1957 Belvedere Rear Brakes/Hubs - advice please
retrodaz
Posted 2024-07-23 5:31 PM (#636242)
Subject: 1957 Belvedere Rear Brakes/Hubs - advice please


Member

Posts: 13

This post is also on the Forward Look Facebook page so some of you may have seen it there. Grateful for any advice you guys can pass on:

Need some help please, currently working on a 57 Belvedere, had to get the rear drums off to replace the rear wheel cylinders. Attempted to pull the drums off with the hubs with the correct bolt on hub puller, ended up destroying the puller, so modified the puller, strengthened it and tried again, ended up breaking my breaker bar with a large piece of tubing over the bar to give me more leverage.

So one puller down, one snap on breaker bar down. We decided grind of the rivets heads and drill out the rest of the rivets.

That got the drums off, brakes serviced and bled and adjusted etc, all done.

Drove the car and we were getting terrible brake pedal judder from the rear brakes, car was un-driveable.

Guessing the rear drums are not central on the hubs. So tapped a thread into the rivet holes in the hubs and bolted the drums to the hubs, visually they look central, pedal judder has been reduced about 70% but still have slight pedal judder and want to eliminate it completely.

Does anyone have a source of replacement drums to use? Drums from another model Mopar etc that will work?

Many thanks.
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56D500boy
Posted 2024-07-23 6:04 PM (#636243 - in reply to #636242)
Subject: RE: 1957 Belvedere Rear Brakes/Hubs - advice please



Exner Expert 10K+

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Sounds like F-U-N.

NOT.

Here is a link to what is supposed to be new 11 x 2 brake drums for 57 58 59 Plymouth 11 x 2 inch brakes.
No hub but presumably properly drilled to attach the drum to the hub.

Might work. Or NOT

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/195979199567

https://www.forcbodiesonly.com/mopar-forum/threads/1957-61-rear-brak...



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Powerflite
Posted 2024-07-23 6:09 PM (#636244 - in reply to #636242)
Subject: Re: 1957 Belvedere Rear Brakes/Hubs - advice please



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Do yourself a favor and purchase the right puller for the job. Use the old Blue-Point or Snap-on pullers like in this link. I get the drums off every time within 20 sec once it get it installed on the hub. Never a problem.

Mopar Mall sells new 12" drums, but you probably have 11" so that won't help you unless you convert them with 12" backing plates, shoes & hardware. (Note the new 11" drums Dave suggests above, which could be used) But because new drums are separate from the hub, you would need to register & stake them in place, and then have them cut round to be perfectly centric to the drum. But it's easier and cheaper to just to get a set of good used drums & hubs from John Fowlie at BigM Automotive.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/266778223342


Edited by Powerflite 2024-07-23 9:41 PM




(Snap-on Puller (1).jpg)



Attachments
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Attachments Snap-on Puller (1).jpg (58KB - 42 downloads)
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dels56
Posted 2024-07-24 12:06 PM (#636256 - in reply to #636242)
Subject: Re: 1957 Belvedere Rear Brakes/Hubs - advice please


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Check with the local car club members and borrow a puller as above. Studebaker also had tapered axle, check those guys out.
Del
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57chizler
Posted 2024-07-24 12:55 PM (#636259 - in reply to #636242)
Subject: RE: 1957 Belvedere Rear Brakes/Hubs - advice please



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retrodaz - 2024-07-23 2:31 PM
Guessing the rear drums are not central on the hubs.


The factory never intended for the drum and hub to be separated, therefore when they are, the assembly must be turned to make the drum and hub concentric.

If you were able to separate the drum and hub by simply removing the rivets, the lug studs weren't properly swaged and that exacerbates the out-of-round problem.
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Shep
Posted 2024-07-24 1:36 PM (#636260 - in reply to #636259)
Subject: Re: 1957 Belvedere Rear Brakes/Hubs - advice please



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Exactly!!
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ClassicCars
Posted 2024-07-24 2:36 PM (#636261 - in reply to #636242)
Subject: Re: 1957 Belvedere Rear Brakes/Hubs - advice please


Member

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As mentioned, using the right tool makes all the difference. I avoided pulling the rear wheels on my 1958 Plymouth and 1959 Dodge until I found a Blue Point puller (pictured above). Bought it for $75 and it was one of the best investments I ever made. Takes longer to get it set up and bolted to the drum than it takes to pull the drum off. Worth every penny.
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mstrug
Posted 2024-07-24 7:28 PM (#636262 - in reply to #636242)
Subject: Re: 1957 Belvedere Rear Brakes/Hubs - advice please



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http://www.chrysler300club.com/rcmstuff/fairbanks/puller.html

Hub Puller from Les Fairbanks

The pieces: five left hand thread pulling studs ("L"), five right hand thread pulling studs ("R"), and the plate.

Same pieces, this view the plate is turned over to show the other side.

Close up view of right hand thread studs and left hand thread studs.

The hub with the puller studs.

The hub, puller studs, plate, ready to tighten the nuts

Instructions for Mopar rear drum puller.

Caution: These drums can come off the axles with enough force to cause injury. Don't stand directly in front of drum when removing.

Secure the car safely on jack stands. Remove the wheels and axle nuts. Loosen brake shoe adjustments.

For cars that use lug bolts:

On the right (passenger's) side: Put the 5 RH threaded bolts through the holes in the plate and screw them into the lug bolt holes until the plate is against the axle shaft. Tighten the bolts evenly until the drum comes off.

On the left (driver's) side: Put the 5 LH threaded studs about 3/4 of an inch into the drum. Put the plate over the studs against the axle shaft. Install washers and the 5 LH threaded nuts on each stud and tighten evenly until the drum comes off.

For cars that use lug nuts:

On the right (passenger's) side: Screw the 5 RH threaded elongated nuts with stud attached all the way onto the studs on the drum. Put the plate over the studs with the small plate in the center against the axle shaft. Install washers and the 5 RH threaded nuts and tighten evenly until the drum comes off.

On the left (driver's) side, procedure is the same as right side using LH threaded nuts.

If you have any questions, comments, or the tool doesn't remove the drums on your car, call me at (269) 463-5260 or email me at lessue52@comcast.net. Mailing address is Les Fairbanks 4965 Park Dr. Watervliet, MI 49098. Your money will be promptly refunded if this tool fails to remove the drums from your car.

This web site is an antique. Can't paste pics here.
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retrodaz
Posted 2024-07-25 9:13 PM (#636271 - in reply to #636242)
Subject: Re: 1957 Belvedere Rear Brakes/Hubs - advice please


Member

Posts: 13

As some of you may know from the Facebook page, this was resolved by swapping in a 66 Charger rear end. All working well now and way easier to maintain. Thanks for everyone’s help - this site has always been super helpful, long may it continue!
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22mafeja
Posted 2024-07-27 1:18 AM (#636283 - in reply to #636242)
Subject: RE: 1957 Belvedere Rear Brakes/Hubs - advice please


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You can absolutely use the old drums if they are unmolested. I put 20 pc new RH bolts on my 57 dodge and the brake turned out fine. Of course you have to remove the hubs
first and give the drums and hubs to a grey-haired fellow with a lathe machine and some 30+years of experience of this and that.
He will get them centered to work as loose drums.
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