Hi,

Just bought a '65 544 and my mechanic is having a heckavuh time trying to get the rear brake drums off. He's using rust disolver, heat and a huge iron mallet...but they still don't wanna give. Are all 544's like this? Is there a trick to getting them off?
Thanks for any advise.

 

I had a 544 and I remember the rear drums well, Beating on the drum with a big azz hammer is not the way to remove them. You need a puller, a little heat and lots of patience to get them off Don't let him "f" up the rear drums, you could not buy them new 25 years ago, I doubt you can get them now.

 

I take back the part about the drums not being available new, Look like Swedish Treasures may have them http://www.swedishtreasures.com/5444.html. I wish that place had been around when I had my 544.

I was always scrounging for chassis and brake parts I had to get rear drums off of a studebaker with a nest of snakes living in it( 544 rear brake componets were identical to studebaker)

 

Thanks Rick. I'll tell him to go easy and keep using the heat and puller..also good to know about the Studebaker drums. I've got a Studenut friend.

 

I emailed a friend of mine who has a collection of 122s, He says that the technique that works best for him on stuck drums is to tighten down hard on the puller, apply some heat to the brake hub and then give the head of the puller a sharp whack with a BF- Hammer.

BTW the brakes were always a hassle on those cars. The master cylinder doesn't have much volume so the brakes don't have to be very far out of the adjustment for the pedal to get scary low. You will get good at pumping the brake