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HybridZ

Rear drum PITA!


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my rear passenger drum fin cover will NOT come off. Everything's disengaged: no emergency brake, fluid's drained, brake line disconnected, etc. I've tried tapping it with a hammer lightly, bent the shield back, tried to do a manual release on brake shoes through the little hole, no dice. I can't pull the sucker off! The driver's rear came off with bare hands just pulling on it.

 

Any input?

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I'll tell you what I should've done: Smash that thing with a hammer. My passenger side was stuck so I pulled and pried and sprayed and heated. Got it off - after about 2-3 hours of intense, frustrating labor. And you know what? I ended up cracking the %$#&@! thing.

 

Save yourself the hassle. Chances are good that it's too thin to turn anyway. Smash it with a big hammer. It'll be fun. I wish I would've just done that.

 

BTW, I ended up going to rear discs rather than mess with those drums ever again. Now that there's a nice kit available - all the more reason. Discs are just sooooo much easier.

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It sounds like the shoes are still extended enough to either contact the drum or interfere with the wear ridge when you're trying to remove the drum. Turn the drum so the adjuster hole is straight down and look through it with a flashlight.

 

You'll see the wheel cylinder (spray some Brake Kleen in there if it all looks dusty) and just below it is a sheet metal stamping that's part of the brake adjuster.

 

Use a screwdriver to pry that stamping down, away from the wheel cylinder until you hear it release (a little pop). Then rotate the drum and forward until the adjuster hole lines up with the serrated adjuster teeth. Use the screwdriver to spin the adjuster backwards. You'll probably have to put about 3 to 5 turns into it. The drum should slide off once you've backed the shoes off enough.

 

The rear drum brakes on an early Z actually work very well and they are very light. On a racing 240Z, the braking issues are mostly with the front brakes, not the rear drums. Like any drum brake, you have to constantly fiddle with them to make sure they are adjusted properly and everything works perfectly.

 

[ August 24, 2001: Message edited by: johnc ]

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Have you cried yet? icon_sad.gif Sometimes that helps.

 

Seriously, you can't go wrong with the advice you have just gotten above. If you are still stuck, give me a call and I'll come over for a little bit and help you bang that sucker off. I have some tools I can bring along. Call me if you still can't get it off.

 

Davy

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quote:

Originally posted by 383 240z:

I was talking about serious haet OXY-ACT baby!!! The Blue Tipped Wrench rules!!!!
icon_biggrin.gificon_biggrin.gif
Keith

 

I did the opposite. I poured about 2l of liquid nitrogen over the drum. As the drum shrank, it crunched whatever corrosion was holding it in place. Once the drum came back up to room temp. it slid right off.

 

If that doesn't work, you could always try liquid helium (j/k)

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it's actually worse than i thought....get a load of this:

 

the middle of the hub that goes through the drum hole in the middle is pounded in like a big fat rivet. there is no way in hell it's coming off with any amount of heat or lubricant. I have to grind the edges off (yay, new power tool tomorrow) so i can pry off the drum. Note to self: obliterate the moron who did this and made it such a PITA for me.

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I feel your pain! Nothing is worse than having to fix some other morons mistakes. When I go to buy a vehicle and I am informed by current owner "did all the work m'self" I'm inclined to offer 25% less than I would have! (Note, I also seldomly buy anything running so I seem to run into these fellows quite often icon_biggrin.gif ) Good luck with your drum.

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  • 4 weeks later...

hehe finally got around to working on my car.

 

well, did it the backwards way with my friend. dropped the strut assembly with the drum attached, removed the stub axle bolt (thank [deity of your choice] for impact guns}, and then pounded it out with a 5 lb mallet. that thing was definitely severely stuck in there! now...need new axle!

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