stuck rear brake drum

[shaky]

I have a totally stuck rear drum and any advice is welcome.....

I took the van off the road for a few weeks repairing the sills.... That was two years ago, these things snowball. At some point I've foolishly put the handbrake on. A beginners mistake but I'd not planned on it being laid up so long.

How the heck do you wind the adjusters back? (Its the nearside rear wheel). It all seems to be done by feel through a small hole. There doesn't seem enough space to release the auto adjusting lever and squeeze a small screw driver to turn the wheel all by feel!

The drum is rock solid. I've hit it etc but nothing is going to budge. You can't use levers on the back of the drum because of the lip on the backing plate. I know that I was dumb to leave the handbrake on, just didn't expect it not be moved in such a while!
 

[colinthefox]

I had this problem many years ago. I guessed that I'd have to replace the drums anyway, so cut the steel plate part of the drum all round with angle grinder/slitting disk. Once I'd removed that, I could get at everything inside quite easily. Drastic, but least expensive sacrifice.
E D I T ..forgot to say.....even if you get the shoes retracted with the adjuster, the drum will probably be rusted onto the centre boss, so still difficult to remove.

[badgerfax]

I had this problem when I left the handbreak on while driving in France this year

Cooked the cylinder & fused the drum onto to the hub somehow

I had to undo the hub nut to draw the drum & hub off together, Then deal with the carnage within

I have since fitted a hand break indicator light that my van never had....

[davidoft1]

Spray wd40 liberally into the drum and leave it to soak in

[shaky]

I had this problem many years ago. I guessed that I'd have to replace the drums anyway, so cut the steel plate part of the drum all round with angle grinder/slitting disk. Once I'd removed that, I could get at everything inside quite easily. Drastic, but least expensive sacrifice.
E D I T ..forgot to say.....even if you get the shoes retracted with the adjuster, the drum will probably be rusted onto the centre boss, so still difficult to remove.

Thanks for the reply, - this sounds a bit drastic, but it may come to this. The brakes are due an overhaul! I was wondering if there were a way to cut the drum off but it will be too thick.- You say that you cut the metal lip of the backing plate to get at the brakes?
I took the van off the road to weld a new drivers side inner sill for the MOT. Two years later and  because I'd had to take the tank out I've  also done the drivers side front wheel arch and step, the front panel and had the side windows out to fix the frames..... Things just snowball and enthusiasm goes up and down!
 

[shaky]

I had this problem when I left the handbreak on while driving in France this year

Cooked the cylinder & fused the drum onto to the hub somehow

I had to undo the hub nut to draw the drum & hub off together, Then deal with the carnage within

I have since fitted a hand break indicator light that my van never had....

Thanks for the reply..... This may be the  next thing to try I've been genning up on some of the Youtube videos. Many gloss over the removal of the drum or pretend that it was an easy job. These guys took your approach and removed the hub as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V22lK0ztRVQ It seems logical that the drum could have rusted onto the hub.
 

[colinthefox]

I had this problem many years ago. I guessed that I'd have to replace the drums anyway, so cut the steel plate part of the drum all round with angle grinder/slitting disk.

Thanks for the reply, - this sounds a bit drastic, but it may come to this. The brakes are due an overhaul! I was wondering if there were a way to cut the drum off but it will be too thick.- You say that you cut the metal lip of the backing plate to get at the brakes?
I took the van off the road to weld a new drivers side inner sill for the MOT. Two years later and  because I'd had to take the tank out I've  also done the drivers side front wheel arch and step, the front panel and had the side windows out to fix the frames..... Things just snowball and enthusiasm goes up and down!
 

No.....the drum consists of a steel (or thin cast plate ) with the rim of cast iron. Cut all around the steel plate just inside the cast rim and then you can lever the steel plate off the centre hub leaving the rim in place. You can then easily get at the adjusters and see what you're doing. If you pull the whole drum off complete with the centre hub you'll break everything inside, bend the backplate, and turn it into a very expensive job.

[davidoft1]

The drums rusted to the brake shoes , wd40
Will release the rust

[Stesaw]

I know you said you've hit it but give the drum a good ol whack wi hammer
Usually that will free them up..or you could rock the van back and forth

[davidoft1]

I know you said you've hit it but give the drum a good ol whack wi hammer
Usually that will free them up..or you could rock the van back and forth

and spray wd40 into the drum

[Stesaw]

I know you said you've hit it but give the drum a good ol whack wi hammer
Usually that will free them up..or you could rock the van back and forth

and spray wd40 into the drum

Thats if you're posh