ZTU Brake Drum Removal

[Jay Liedman]

I am trying to restore a ZTU, and the right brake is frozen so the right rear tire cannot turn. I have been trying to get the drum off without success. Have heated it and pounded and pried on it. Anyone have any advice, or know of any trick or tool to get it off?

 

[molinegb]

Same brake tool used on automotive. Go in behind and back off adjuster if not seized.

 

[T.R.K.]

I had the same problem with a ZTU back in the 90s. In my case, the shoes were rusted to the drum. I had to break the pins that retain the shoes to the backing plate, then I was able to pry the drum off shoes and all. These pins have a head like a nail and go in through the back plate, then a spring and retainer hold them and the shoes against the back plate. I bet you could take a die grinder and grind the heads off those pins, if you can get to them. There was also some damage to the anchor pin the shoes anchor against. This is the approximately 5/8" diameter pin that both the shoes anchor against when the brakes are applied. (I think I found new ones back then.) If you can get to the anchor pin nut behind the back plate, you may be able to remove the nut and save the anchor pins. I recall that my local NAPA had a maxi-kit (a brake spring hardware kit) that had new retainer pins in it that were correct length. I don't have any record of part numbers however.

 

[molinegb]

Is a Bendix brake setup. Lots of used ones off U,G, Z or auto.

 

[Ill John]

I am trying to restore a ZTU, and the right brake is frozen so the right rear tire cannot turn. I have been trying to get the drum off without success. Have heated it and pounded and pried on it. Anyone have any advice, or know of any trick or tool to get it off?

when you do manage to get it off, be careful to break the brake cable that actuates the brakes, if it's good that'll save you some money

 

[Jay Liedman]

I finally got it off. I do appreciate all the suggestions. I heated and pounded and pried a number of times; not much movement. I eventually took a wrecking bar and pried pretty hard. It did not come off, but I braced the wrecking bar against a long bolt I screwed into one of the holes on the axle casting, the idea being to keep constent pressure on the drum. I let it sit with the constant pressure for several days, and this morning, not expecting anything, it slide right off with just hand pulling. The constant pressure over many days appears to have been what did the trick.