Next problem is... locked rear brakes

[izze]

I just finish replacing my 2 piece pulley with a 1 piece. Went for a celebration drive. And had to smash the brakes to avoid an accident. Now my rear brake is locked up. I'm having difficulty pulling the drum. And all the pullers seem to be to small. I'm not finding a lot of info on large brake drums, nor locked up brakes. I could use some help finding the correct puller. And any advice on pulling drums with locked brakes would be greatly appreciated!

[izze]

I think my drums are steel.

[Big hammer]

Back the adjuster off CCW, remove the rod from the lever and move the lever by hand or pry bar, with a big hammer lightly tap on the brake drum , sounds like the brake shoe has over centered

[izze]

I tried the screwdriver hammer trick. I've pulled these drums 6 months ago using that method. The control rod is disconnected. The lever does not budge. This guy is stuck. I'm pretty sure I need the correct puller. Are these 12" drums? What's the 'best' puller? The two I used are not correct.

[izze]

I re read your post. I did not back off the adjustment wedge! Hub popped right off. Sometimes you need someone to tell you what your doing wrong. Thanks!

[nkaminar]

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It is great that you got them off. Make sure everything is moving, especially the cam in the camshaft (the sliding part that pushes on the brakes).

Make sure that the shoes are not worn to the point where the cam can go over center. Ditto the drums. Although I think that this should not be a problem if the brakes are adjusted correctly.

The best puller is this one: https://www.snydersantiqueauto.com/p...6169&cat=41753

[Bob C]

The pullers you have are for the grooved hubs.

[izze]

I pulled apart the rear brakes, cleaned and greased everything. It feels much better now. Going to adjust the brakes tomorrow. Hopefully I see a difference after the adjustment.

Now I understand the issue with these pullers. Thanks for the info Bob. I assume shoulder hubs are steel. And grooved hubs are cast iron?

I'll have to invest in that Snyders puller!

[Bob C]

The shoulder and taper were early the grooved was used later, has nothing to do with steel or cast drums.

[jimvette59]

Did you try to put the axle in the puller first then behind the collar? JMO

[izze]

The inner diameter of the puller would only fit in the groove, of the grooved hubs. Only the corners touch the shoulder of my hub. Not making full contact. But yes, I did try putting the puller on the axle first

[izze]

Now that I have all the brakes adjusted. I am getting a hellova grinding noise when turning to the left. I think it is coming from my front passengers hub. But I do not see any damage to the interior of the hub. Nor the brake pad. I'm not quite sure where the rub is happening. I wonder if the pad itself could be faulty? It seems to be a little thicker then all the others. I think I will order some new ones and swap these out. It's going to take a bit of time. I did not know a core is required when purchasing bonded brake pads.

I learn something new every week with this car. It is a constant battle. But the few times I get to drive, I enjoy every minute of it.

[David in San Antonio]

I tried the other puller, the one that looks like a cutaway of a church bell. The darn thing was so stuck the center bolt of the puller broke. Used a 3 finger adjustable puller. It took many hours because the fingers didn’t fit in the groove very far and kept popping out. I’ll talk to my club about buying the better puller.

[Rob Doe]

It's easy to mistake a grinding rear for a grinding front brake. I just had that problem a few months ago. The rear brake required a shim on the axle. The shim quieted the rubbing, but I bought a new pair of rear hubs and drums. The new parts eliminated the need for the shim.

Are the 4 bolts, which hold the left front backing plate on installed with their heads on the inside, nuts on the outside at the back side of the backing plate? Front and rear backing plate bolts install opposite.

Likely some parts are worn to much. Clean the drums and the linings. Have the shoes arced to the drums. Check your roller tracks, rollers and roller pins. Pins should be a close fit in the rollers and the shoes else the shoes will rock too much. New springs may help also.

I suggest you watch this Youtube video about 10 times. Watch every move he makes carefully when he's installing the parts. Sequence matters.:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GFMJ7iiWiI&t=1603s

[izze]

My backing plates have the bolt heads on the outside. And the nuts on the inside. I guess that is one problem. Thanks for bringing that to my attention.

When adjusting the brakes, the front left always felt like it was dragging. Even with the adjustment screw backed out. But I do not hear any grinding until I drive the vehicle.

I'll watch that video a few times and see what else I might be doing wrong. Thanks!