Drum brakes suck donkey d*ck/I hate cheap lug nuts

KJ,

For the drums, Take the self adjuster OUT. Completely remove the fork from the threaded body. Use a wire brush or a wire wheel and polish the threads. Put some never seize grease on the threads, then screw the fork back on. Voila, problem solved.

For the lugs, take one off, go to NAPA, buy new ones. It ain't that hard.

Doc

I've bought MANY lug nuts, they all sucked. From places that sell good parts and bad parts - they have all sucked. I've spent like $80 on lug nuts for my K5/Jimmy and I still end up removing 1 or two with a bolt-out type device every time I work on it. I'll try napa though, that's about the only place I haven't gone. Now the brakes. Are you saying to leave some portion physically out during re-assembly? If not - I've already done as you have said. I took everything out, cleaned everything up, painted everything, greased every joint so I wouldn't have to force anything ever again - and it still just doesn't work. Drum brakes just suck, and they stop working in the mud.

-- "Ignorance is preferable to error; and he is less remote from the truth who believes nothing, then he who believes what is a wrong." - Thomas Jefferson Formerly: KJ the Lonely Grease Monkey

If you're doing a lot of mudding, maybe you should buy some of the adjuster plugs that seal up your drum so you don't get moisture and mud in them. That might help things out. I never adjust my drums, and they work great.

Stop and use your head:

1. Did you take apart the self adjuster and clean + grease the threads?

1. Ever think that maybe the LUGS aren't the problem but rather the studs?

I've never had either of the problems you're having, so it ain't the drums or everybodies lugs, it's your truck that's the problem.

Doc

======= =======

Group: alt.trucks.chevy Date: Fri, Jul 9, 2004, 10:27pm (CDT+1) From: snipped-for-privacy@nope.com (Doc) slapped ole KJ side the head with a shop towel ....and screamed.....

Stop and use your head:

1. Did you take apart the self adjuster and clean + grease the threads?

1. Ever think that maybe the LUGS aren't the problem but rather the studs?

I've never had either of the problems you're having, so it ain't the drums or everybodies lugs,

it's your truck that's the problem.

Doc ========= =========

Dammit Doc......

you broke the NG oath !!!

remember the last meeting....?? we took a vote and promised that no one would tell him.

~:~ marsh ~hopes the little grease monkey don't go off the deep end now~ ========= =========

Inline..................

Oh man, I wasn't even thinking.....................

It just kills me when people blackflag an entire line of something (in this case drum brakes) just cause they don't know how to work them. They NEVER stop to think that THEIR vehicle is what's wrong, not drum brakes in general or every single goddamn lugnut Advance Auto sells.

He is a firey little feller ain't he?

Doc

I took everything I could apart. I was left with a backing plate and the end of my stub shaft sticking out. Everything else got buffed clean and painted with rustolium. Then it was put back together with AutoZoned brake grease. Now, would you like to see a picture of the after market lug nuts? The ones where the cap has popped off, and now the piece under the chrome is neither metric nor standard. Or perhaps the ones where the top of the lug crushed in, making the nut round. Or perhaps a picture of the rim that has carbon imbedded in the clear coat, from where I had to burn a lug nut out in -20* weather... But I guess it's my bolts....

-- "Ignorance is preferable to error; and he is less remote from the truth who believes nothing, then he who believes what is a wrong." - Thomas Jefferson Formerly: KJ the Lonely Grease Monkey

Okay so... Fuel Injection GOOD Carburetors BAD

by your say-so. And if I remember correctly, your favorite fuel injection is throttle body - not the smoothest, not the most powerful, but the easiest to work on, and most reliable?

Then drum brakes are GOOD because they look like they were designed by Rube Goldberg?

Me thinks I just hit a GMC nerve...

-- "Ignorance is preferable to error; and he is less remote from the truth who believes nothing, then he who believes what is a wrong." - Thomas Jefferson Formerly: KJ the Lonely Grease Monkey

KJ,

Answer the goddamn question! DID YOU OR DID YOU NOT take APART the self-adjuster, NOT remove it from the drum, we all know you did that, but did you take the two pieces of it apart, clean the threads and grease them before putting the two parts back together.

Next, I've used AZ lugs for ages without any problems. Perhaps your studs are the problem. If the threads are chewed up or widened, it will take excessive torque to install/remove the lugs which would cause them to bust.

Doc

In-in-line......he he he he

You're learning!

In my opinion, that is correct.

Uhhhh no, they are good because they work. Back in the day, these girls had drums on all 4 corners! No, they aren't as easy to work on as discs, but they do the job they're supposed to.

Ehh?????????

Doc

I thought saying "I took _everything_ apart" three times would mean I took the adjuster apart as well. I broke down every portion I could when I took it apart. Also I changed all the springs.

Why would 48 studs on 2 different trucks correctly torqued to 115lbs all exhibit the same problems? I have some lugs that don't exhibit these characteristics - because they are solid metal, drilled out and taped with no plugs or caps pressed in/on to achieve the affect. But they weep rust like a bastard once the chrome cracks (after first tightening) and it comes in a set of 20 with 4 locking lugs, so 16 usable lugs.

#13 you can see two lug nuts that look like they don't have caps. That'sbecause they don't, the chrome caps popped off, leaving me with that. It'sneither metric nor standard, maybe it's that weird English set - Alison orsomething? My opinion is that they are just junk - cuzin I dun't abuse em w/ over torque or removing them with oversized sockets (where applicable).

-- "Ignorance is preferable to error; and he is less remote from the truth who believes nothing, then he who believes what is a wrong." - Thomas Jefferson Formerly: KJ the Lonely Grease Monkey

My 1972 Chevelle has 4 wheel drum, I never liked it because I could get it to fade e-z-i-ley. They're not really hard to work on, but I don't have to adjust my disk brakes. They don't noticibly fade, and they keep stopping even when covered with dirty water. I just think that the concept of disk brakes are light years ahead of drums, and that it's really a shame that they still use drums to this day. That's just my oppion which leads me to the following in-line comment...

Me thinks my oppinion uffended you....

-- "Ignorance is preferable to error; and he is less remote from the truth who believes nothing, then he who believes what is a wrong." - Thomas Jefferson Formerly: KJ the Lonely Grease Monkey

The GM factory nuts are like this too, they were designed to be the correct size "with" the chrome cap on. Even the GM one's fall off eventually, but they seem to be quite hardy as I've always hit them with an impact wrench, and nothing happens until they have been around for 5 or more years.

Why don't you just try a set of factory nuts?

Ian

I agree with the toughness and non corrosiveness of a stainless steel lug nut. But stainless fasteners are prone to galling if used with high speed tools like impact wrenches. They would have to be turned by hand to insure they don't gall.

Brian

I bought a set of:

Heli-Coil Save-A-Stud, when I found out that you weren't supposed to use anti-seize on lugs?

Refinish King

PS I still use it on the hub area when I put the rotor, drum and wheel back on, I hate hammering off wheels, drums and rotors!

It takes a wee bit more than than to get me offended!

Doc

Hi!

I stopped worrying about those a LONG time ago. My old GMC has only the front brakes. Stops just fine on those. Maybe that's irresponsible but I just got tired of diddling with brake lines. I've never understood why my old truck was so hard on them.

errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrttttt....WHEW! (William's pulse slows back down just inches from the redline...) No, just kidding. My brake lines won't stay in one piece and I haven't fixed them yet.

Sorry, just lightening the mood a bit. :-)

Dunno much about lugnuts. Can't really help you with those. I don't know what kind or how old the ones on my '84 Sierra are, but they've done nothing except stay there even after a rim change on all fours. I'd assume they could be factory lug nuts, but I don't know that. They haven't yet wept anything onto my nice rims.

At least in my oppinion, my truck (when operating properly) stops fastest out of any vehicle I have ever driven, or seen. I have made plenty people who were tale gating me shit their pants when I "thought I saw a cat". It can't stop that fast though, I haven't re-arranged anyone's purdy ground eff3x y0!! But it usually gets zee point across.... (either I want you to back up, or I'm an asshole, I haven't decided which yet...)

-- "Ignorance is preferable to error; and he is less remote from the truth who believes nothing, then he who believes what is a wrong." - Thomas Jefferson Formerly: KJ the Lonely Grease Monkey