Please help with getting front drums off CJ-5

[ronnie victor]

I'm beginning restoration of my 1966 CJ5 (original owner; haven't driven it for 20+ yrs), and I need to re-work all brakes and brake parts. The front drums rotate, but no amount of hammering (small sledge), PB-blasting, torching, and prying has gotten them to budge on either wheel (I loosened the shoes, also).

There is no puller that I know of to place in the small space behind the drum and the backing plate to assist me.

The wheels have Warn lock-o-matic hubs (installed in '66) , and I took down part of one, thinking that I could slip off the hub with drum, but no luck. Inside the hubs I removed two expansion clips, and got down to what looks like the tip of the axle (spindle?). There are no more rings, clips, screws, etc to remove. Dead end -- although there has to be a way to get to the bearings at another time.

Note, too, that the wheel studs are serrated, suggesting to me that the drum is really snug on the studs. (but I have some notes from 1975 that I changed the shoes, so back then I apparently got the drums off with no big problem (I don't remember details after 40 years, but I don't think I tore down the Warn hubs).

I'm including three pics... and I hope they make clear what I describe.

My questions are mainly these: Do I just keep banging away, torching, and PB-blasting,knowing that no more clips are holding the hubs on axles? Is there a puller designed to pull drum/hub of this design (see pics). Can I knock in those serrated studs a few millimeters?...or does that make a bigger problem latter? Are comments/suggests are welcome, as I've been struggling for many days now -- thank you, Ronnie

 

[Hedgehog]

The studs hold the drum on, so you can always start beating each stud out individually. Get an old nut to put on the stud before the beating begins. I'm not at all familiar with your hub inner workings, I know mine, but yours are a little different.

 

[hagar]

Here's an exploded view diagram I supplied years ago that has made it's way around the web:

Warn M3B lock o matic hubs - The CJ2A Page Forums

Please don't try and beat the drums off.
The drums are swedged to the wheel hubs via the wheel studs.
You'll only damage one or both components.
Remove what's left of the locking hub and then remove the hub and drum as an assembly.
If you want to separate the hub from the drum.
You'll need a special swage cutting tool to do the job properly.
They cost about $90.
https://www.goodson.com/Brake-Drum-Swedge-Cutting-Tool/

Once disassembled, you can then press out the wheel studs; then install non swedge type studs that your drum will slip over easily. You'll never have to go thru this again. You can reuse your old drums.
Beating the studs out without properly cutting the swedging will/can distort the wheel hub and/or enlarge the wheel stud hole to where the new studs will be too loose in the old holes.

 

[Hedgehog]

oops, I've been removing studs the wrong way for many years.

Now that you've mentioned it though. I've had the rear brake drums off many times (I've had this CJ for about 3 years now), but I'm not at all sure I've ever taken the front drums off. In the next week or so the front axle will be replaced with a disk brake set-up. For curiosity I'll have to remove the front drums anyways.

 

[ronnie updike]

Hagar -- thanks for your suggestions (don't beat up the studs; continue pulling the hub), because as I dug deeper into the Warn hub, it became clear that much was holding on the hub beyond what I believed (I was initially reluctant to dig deep into the hub, thinking springs, etc. would 'fly'

(incidentally, I am the original poster, 'ronnie victor', but since I posted last week, the site wouldn't let me back in -- not recognizing some component of my entry info -- and in spite of the site stating it'd send my info to my e-mail, I never got an email. So, I had to re-register as 'ronnie updike' )

Now -- when I 'fished' thru the grease in the hub, I found only one tapered bearing and cup -- the outer. Seems that the inner bearing, up against the seal, is not tapered, but a bearing nonetheless -- unlike what Dana 27 diagrams show, like in my FSM. I guess it's okay to continue with that -- ronnie

P.S. for anyone else stymied by front CJ5 brake drums, I say this: On my 1966 CJ-5, 9" drums, I indeed found the hub and brake drum held tightly together as one piece (held by serrated studs, it appears -- I didn't see anything unusual, such as 'swedged' studs, but I've never seen swedge.

 

[Lumpy Grits]

Back the shoes away from the drum.
Should have a slot where you see the star-wheel adjuster, on the bottom of the backing plate.
LG

 

[jdcaples]

When I moved to the city I lacked access to a good number of tools.

I'm guilty of taking a vehicle to a chain/franchise for their "free brake inspection" because I couldn't free one of the drums.

They broke it loose. Telling them I needed to wait until next payday, I did the rest myself.

No, I'm not proud of that; I just needed the help.

-Jon