This evening I started removing the rear wheel hubs so that I can clean-up and re-build the rear brakes.
I started by simply pulling the brake drums off. With the wheels removed from the hubs, there was nothing mechanically holding the drums in place. The drums were aluminum and finned.
Here is the hub after the drum was removed. On the right I began to pull the brake shoes off. They are spring-loaded and I first tipped on shoe forward and off its mounting point.
Then I freed the other end of the shoes from its mounting point and popped the shoe assembly free.
Here is a shot of the hub after the shoes were removed.
The hubs have a backer plate that bolts directly to the rear axle. I removed the four bolts that make this connection using a 1/2" socket.
With those bolts removed the hub came free, with the half-section of axle attached! Apparently the wheel hubs need to be backed off the inner end of the axle.
Both the hub backer plate and the end of the axle case had shim/gaskets on them. Below left the rear wheel bearings are visible up against the backer plate.
I will need to have the bearings pressed off in order to get the brake assemblies off the axle. That is something for another day.
