440roadrunner

Hi, "girlie" if you can find a book with a pictorial of the rear adjuster, EVERY REAR ADUSTER back in those days, has a ratcheting mechanism, which is part of the self adjusters. When you back up and jam on the brakes, the brakes shoes move inside the drum, which moves the ratchet lever, which moves the star wheel.

This lever ALSO keeps the wheel from backing off. If you can get up in there (on a jack) with the proper tools, maybe including a cheap screwdriver that you can bend, you can reach in there and push the lever away with one tool, and loosen the star wheel

What you will be doing, is pressing straight towards the outer part of the side of the car, that is, with the tool horizontal to the ground, to release this lever.


I don't know what this is:

http://classicbroncos.com/img/brake_...r_24_rears.jpg

but it is fairly representative. You can see that you'll be poking one small tool--or screwdriver--into the hole, ABOVE the star wheel, to push that lever away from the star wheel.

Then use the tool you have now to rotate the star wheel.

So far as getting the drums off, your's may be rusted to the axle flanges. I'd try soaking them for several days--or even weeks--with WD40 or some other loosening solvent. Try GENTLE pressure between the backing plate and the drum, and whack the flat around the flange face--between the studs--with a hammer a few times. If that doesn't work, find someone with a torch, and heat that flat area, then use a hammer to try and loosen. Also try scraping with sharp tools around the center hole area.

If worst comes to worst, you might have to pull the axles

Also, as drums wear, they leave a ridge on the outer rim of the drum--because this is not worn down by the shoes. So as you adjust the shoes out, the shoes fit into this channel, and the drum, even if loose--won't come off the shoes. You then need to back off the shoe adjustment to clear.