This is a common problem for anyone that does brakes very much. It is hard to describe how to use enough force without damaging things, but I'll try.
Sometimes the hub to drum surface (also hub to disc surface on disc brakes) gets rusty and that makes it hard to remove. Try hitting with a hammer directly on the drum near the lug studs to loosen the rust. If that doesn't work, try some penetrating oil applied where the hub protrudes out of the center of the drum and around the lug studs. If that still doesn't work, you will need to get a little larger hammer and hit the drum a bit harder and further out. Try not to damage anything, but in some extreme cases you may need to take a die grinder and cut the drum off (highly unlikely). With a little bit of patience and persistance you should be able to get everything apart without damage. To prevent this from hapening again, clean the rust off from the hub and drum surface and apply some anti-sieze ompound to both surfaces before it goes back together.
Jim Johnson
98 SVT
Originally posted by SpreeBoy:
Hey!
I've never bothered to try to get my rear drums off, but i wanna check the pad wear, so... How do i get them off? Do they just slide off when the wheel is unbolted, or are they bolted on? Or is there just some saftey pin holding them to the hub?
Again, I've never tried this, i was gonna pull off the rear wheels this weekend and give it a shot, just looking for some advice before i do this.
Thanx a lot!
Mark
