Hi,
If you folks have any clues to give I would appreciate it. I have a 1969 C-10 long bed pickup with rear drum brakes. It is my daily driver. Last night I was pulling into the driveway and had to give it more gas than I thought was normally necessary to get up the incline of the short driveway. As soon as I pulled to a stop I smelled something burning. I got out of the truck and the driver side rear wheel was smoking. I looked back in the truck to make sure I had not been driving with the parking brake on, and I was not. Whew. But it was just the driver side acting up. What I think may have happened is a brake shoe fell apart and wedged itself in there crooked or doubled up or something like that. I would like to know.
I chocked the front wheel and jacked up the wheel and took the rear wheel off, put the transmission in neutral. I'm trying to turn the hub and drum to line up with the adjusting hole so I can back off the adjustment, but I can't turn the drum. Any hints or tips? I have posted here a video to show that the brake is not impossibly tight, I can wiggle the drum just fine.
I tried putting my hubcap tool behind the drum and use a mallet to hammer the drum off, but it won't come off that way. I'm going to go back out there and puzzle over it a while longer while you folks may have time to soak this in and perhaps give me some homework. I appreciate it.