What is the secret to pressing a new brake drum onto the hub?

I pressed the old drum off fine and thought I had the new drum pressed on right. But then when I went to install the hub/drum assembly on the car the drum came loose from the hub.

Do you have to press out the studs and then press them back into the hub and drum at the same time or something?

If you look closely at a factory drum / hub assembly you will see that the tops of the stud's shoulder is "staked" or swedged over to hold the drum.

Many brake shops / machine shops have the tool to do this. The tool is a sturdy tube that clears the stud's threads but rests on the shoulder and allows you to peen it over.
DD

So my 20 ton shop press, arbor plates, impact socket set, and various pieces of scrap metal aint gonna get this job done, huh? Dad blast it!

So much for the quick and easy "Do-It-Yourself" brake job. I'll call around to find a shop that can help me out. Thanks Doc!


So that's what "swedged" means....

New studs may be cheaper... and perhaps safer if the old ones are worn bad enough. They are about $1-2. Kragen should have them in the dorman line, if not in stock they can order them. Buying them by the 5 or 10 pack will probably save you some money.

The studs are all fine. I replaced one while I had it off. I will still have the problem of needing to have them "swedged" over the new drum after I press them in though.

So, why can't they be like the drums on the rear axle? That drum is located by the lug studs and center hub and held in place by the wheel and lug nuts. The hub and bearings serve the same purpose for locating the drum as the axle does. What's the difference?

The front drums on my '66 have been loose since I converted to 4.5 BP. (Screw in studs) The 9" drums had been too after I put in all RH studs. It never hurt anything.

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