Quote:
Originally Posted by 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
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I do remember your first post, but I also appreciate the detailed info you provided in this one.
I guess my main question in post #21 was just being curious if the drums had to be bought separately or if someone sold the drum and hub assembly riveted together, or if anyone bothered to re-rivet them when replacing the drum. Although rereading that part of the post, that was not a clear question in the post. No matter though, I bought what I needed yesterday based on or your original post of having no issues with them not being riveted.
I checked some of the online shops mentioned by others above, but went with a local shop once I found out they had everything I needed at a competitive price and I could pick it all up (no shipping).
Thanks for all the input everyone. I hope the weather cooperates this weekend so I can get Rusty rolling again. My wife has spring time hauling to-do's piling up on me.
