[GMCDAC]

In post 3 in this thread I mentioned about the potential problems those rivet heads can cause besides the need to grind them off for drum replacement so here goes again but a novel this time.

My '55 GMC uses the same brake drums on all 4 as the un-riveted rear drums on my '70 GMC, so it is possible that the same drums are on your era half ton trucks too.

Anyway, when I got the '55 all I was after to get it running and stopping well and I just made the brakes work by bleeding and adjustment for the time being. Felt fine with a little pull to one side, can't remember which. During this time I ran 2 different types of wheels that I had to keep re-torquing quite often. The first set were some stock Toyota wheels and the second set were some chrome modulars. Both were loosening up every hundred miles or so maybe less than that.

Fast forward to when I had saved enough cash to buy drums, shoes, flex lines and kits for the wheel and master cylinders. Up on jack stands then I noticed the rivets and how badly he heads were wore down on them along with rub marks on the back of the wheels. Both of those sets of wheels were tightening against the rivet heads before seating against the drum/hub assembly.

Maybe I'm the only one that this has happened to but it happened. The modulars went back on after the brake rebuild and stayed tight until I got new tires and went to a stock 1970 wheel a couple years later.

Never had any braking problems at all with the drums not being riveted.

DAC