Page 1 of 1

Do you think a light skim will fix this brake drum?

Posted: Sat May 02, 2026 10:37 am
by don58van
As per the title:
IMG_0501.JPG
IMG_0501.JPG (336.6 KiB) Viewed 2936 times
But seriously, I have no idea what might have caused this damage which induced much swearing and head-scratching.
Note the brake shoe behind the drum.
The story is that I am restoring the rear brakes on a project van that I have had sitting around for 15 years or so.
I could not get the drum off no matter how much force I applied with levers and hammers. The drum would come so far and then stubbornly resist. I couldn't figure out where I was going wrong or what I could do next.
In the end I decided that the shoes were somehow ( :roll: ) impeding the removal of the drum. It seemed the only way forward was to destroy the shoes through the gap that was available between the drum and the backplate. I did this to one shoe with hefty screwdrivers and hammers. It worked! :)

As you have no doubt figured now, the groove in the drum and the ridge warn on the shoe linings had interlocked and prevented the removal of the drum.

Re: Do you think a light skim will fix this brake drum?

Posted: Sat May 02, 2026 10:41 am
by Bill_qaz
I would suggest something metal has gouged the drum on a previous adventure and shoes have been replaced with the scored drum. They have then worn to the drum shape creating the interlocking shape :tu1:

Re: Do you think a light skim will fix this brake drum?

Posted: Sat May 02, 2026 1:09 pm
by philthehill
That score has increased the overall friction area leading to better brakes but unfortunately cancelled out by the oil on the drum and linings :D

Re: Do you think a light skim will fix this brake drum?

Posted: Sun May 03, 2026 2:31 am
by don58van
Good point Phil

Perhaps I should score the other rear drum to match. :wink:

Don