1950 Frazer Rear Drum Hard to Pull

[Jeri Conklin]

We have the puller that the manual shows and have used it without luck. My husband has heated it up numerous times, all to no avail. We have soaked it with WD-40 and left it under pressure for several weeks. Anyone have any other suggestions? "Have patience grasshopper" not accepted

[Benji]

I have used this method several times with good results.  Take a heavy brass hammer and sharply strike the center of the puller (while the puller is of course under heavy pressure.)  It may take several blows to get the job done and you may have to tighten the puller as the drum loosens.  If you use a steel hammer you risk dubbing up the end of the puller and striking steel against steel is usually not a good idea as the softer steel of the puller can chip or splinter and injure you or anyone close by.

Benji

[Fid]

I have never been able to remove a rear drum without "shocking" it - i.e. hitting it (the center of the puller) with a large hammer. Brass would be best but I've done it with a regular hammer too. Since the axle/drum are cone shaped, it needs to be shocked off.

[Jeri Conklin]

My axles are not cone shaped, they come straight out. Hitting the drum on the rim from the back side moved it slightly, but not enough to come on off.

[Benji]

The drums are cast iron and you risk breaking/chipping them if you hit them with a hammer, especially on the edge. 

Benji

[Logan]

Well, you've probably tried this already, but when I took the rear drums off my 53K I took a sledge hammer to the lever on the puller, not the center.  I had to hit it REALLY hard, but it finally came off.  Maybe you've already hit it really hard.

[Fid]

I had them off my J this weekend. The part of the axle which sticks out beyond the drum is round but the surface that mates with the drum, underneath which you cannot see till it comes off, is cone shaped. Shocking it is the best answer and as suggested, hit the center spindle of the puller itself, not the drum.

Hit right on the end of that shaft on the puller

[boatingbill]

Hitting the puller on the center may damage the end of the axle by "spreading it". Be sure to
leave the nut on to protect the axle, but back the nut off several turns to allow the drum to
move out from the backing plate. I always go around the drum in a clockwise manner while
hitting it with  a large hammer. Be SURE to support the axle housing with wood blocks to allow
all the force to be on the drum and not on the spring. It takes time, but I never had a drum not
release this way. Hit it a couple dozen times, try to tighten the puller and go do something else
for a half hour and repeat.

[Fid]

Very good point bill. Yes, it may not be visible in that picture but I removed the nut, turned it around and put it back on backwards so the castlated end is to the inside. It is about 1/2 turn out from being flush with the axle. I also have a piece of L shaped buffer stock (a thin soft piece of iron) between the puller spindle and the axle - not easy to see this in the picture but yes, it's a good idea to do so because if you mushroom the end of the axle... that's not good. In using this method, which I've done numerous times, I've never ruined the end of an axle.

[Jeri Conklin]

Happy to report that two of our local Kaiser/Frazer members came up from Sacramento with the drum puller from heck and beyond. It had five legs (jaws) on it, and boom it was free and then the gear puller got the drums off without damage to the shoes. Of course what we have discovered is that my 1949/50 Frazer has Self-Adjusting Brakes, so all the replacement brake stuff we got (Cylinders) won't work as these are not regular brakes. But my resourcesful brother is rebuilding them for me.

Now onto my next quest in a new post. Thank you all for your great suggestions - it is a miracle what the right tools can do. Thanks Larry and Bruce if you are reading this.