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I need to inspect the rear drums of my '50 deluxe eight. I have looked at the available literature here and the service manual and it appears that the rear drums and hub assembly only come off together as a unit and a puller is necessary? So the hub must come off as well if the drums need to?

If the hub does need to come of to remove the drum, and a puller is needed, is a universal screw type ok, or is a specific model necessary? Thank you!

The hub and drum are riveted together and come off in one piece. You will need a heavy duty puller similar in type to those shown in this thread.https://packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?post_id=24595#forumpost24595

If the drum has not been removed in quite some time if may be difficult and take some time before it breaks free. Once you loosen the nut, unscrew it a few turns but leave it on the axle. If the hub suddenly breaks free, that nut will prevent things from flying across the room.

Thanks Howard! I really appreciate that!

My 1950 Deluxe 8 needs the rear passenger side brake drum removed. I couldn't get it off, so I brought it in to a mechanic experienced with old cars.

He's tried several different pullers, including the three prong dog bone type, applied heat as well, and banging. He said the drum seems to have never been pulled off.

Any suggestions of what can be tried next? This is the only thing keeping my car from being drivable, as the wheel cylinder is leaking.

The mechanic said cutting would be a last resort, but I would hope not to do that if at all possible.

Many thanks.

I had a similar situation and leaving the puller attached several days while periodically tightening the bar every few hours was my method. It finally popped loose after three or four days. If you do this just remember to loosen the nut a few turns but keep it on the axle. The drum can fly a considerable distance if it is not restrained.

If that is not feasible, others have reported success by loosening the nut a few turns and then driving the car back and forth a "short distance". I haven't tried that method and don't know what constitutes a "short distance" or if there are caveats. Maybe someone will see this thread that has used the method and can give first hand experience.

I don't know what a "short distance" means any better than HH56, but the downside or risk is as follows. The driving force of the axle to the drum and wheel is via a very finely and accurately machined taper and driving the car far enough to damage either of those surfaces means you may be shopping for both a drum and an axle,.

This is the arrangement I used to get the drum off my 55 Pat. The puller is locked against the floor with the white bar so it cannot rotate. The jack supports the puller centerline so it does not see any shearing force. The long breaker bar is to get as much leverage as feasible. Note I did NOT use the dogbone tightner.

I just went through this. I read the service manual again, after I couldn't get the first one off with my new $92 puller...
There's a 15/16 nut on the top of the backing plate and the bolt threads are slotted. You're supposed to loosen that nut until the slot moves to the horizontal. The drum came off easily after that. I'm going to investigate this more tomorrow, there's supposed to be a cam somewhere that holds the drum. I couldn't see it, it's the same stud that the top springs/washer mount to.
Instructions are on page 16 in section 6 chassis of the service manual that's on this site under lit and manuals. There's a picture too with a wrench on the nut and another one with the puller attached. But it worked????
ps: My memory sez, hanging aroung the gas station garage at an early age, the old timers used to jack up the car and drop the axle on a block of wood to pop off stuck drums, but consider that hearsay and risky. That woodruff key is rather large ~3" long so there's ample places to seize up. Put some penetrating oil on first. Tap with a ball peen lightly around the end or try to drive the pin a bit if it's really stuck.

I checked that pin and it's a cam that pushes the brakes shoes upward toward the drum. I didn't think it would make such a difference but when I tried without loosening it, the drum would not budge, to the extent the puller as at max load.hit with BFH until it wouldn't move anymore.
On the other wheel, I turned nut first, and it came right off at < half force. So it pays to read the instructions.(?)
ps:don't forget to unload the adjuster and emergency brake too.

The eccentric pin (cam) is a very important and often neglected part of doing a correct brake adjustment and especially in the front can have a profound effect on brake performance. It has nothing to do with removing the drum, assuming some nit-wit has improperly played with it. It was not used on all years and models but when your car has it, read the manual for the adjustment procedure, or follow Ross' simplified method which has been discussed before.

If your drum hasn't come off yet, try some gentle heat on the drum hub to expand the hub - it will expand at a faster rate than the axle taper. Avoid as much as you can the hits with a heavy hammer as it's not kind to the bearing cups and rollers nor the thrust block. I didn't go back to see what you done previously, but of course you've backed off the shoe adjustment star wheel and slackened the parking brake cables. That can be really important as I've seen a few where there was ridge on the drum which caught the edge of the shoes. After all that, it's just a matter of keeping tension on the puller, and patience.