Rear Drums

[gpearce]

Probably a dumb question but what's the secret to pulling the rear drums on a 1995 Chev 2500 8600 GVW truck? I have always just pulled drums off but these don't look like they slide off and I can't figure it out. Does the axle have to come out and how painful is that? Thanks!

Is it a full-floater axle? The 2500s usually had the 9.5" 14-bolt semi-floater, but some had the full-floater and with those you have to pull the axle, wheel bearing locknuts, etc. It's not very hard, you just need the right locknut socket. If it's the SF axle, there could just be a big ridge that the shoes are catching on.

[gpearce]

Really, showing my ignorance now........how do you tell if it's the full floater or semi-floater? Thanks for the response.

The full-floater will have a hub protruding from the center of the wheel, with a ring of bolts around it that hold the axle flange to the hub. With most full-floater, you have to remove the axleshaft and wheel bearing locknuts to get the drum off. A semi-floater just has a brake drum that slips over the wheel studs.

[gpearce]

Thanks, that means I have the full floater then. Sounds like fun.

Nah, it only takes maybe 5 minutes per side to do the extra stuff. The extra work is well worth the extra strength of the FF axle.