stuck brake drum - last resort?

Ok, so I thought I would stay on top of things and finally fix my e brake that I think isn't working on one side. Ha! If it was always so easy. Pulled one of the drums off, I'm cruising along. Can't seem to get the other one off. Ok, can't use the little bolt holes cause they seem to have been stripped out at an earlier date. great, thanks!. After figuring out how to get my hands and 2 screwdrivers in the tiny hole to back off the adjuster, I discover after awhile I can't move it.... it appears to be frozen up, probably my e brake problem...... Was just wondering if anyone had any other neat tricks for getting drums off besides beating the crap out of it. That's kinda where I'm at now, but it always makes me nervous. Thinking about getting another drum on hand in case I break it in the process, but thought I'd run it by the experts first to make sure I'm not forgetting anything. Thanks for all the help I am constantly getting from this site, you all rule.

I don't know how I've been so lucky, but I've never had to deal with stripped out holes on the face of a drum (knock on wood). If I ever ran into that, I'd probably weld a couple nuts to the drum face over the top of the stripped holes, then grind them off after I got the drum off. Then I'd drill & tap the holes to the next bigger size so they'd be ready for the next time. Not sure if you have access to a welder or not, but if you do this, I'd highly recommend locating the nuts to the holes with bolts & be sure to spray the threads with the welder's spray that keeps the slag from sticking to the threads. You could also weld a couple bolts to the face and use a slide hammer. Another thing I probably don't need to mention is make sure the emergency brake is off. Good luck. Tim

AK - I find actually releasing the lock lever to be the hardest part. On several occasions I have found myself cursing the designer.

What I have learned is that when I think the adjuster is seized, I try to adjust it tighter and have always been successful on that front.
This only tells us that the adjuster is not frozen and the lock is causing the grief.
If you really cannot turn the star wheel in either direction, you might try soaking it with a quality penetrant and trying again in the morning.
It is crucial to get that moving if you want to avoid excessive damage.

I have pulled many drums over the years and relied on those little threaded holes and never bothered with backing off the adjustment.
The last time I used them WITHOUT backing off the adjuster, I broke a wheel cylinder.
It cost me 2 wheel cylinders, 2 drums and a hardware kit and steel lines.
I know better now and ALWAYS back off the adjusters first.

Can you turn the drum at all? can you turn the drum until you get it pulled away from the axle a tad and then it locks up?
Sometimes the drum will weld itself to the face of the axle, sometimes there will be such a ridge on the drum that it wont clear the shoes.
Sometimes grabbing the sheathed part of the emergency cable (ahead of the drum) and wiggling the snot out of it, will create enough slack to allow the shoes to return home (if it is the cable at fault) enough to get it apart.

Tim's method will be effective but be prepared to replace the drum and they should be done in pairs. Heat and round things aren't a good combination. Axles aren't real fond of heat either and if you do heat, use the quench method, DON'T hammer on hot steel.

I have found that a few well placed blows to the backside of the drum (outboard of the backing plate) can be helpful if it is just welded to the axle. Use the Ford hammer at 12, 4 and 8 o'clock, you are looking to try to cock the drum ever so slightly to break the rust bond.

New drums are still available from Toyota, but they are stupid expensive.
BB

Thanks for the advice. I left it alone and took a break to regroup... I was getting frustrated. Sometimes it seems when you take a break and come back fresh and CALM everything works out. Learned that replacing my clutch cylinder behind the dash.
I don't have a welder but I'll try the other techniques mentioned.. Since I had the other one off I would "practice" backing off the adjuster on that one where I could see and then go over to the other one and try to replicate my movements! No dice.
If I spray some penetrating gunk in there shouldn't I be worried about getting it on the drum? What about grinding off the ends of the pins on the backing plate and releasing the whole assembly together, very carefully? Eh, I'll have another go, thanks again.

Unfortunately drilling out the pins will only allow the shoes to lever forward but wont solve your problem but it will make it easier to break the ears off the wheel cylinder pistons. The shoes are held together at the bottom and at the adjuster with springs.
You gotta get that adjuster moving, so blast away with the best penetrant you have (PB blaster or seafoam penetrant are both good products). Don't worry too much about what is inside, penetrating oil wont cause harm to anything except the linings.
If the linings get saturated, they are easy enough to replace and a lot cheaper than drums or any other parts in there.

Did you try adjusting it tighter? just to see if the wheel is seized or not?

Oh, and going for a walk is always a good idea when things get frustrating. If the walk doesn't work, a beer often will, sometimes it even takes several :wnk:
BB

This thread helped me a bit today, and I have some to add.

Got the bolts in. I would make a few turns and whack it with a hammer to encourage movement, and I was making slow, careful progress I thought. Then, BANG!

I backed out the bolts to see what was going on when I noticed that I had cracked the drum. Right across one of the bolt holes. Can't get that bolt to thread right. Strip city. (argh) In desperation, I tried a slightly bigger bolt. It seemed like it was working until it didn't.

The hammer was my next best hope, and I am happy to say that I found a way forward. I tightened the good side, saw that it was moving, then beat the drum briskly on the outside of the drum opposite the bolt. It was slow going, but using the good bolt as a fulcrum slowly lifted the bad side. Tighten, hammer, tighten, hammer, tighten, hammer. It's off. Yay!