BRAKE DRUM LOCKED SOLID?

Here’s a hack for seizures before you have a seizure yourself

Ihad an old One Ten dropped off for an engine change. The engine ran but only at idle (faulty injection pump) and as the vehicle was rolled off the transporter the air was filled with the scream of binding brakes.

The first priority was to get the Land Rover into a state where it could be pushed in and out of the workshop once the engine was out. By engaging low range and slipping the clutch I just managed to limp it into the workshop, and jacking up the rear wheels revealed that the rear brakes on both sides were seized. The vehicle had been standing for about a year.

The passenger side was easy: I screwed the appropriate bolt into the threaded hole in the drum, pulled the drum off (it was very tight over the shoes but came free with some wiggling) and found that the brake pistons (on an almost new cylinder) had seized very lightly in the cylinder due to a dusting of surface corrosion.

A quick clean-up and they were as good as new. Then I went to do the driver’s side and found that someone had stripped the thread in the drum for the puller bolt.

Sometimes you can remove a stuck drum by belting the front face of it with a lump hammer to shock it free, but not this time. The centre of the drum was firmly rusted to the hub. Incidentally, never try to remove a drum by hitting the outside edge from behind, as sharp bits of cast iron will break off it and can easily end up in your eyes. Judging by the number of drums I see with jagged edges, a lot of home mechanics out there are lucky to still have their eyesight.

I have come across this problem a few times now, and the solution is very simple with a small amount of lateral thinking.

Simply remove the half-shaft and drive flange, undo the large hub nuts and then remove the hub and drum as a single assembly. The edges of the drum can then be supported and the hub tapped or pressed out. If using a hammer to separate the two, make sure you place a hardwood block over the face of the hub to avoid damaging it.

If you are going to reuse the drum you can drill and tap a new extractor hole before refitting it, which may save you having to dismantle the hub again the next time you need to work on the brakes.