Lose the t-shirt and get a bigger hammer.  The drums are pretty much
bullet-proof and often are rusted to the hub.

Karl Wolz

----- Original Message -----
From: "Scott G. Terry" <sgterry@ENGINEERING.UCSB.EDU>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Monday, July 23, 2001 9:19 AM
Subject: brake drum removal difficulties--need advice

> Hi All,
>
> This weekend I tried to remove the rear brake drums of our '85 Westy
> "Pearl" who is a fairly recent acquisition.
> My plan was to pull the drums off without the hubs per the Haynes manual.
> However, even after loosening the self-adjust wheel and the parking brake
> adj. nut, I couldn't free the drum.  I think the shoes were off the drum
> because the wheel turned very freely.  I didn't have a rubber mallet so I
> don't know how persuasive my t-shirt wrapped hammer blows were in
> attempting to free the drum.
>
> The Bentley manual prescribes drum removal via pulling the hub.  This
would
> certainly get the drum off but I would like to avoid getting a hub puller
> and having to retorque that axle nut to a zillion ft-lbs.
>
> Can anyone offer advice?  Is the Haynes approach doable or do I have to
use
> the Bentley method?  Also, any suggestions on a good way to turn the
> self-adjusting wheel behind the backing plate--I was really struggling
with
> that part.
>
> Thanks,
> Scott
>