rear brake drums stuck

[Cruiser70]

Hi,
Have a slight problem with removing one of my brake drums, normally they just come off with a bit of banging and wobbling.
This time it is well and truly jammed on, tried putting screws through to ease it off, this broke the screw and didnt really budge it, just pulled the shoes with the drum.
So i am guessing I have to adjust them using the hole and poke a screw driver through to release the brakes a bit.
I dont have the special tool for doing this and I will probably spend several hours trying to loosen the brake shoes so I can release the drum, i hate this job, something that should be so easy never is for me!
Does anyone know where I can get brake adjustment tool? or maybe bend a screwdriver to suit?
Any tips would be great before I tackle this again.

Thanks

Martin.

 

[earl]

Just use a flat head screw driver to adjust the adjuster (through the rectanglular hole on the backing plate - usually plugged with a rubber plug) to it's shortest possible length, then try getting the drum off. You probably have a bit of a wear ridge on the drum.

In case it's not obvious, you just turn the adjuster by leveraging the screwdriver against the backing plate while the end of the screw driver is in the adjusters grooves.

 

[earl]

Even two flat head screwdrivers of different sizes (one may be needed to release the lock mechanism as BJ 71 mentioned). The adjuster hole on my BJ70 seems huge.

 

[roscoFJ73]

So i am guessing I have to adjust them using the hole and poke a screw driver through to release the brakes a bit.


Thanks

Martin.

This is fairly normal.

 

[Cruiser70]

Cheers Earl, will give that a go. Its a KZJ70 (land cruiser II light duty).
mmm maybe I shoud expand the hole to make it easier,
the backing plate is full of holes due to rust, another expansion wont hurt but I will try poking around in the hole for a bit first to see if I can back the shoes off...

Martin.

 

[Glenn-BJ74]

Isn't there a couple of threaded bolt holes in the drum to push off the drum from the shoes?

 

[jake2far]

If like my 70 your rust problem is bad enough the springs inside fell apart from rust, the drum is worn down so there is a lip on the edge of the drum, makes removal impossible. I pulled hard enough that my rusted backer plate started to bend, I had to take a hammer and break the drum, it was easier than I thought. After I got mine apart I found the small parts were so rusted as to be unusable. Buy a new drum and a hardware kit with new shoes, makes for a easy repair.
The first indicator of my problem, my wife called and said she was in a parking lot with smoke coming out from the left rear tire, the parts were so rusted, the return spring had broke and the shoes were stuck out far enough that the drum would not come off, I tried to adjust the shoes in but with the spring gone and the rust making the parts stuck in place it would not allow the shoes to retract.
RUST the final frontier!


JIm

 

[Cruiser70]

Glen,
Tried that already, broke a piece of the drum off around the hole!

The lip is the issue, unfortuantly the star adjuster was rusted and I had no chance through the hole.
Next time it will be loads of penetrating spray in that hole for 3 days before removal.

Good news is persistance with hammer and screwdrivers got it off, the final blow was getting the large screw driver in the lip of the drum and hitting it with the large hammer.
Who invented the hammer needs a large pat on the back
Now I have to do the other side, groan my knees hurt

Cheers everyone.