MTFCA Forum

I can't remove the brake drum from the rear hub of my 26 TT, I am new at this. The other one came off easy. I have tried WD40 and a hammer then a bigger hammer, some heat but it won't budge. HELP.

Sometimes they can be a bugger to remove. Sometimes the register on the hub they sit on gets peened over preventing removal. And sometimes its just rust and paint that hold it on.

There is no real trick, obviously remove the nuts from the hub bolts and it should come off fairly easy. WD40 is not a great penetrant in my opinion, PB Blaster or Kroil are better options.

I hate to such drastic measures, but if all else fail, have you tried a pry bar between the hub and drum, or perhaps (and be very careful) a little heat around the hub / drum register?

Careful how you hit on these drums, Model T drums are not thick like modern cars and bend very easily.

No heat (oxyacetylene or propane) might damage the spokes. Elevate the wheel off the ground - dust cover up. Block it up with wood or something similar. Heck, even a modern spare tire on wheel. I use oak lumber - maybe a 1”x 2”
and tap w/ hammer between the 12 spokes on the outer edge of the brake drum. Become progressively more aggressive with your whacking after each 12 repetitions. It’ll pop off..

You should buy or borrow a hub puller.

Ted beat me to it. I’m assuming you are using the right puller. Some times I have to tighten the puller down and tap on the end of the bolt. If it needs more I will put a wrench on it and tighten while I tap on it. Yeah I have to admit I have been reduced to wailing on the darn thing or using an air hammer with a brass bit. Good luck.

Some people are trying to help him remove the thing from the axle...others are trying to help him remove the brake drum from the hub...I believe the later is what Rod is trying to do...

To Rod: I have little experience with Improved Cars...why are you trying to remove the drum from the hub? Just curious, is all.

LOL !... This thread reminds me of that elementary school game where all the kids sat in a circle and one whispered something to the kid next to him and soforth around the circle until the last kid spoke aloud what he heard
I’m assuming the OP wanted to remove the TT emergency brake drums to better restore the spokes and sandblast and paint the drums to accentuate a restored TT...

What George said. I need the drum off so I can get the wheel respoked. The wheel is off and I didn't even have to use a puller. Thanks for the info will keep trying.

I’m still confused....
I guess you have the complete wheel off the axle.
Now you remove the six nuts that hold the face plate, hub and drum together. If necessary cut the nuts off with a grinder.
Next remove the six bolts.
The drum will now come off the hub. It may require a few taps with a hammer.
Removing the front face plate can be troublesome. I suggest removing ALL the paint from the hub and gently prizing the front plate with a stout screw driver. If you plan to replace the spokes and the front plate still won’t move, cut the spoke so you can use a puller. It the plate is damaged you can probably find a replacement.
I have replaced or repaired spokes on close to 100 wheels and yet to be beaten by any hub with good threads

Do you have the 6 nuts off the bolts? Assuming you do, I imagine the bolts are still in place. If that's the case, it sounds like the drum and bolts are just bound up a little.

If my guess is correct, try using a drift that's a smaller diameter than the bolts (so you don't bugger up the threads) and tap them out. It should free up before you get to the last one.

With the nuts and bolts removed, try to drive the drum around on the hub using a punch in the bolt holes. Once it is moved out of line with the holes in the spokes and outer plate, a rod can be driven through the plate and spokes to register on the drum. Beating on the drum this way places the load as close to the hub as possible, and with less flexing your hammer blows will be more effective. This procedure works well to remove the outside plate on wheels as well.

Hope this helps.
Allan from down under.

If The truck can still be driven, the poor boy or old farmer solution was to loosen the axle nut about three turns, replace the cotter pin (so it can not vibrate off all the way) and drive the truck over a bumpy road or driveway kind of fast. A short trip will usually loosen the drum.