put a 6 foot bar across 2 studs for leverage and still

no movement. :disappoin

When I got mine it had been sitting for four years and my left rear was stuck. I don't really recommend the way I broke it loose but when we went to pick it up we dragged it a few feet behind the tow vehicle and it broke loose! The shoes were stuck to the drum and dragging them actually seperated the brake material from the metal part of the shoe which allowed me to take the drum off. The minor damage it caused didn't really matter to me because I was planning to replace all of the rear brake hardware including the drums anyway.

I just aquired a 72-240 that has been garaged for 20 yrs !

Great body/chassie condition..no rust, all stock, all there.

However, the right rear wheel will not turn. I disconnected the

E brake cable, and attempted to remove the drum. No luck.

Severe attempts to remove the drum, still no budge. Left

side rear wheel turns OK.

So, is it really a stuck brake issue in the drum or possible half

shaft/diffy or wheel bearing stuck ??

I even put a 6 foot bar across 2 studs for leverage and still

no movement. :disappoin

If the e-brake was set when the car was parked that many years back , most likely the brake linning is rusted to the drum . Just like in the cold country when wet brakes are set and the water freeze to the drum. It is possable to brake it loose by pulling the car and forceing the wheel to turn . This should free the wheel . A car setting as long as this , the drums will need to be removed and the wheel cylinders and most likely the brake lines replaced any way . I really doubt that it is the diff or wheel bearing . Gary

I was at the local pick n pull two weeks ago looking for a drive shaft.

I found a few donors and they all had stuck rear drums (note they were 280 Z's)

All the drum fins had evidince of sever hamer damage (due to stuck drums) I assume they were after drive, Half shafts due to maring on the bolts.

I disconected a brake line at the rear pistion and used wd40 (you can us your favoit penitrating lube) and a dead blow hamer.

After no sucess on the right side I tried the left side.

There I found hope.

Let the wd40 soak in then get to work with the dead blow. I belive the dead blow Vs a steel hamer works best for things like this.

Start by hitting the drum in random locations at first too help loosten any rusted or stuck parts.

Then you start to knock it out from the back side.

It takes a while utill you can get screw drivers involved.

You can't pry the drum off, you can prevent the other side of the drum frum deflecting back in on the other side during striking.

Add more wd40 as nessary. (when I finaly got the drum off ther was scaring on the pads from the inside of the drum where there is no wear on the drum from the pads This could be the problem)

All in all i found that disconecting the brake line at the sorce made a diference. (I do not know how the rear brake valve works but I think it may prevent back flow at low presures)

Note My '73 240 sat for over year and I had to remove the drums this way, only it took less "hamer time". :stupid:

I got my drive shaft after the drum removal so the diff will spin.

Next time apply PB Blaster to the front of the drum where the drum meets the axel . Rust causes the drum to fuse to the steel . Then strike the drum in FRONT on each side to rock it back and forth to loosen the rust , then I use a block of wood between the hammer and the drum , and strike from one side to the other from the back side , so to rock the drum back and forth . I use some anti seize in this area when I reassemble . Gary

follow beandip's sequence and they should pop off.

i used to use Liquid Wrench to unthaw frozen threads and thought it worked pretty well. then i read about PBBlaster here and decided to give it a try.

that stuff's more valuable than gold or platinum. it flows into the threads so much better and i have yet to bust a bolt (or my nuts). highly recommended.

You guys are doing it the hard way!

Get a blow torch and heat the drum around the spindle. Keep going in circles. Eventully

It wiil give a big Bang noise and then you just pull it off.

Mine took 10 mins on one saide and 30 on the other. May not work for you but did for me.

Good luck

This heat will warp the drum in most cases .

Yes the hot wrentch is very efective and not always an option!!!

Thanks again all....I got it free. Lots of Pent. Oil squirted in thru the access hole

that is plugged with that rubber plug, tension put across 2 studs, and hammered

around the drum circumfrence with 2 pound hammer.

Interior surface clearly showed footprint of brake pads..then just turned adjuster

nut back and hub slipped back on.