Can't get drums brakes off!!! 56k warning pics

[roadsailing]

i levered mine off wit ha screwdriver last time, didnt seem to affect anything.

[deeps]

As the above guys have said the 2 bolt holes are the go, 8mm diameter ... as you screw the bolts in make sure the drum is pulling off square / evenly, turn each bolt a little at a time ... if the drum still turns its not getting caught on the brake shoes, keep turning in the bolts ... If the drum is unable to be turned it is jaming on the shoes & you will have to back off the brake aduster, dont need to touch the brake line / bleeder, the return springs on the shoes pull back the linings against the adjuster ...

yup with the hammer, it came out a fair bit, and then it jammed..wouldn't turn again, until i pushed it back into it's original position, after which it turns pretty easily.

So how do I go about adjusting the brakes back? Is it the little slot that i attached a few posts up?

I'll get a pic of the new drum up, so that you can see if it has a big lip... I don't think it has a lip at all?

[IN 05 NT]

there wont be a lip on the new dums,

ive had to cut quite a few drums in half, from dumbarses that keep driving metal to metal....

get out the angle grinder, cut it down the middle,

blake

[MRMOPARMAN]

use the screw holes as a last resort. chances are you have a huge lip, and the brakes have been previously adjusted so they are running inside this lip. to get your drums off without fucking the linings/springs and potentially wheel cylinders, wind the shoe adjustment all the way in until the screw cant be adjusted any more.

also back your handbrake off until the cables have slack in them. your drums should then come off no worries. try not to cock them too much when pulling them off. it also helps to spin the drums as your pulling them off.
if it still doesnt come all the way off you can try levering the opposite side edges or the drum and the backing plate with screwdrivers, or use the bolts through the face as the others has suggested.. it shouldnt come to that though.

[deeps]

i've done some googling, and it says the adjusting star is usually behind a rubber cover.

In the 2nd picture, in the top middle/right section there is a rubber cover... i'm assuming the adjusting thingi is under that??

[deeps]

also back your handbrake off until the cables have slack in them.

It was down all the way? Or do you mean open up the console and adjust it on the inside?

[MRMOPARMAN]

no, that rubber cover when taken out shows how much lining you have left on your shoes. that slot in the top of the backing plate, just underneath the brake line, is where your adjuster is located. normally theres a rubber bung filling it, but yours has been taken out/fallen out and not replaced. no big deal

[MRMOPARMAN]

yeah, have the handbrake all the way down. but also un adjust it from inside the console, till theres a bit of slack in the cables..

some dodgey pricks to 'adjust' the rear brakes, just wind up the handbrake adjustment without adjusting the drums.. very dodgey and in some instances can cause the handbrake to sit off its 'seat' and make it hard to take drums off

[deeps]

this one here yeh?

ok i'll give that a go 2morrow then (too dark now)
just use a screwdriver?

EDIT: Thanks guys

[MRMOPARMAN]

sure is.. yeah a screwdriver or a small pry bar will get it.. im not sure which way to turn it though.. just check the drum tightness as ya go, if it gets tighter.. go the other way

i can post a photo tomorrow of a rear end with drum removed if thats any help

[deeps]

If it's not too much trouble, that'd be great, but otherwise dw bout it

I'll give it a go tomorrow... Only problem will be the handbrake adjustment..It's very hard to get into my console without a right angle screwdriver, there is absolutely no room for a normal screw driver

I'll try just adjusting from the back to begin with.

I'm assuming the lip is because the brakes have worn the drums in the centre, but the edges are still at full diameter? That probably explains why it came off to a certain extent and wouldn't budge from that point on .

[mulkers]

I have pulled hundreds of drums of cars.

if they are adjusted up too tight, and you force them off, with two bolts, you can/will break anchor pins/seats.

you will know if it is too much though, sometimes it will strip a bolt !

In this case, back them off, and they should come off no worries.

The drums should be machined, and measured (there is a legal limit) to remove the lips.

[deeps]

the drums are being replaced... the shoes etc. were replaced last month, but the drums couldn't be sourced at the time. They are on, or just below the legal limit apparently.

so i don't wanna break anything coz its' all new in there

[lexsmaz]

You are corect in saying that the drums have worn in the centre & are unworn on outer edge ... thats the lip the guys are refering to ..
The picture you have circled is the adjuster .. To back of the adjuster you will need 2screwdrivers, 1 bent at the tip to hook onto that metal bar arrangement just inside the drum that you can just see .. you need to pull that bar ( self adjuster ) back slightly off the star wheel, which then frees up the star wheel to turn, possibly anti clockwise direction, but you will find if you are going the wrong way the drum will start to tighten up as you turn it ... main thing is take your time ... as the guys have said also make sure the handbrake cables are slack, adjuster should from memery be down beside handbrake lever, 10 mm head nut & locknut, makes it a lot easier with the console off ..
The above adjustements are a bit hard to explain but not to bad to do, practise makes it easier ...
sometimes if its still just dragging a bit, you can get a garden hose in behind the drum to allow it to slip off a bit easier .... Have fun ..

[deeps]

lol now im confused again... what's this metal bar arrangement you speak of? Haven't come across that one yet in my readings online....Not much room to work with on the back side which makes it that much harder