Brake drum removal: the last straw

["Allan Weidenheimer" <allanw@domain.elided>]

O.K., I've seen several great methods for removing the stuck brake drums.
Nobody posted this one, but I will because this is what you do just
before you think of changing the entire axle.  The situation: the shoes are
sticking on the drum, and the adjuster is frozen solid.  This
can easily happen if the wheel cylinder leaks corrosive brake
fluid on it.  There are two pins that go through the backing
plate, through the shoes, then have a spring loaded retainer
to hold the shoes against the backing plate.  Center punch the
heads on those pins, and drill the heads off. Or you might be
able to pop them off with a small cold chisel.  Next, remove the
brake line and bolts from the whell cylinder.  Then when you pull 
the drum outward everything will fall apart, but it will be apart.
New retainer pins are cheap, but I only recommend this as a
last resort.

Allan Weidenheimer
72 1210 Pickup