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maxadrian 04-19-2008 21:27:23 71.34.90.156 29561 Report to Moderator	I got a 1969 ford f25o for $500.00. Been going through it little by little to fix things. Now need to change rear brake shoes. It has floating axles that supposedly have to come off to get the drums off. Advisers say to "hit center of hub hard with hammer and the whole thing will come off". Not for me. This is a f250 camper special with a 390. Whats the trick. Thanks. [Reply]  [Send Email]
maxadrian 04-20-2008 12:11:16 71.34.90.156 29566 Report to Moderator	Re: 1969 f250 rear brake drums in reply to maxadrian, 04-19-2008 21:27:23   O.K. So I think the issue is getting the hub to come apart. I took off the tire, so all the lug nuts are off. Then I take off the eight nuts holding the end of the hub in place but after that nothing moves. How do I get the end of the hub to move after all the nuts are off.   [Reply]  [Send Email]
Dennis Benson 04-20-2008 19:00:47 64.12.117.76 29567 Report to Moderator	Re: 1969 f250 rear brake drums in reply to maxadrian, 04-20-2008 12:11:16   Those eight nuts in the middle are holding the outside flange of the axle shaft. The shaft goes to the differential and is splined into a spider gear inside the carrier. With the bolts out tap dwonward on the flange that you just unbolted from the hub so that it's loose. Get a good sized screw driver and pry the axle loose until it's free of the spider gear. I'm not exactly remembering the Ford, but in lighter rear ends Chevrolet, I believe, there is a clip holding the axle inside the spider gear, and the rear cover has to be removed to remove the clip, but I can't remember if your Ford is like that. I don't think so. When you get the axle out you will see a tube that the axle came out of. that is the end of the axle housing that the inner and outer bearing rest on. You will see a nut between the hub and that tube around the tube. The tube is threaded, and has a keyway. Then look close and you will see one or two sheet metal tabs bent outward against a flat side of the nut. Take the big screw driver and put it between the nut and tab to push the tab away from the nut and inward, to give room for a socket to fit over the nut. You'll have to buy a special socket for this nut, but they aren't very expensive, and most part stores should have it. After you remove the outer nut you will remove the washer with the tabs on it, and there will be a second nut, this is the one you will torque down when putting the hub back on. Remove this nut, and the hub is free. If the hub doesn't slide off you will need to back off the brake shoe with a brake spoon. Oposite the place where the brake tube goes into the backing plate there is an oval opening with a rubber plug in it. Remove the rubber plug and inside you will be able, with some difficulty, to find a star shaped wheel that you will need to turn with the brake spoon. That part is like a turnbuckle, and adjusts your brakes out toward the drum, and in to loosen them. There might be an automatic adjuster that will try to prevent rolling this wheel backward, and you will need a smaller longish kind of screw driver to hold this away from the star wheel by pushing it slightly toward the drum and holding it while using the spoon to rotate the star wheel. Then the hub should come off. Be careful to catch the outer bearing so it doesn't fall into the dirt. The seal will keep the inner bearing from falling out. With the outer bearing out yopu can put one of the nuts back on the center tube and catch the inner bearing and give a good pull and knock the seal out and save a little trouble later. You will be replacing the seal with the brake job. Now, you are ready to take the drums to the shop to have them measured and turned. Don't be surprised if some shops tell you they can't turn the drum because it tips their brake drum lathe over, you might have to take the drum to a truck shop to have it turned on the bigger lathe. The local NAPA shop couldn't turn my one ton drums because it tipped their lathe over. A place that might be able to turn it is Wingfoot, the truck branch of Goodyear, but there are other places that can turn them. Of corse, if the drums are worn too far you will need to replace them.   [Reply]  [No Email]
maxadrian 04-20-2008 19:39:00 71.34.90.156 29568 Report to Moderator	Re: 1969 f250 rear brake drums in reply to Dennis Benson, 04-20-2008 19:00:47   Hey Dennis, now thats the kind of hand holding I was looking for. So you are saying that it is safe and accepted practice to tap downward on the edge of the flange? I do know that on one side the adjuster is broken and the shoes may not be able to retract. What then?. Thanks for taking all the time to write such a long and detailed set of instructions. Appreciated.   [Reply]  [Send Email]
Dennis Benson 04-21-2008 06:24:56 205.188.117.76 29570 Report to Moderator	Re: 1969 f250 rear brake drums in reply to maxadrian, 04-20-2008 19:39:00   Yes, but it's best to use a softer material to tap with a scrap piece of brass or aluminum between the axle and hammer, or a brass hammer. It the drums might pull off with some trouble, and will scratch and gouge the asbestos on the shoes, but that won't matter because you're replacing the shoes. You don't want to bend the steel on the shoes because you will have to trade them for a core charge, They have to be good enough to reline. A worst case scenario might be to cut the hold downs loose. The hold downs are a rod, something like a nail, with a head on one end, and the pointed end is flattened. The flattened end goes through a cap and spring which holds the shoe against the backing plate. The flattened part goes through a little slot in the backing plate and makes a quarter turn. If you can get toi that and cut it off you will let the brake shoes come loose from the backing plate, You might even be able to use some plyers and give a quuarter turn and let the parts fall into the drum and retrieve them later, then they will be held in place by the two push rods that come out of the wheel cylinder. Those push rods shouldn't break anything too bad if they are twisted out like that. If you need to see what parts look like a good site that I use is http://www.partsamerica.com You can then see what they will look like inside to figure whare to use force, and you can figurte if the parts are available and cheap before you break them. It would also help to get a manual for your truck. Partsamerica, or one of their local part stores should have the book in stock, Here, the local part store is Advance Autoparts, but they have other stores around the country.   [Reply]  [No Email]
maxadrian 04-21-2008 06:58:54 71.34.90.156 29571 Report to Moderator	Re: 1969 f250 rear brake drums in reply to Dennis Benson, 04-21-2008 06:24:56   Thanks again Dennis. Much appreciated. Max   [Reply]  [Send Email]
Jack in Fla 04-20-2008 08:36:56 205.188.117.76 29563 Report to Moderator	Re: 1969 f250 rear brake drums in reply to maxadrian, 04-19-2008 21:27:23   To get the drums off, they come off attached to hub, with the lug studs. You got to remove the outer axel nut, then the lock tab, then the inner axel nut, the they come right off, and heavy to. Jack   [Reply]  [No Email]
maxadrian 04-20-2008 11:55:55 71.34.90.156 29564 Report to Moderator	Re: 1969 f250 rear brake drums in reply to Jack in Fla, 04-20-2008 08:36:56   Thanks for the Jack. Max   [Reply]  [Send Email]
Dennis Benson 04-20-2008 06:35:54 64.12.117.76 29562 Report to Moderator	Re: 1969 f250 rear brake drums in reply to maxadrian, 04-19-2008 21:27:23   I don't exactly remember some of the details, but they might be fastened to the hub by little dimples on the studs. They have a special tool for drilling those off, the drill is hollow to fit over the stud, and has cutting edges that are paralles with the drum surface. They don't have to be there anyway. Did you back off the brake shoes? They can be holding it in place because of the grooves worn on the drums. I looked at the drums at partsamerica.com, and it looked like there could be screws that hold the drum to the hub. If you go for having the drums turned at a machine shop, they will probably want the drums on the hubs. The shops I worked for did.   [Reply]  [No Email]
maxadrian 04-20-2008 11:57:08 71.34.90.156 29565 Report to Moderator	Re: 1969 f250 rear brake drums in reply to Dennis Benson, 04-20-2008 06:35:54   Thanks for the help Dennis. Max   [Reply]  [No Email]