Itinerant Air-Cooled

Still cant get my left rear drum off. It waggles a tiny bit so it cant be rusted on.

My 1973 manual says to release the shoes from drums, up in front and down in back......is this correct for 75 model too?


by the way trying to get drum off so i can get to the rusted adjusters. I have PB blasted them to hell...and pounding with hammer and screwdriver has budged them slightly, although now heavily mangled

You can crack open the bleeder valve and see if you can collapse the wheel cylinder enough to let the shoes clear the ridge that is worn on the edge of the drum.

When I took Franklin's drums off, it took about an hour straight of wiggling and tapping. No brakes? No breaks!

vdubyah73 wrote:You can crack open the bleeder valve and see if you can collapse the wheel cylinder enough to let the shoes clear the ridge that is worn on the edge of the drum.

ah the bleeder..good idea. thx.

dingo wrote:

vdubyah73 wrote:You can crack open the bleeder valve and see if you can collapse the wheel cylinder enough to let the shoes clear the ridge that is worn on the edge of the drum.

ah the bleeder..good idea. thx.

Back off the ebrake cables too. I have had good luck with a flat end round drift and a hammer to give the stars a good dead-on hit in the correct direction as stated below:

To Loosen: move adjuster wheels counter-clockwise as they face the anchor, i.e. screwdriver handle DOWN on left hole, UP on right.

To Tighten:
left is UP with the screwdriver handle (i.e. adjuster wheel teeth will go down past the hole) and the right is DOWN.
Colin
(edited 01/12 thank-you dingo)

Amskeptic wrote:

dingo wrote:

vdubyah73 wrote:You can crack open the bleeder valve and see if you can collapse the wheel cylinder enough to let the shoes clear the ridge that is worn on the edge of the drum.

ah the bleeder..good idea. thx.

Back off the ebrake cables too. As you look at the adjuster holes, doesn't matter which wheel, the hole to your left is up with the screwdriver handle (i.e. adjuster wheel teeth will go down past the hole) and the right hole is the opposite. I have had good luck with a flat end round drift and a hammer to give the stars a good dead-on hit in the correct direction as stated above, to help them move.
Colin

it seems to be the reverse of stated above: left side, to release: teeth go UP past the hole i.e. gizmo tightens on thread and thus compress inward

Both of my buses have a 'flattened' end of the oval that you access the star adjusters. Where some gorrilla pried them with a screwdriver. Makes it easy for me to tell which way to go, though.

chitwnvw wrote:Both of my buses have a 'flattened' end of the oval that you access the star adjusters. Where some gorrilla pried them with a screwdriver. Makes it easy for me to tell which way to go, though.

mine are mangled beyond recognition..tired of dicking with it..time has come to break out the Dremel wheels and start cutting...then put a nice stainless access plate for future adjusting

dingo wrote:... put a nice stainless access plate for future adjusting

LOL.

I know how you feel.

haha...stainless is awesome stuff...ill post pic. when im done

well i dremel as big a hole as i could but still cant get vicegrips on the bastard. Starnut is moving in its socket,since the nut moives exactly 1.5 stars in either direction but thats all. Unglaublich !!!

I would dremel thru the bolt itself..but only have two spares...and still the other wheel to deal with

Can you get it heated?

dingo wrote:I would dremel thru the bolt itself..but only have two spares...and still the other wheel to deal with

I bet that if you totally release one shoe (dremel one bolt per side), it would allow you to get the drum off. Then you'd have one bolt to replace on each wheel.

yeah, i was thinking about some heat...Mapp or propane torch..

Pass. side has same situation...one star barely moves, the other frozen solid. This time i DID get the drum off.....tried a vice-grip and hammer on the frozen nut, but succeeded only in shearing the stars off. This one has movement on the thread, but Nut is frozen in the socket.

thought i might remove the whole adjuster unit..but the two bolts are hidden behind the wheel hub flange..so much for that idea

tried to dremel thru frozen adjuster bolt....the cutting wheels kept shattering..resorted to hacksaw blade held by vice-grip....finally freed that sucker !! Now i have all four adjusters turning smoothly, although pass. side will have to be a 'drum-off' adjustment due to stars being 'nubs'