Trouble with rear brakes

[tez240k]

So at the moment I'm trying to sort the mess of my brakes out. The car came with r31 brake adaptor dodgily welded on and I want to replace with standard drums. The welds I think will have screwed the face that the drum sits on. So I removed whole k frame out paddock car but can't get the drums off! Soaked studs in wd40, tapped around it, levered with crow bar etc. there's the 2 threaded holes on front of drum but there's nothing to remove?

Am I missing anything?

So I'll prob have to change the passanger wishbone, due to the great welding, but what other options do I have. Any other drums a straight fit or any ideas how to get them off

Cheers

[tez240k]

Got them off but now I'm afraid I may need a spare rear stub axel

[EuroDat]

Thats a dodgy adapter indeed. You would think he would have found someone to weld it better than that considering its the brakes.

The problems your having with the drums are common when they have been sitting out in the elements for a long time. Can you turn the drums? If you can't its a good indication the shoes are binding and locking it in place. The drum probably has a lot of rust inside which is not helping.

I have had my own experiences with an Escort parts car and an LJ Torana.

Try to back off the adjuster, it might be frozen solid too. In that case, try a 50/50 mix of acetone and ATF. It really works a lot better than WD40. Buy a kitchen spray bottle and spray the mix on the adjuster and on the hub and studs. I assume you will be replacing or relining the shoes anyway, so it wont matter if you get penitrating oil on them.

The tolerances between the drum and hub are small and that allowas them to rust solid easily.

The two threaded holes in the photo between the studs, M8 if I can remember correctly, are for the attaching a slide hammer.

The drum mostly binds on the hub (drum centering hole), the studs generally have a little more clearance. Some people heat the hub to get it to expand, let it cool and then try again with the slide hammer. Or haet the centre section of the drum, but then you have to pull it when it hot.

Don't heat the outer section of the drum, if possible. Brakes can get very hot, but thats evenly distributed around the drum. Your heat wont be so even and you could distort the drum of other pressure points like the shoes could distort it.

Chas

[EuroDat]

Late post, I have some problems with the internet connection. Couldnt get it to upload before rebooting the modem.

Grats on removing the drums.

What happened to the stub axle?

Chas

[tez240k]

Cheers for the info. I was only just told about the acetone and ATF yesterday as I read it. Will have to give it a try. The edges of the stubs have been damaged as the bloke smacked them with a hammer. We restored them mostly with a thread file, now getting a mate to try with a die

[tez240k]

I'm also after the 2 nuts for the stub axles as mine are damaged and a drive shaft got lots of spares to help with an exchange