Are Front Brake Drums a "Press" Fit"?

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dibbons

dibbons

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When changing the lug studs on the '65 Valiant Signet convertible, the drum fell off the driver's side hub. I thought I would just slide it back over and on during reassembly, but it still needs to go about another 1/4 inch or so. I first tried to tighten some lug nuts to kinda "press" it back on when the hub was already installed on the spindle, but it is fighting me so much I though I better ask if there is a better/proper way? I also banged on the drum with a medium weight sledge hammer (not too aggressively) but It still didn't' seem to move forward and back on. Thank you.

P.S. Or does the drum only go on one way?

IMG_0733.jpg
 
Drum should slide on any way, I would check center of drum could be tight rusty on hub, or brakes need backed off a hair. Almost looks like the shoulder of the stud is sticking past which could be hitting back of drum?
 
Front STUDS are normally expanded "like a rivet" to hold the drum on, maybe you are interfering there. "Swedged" Ignore the "type" of drum here, the front hubs work the same

There is a special cutter tool you can get, I think it was RustyRadRod used to talk about using a 5/8? hole saw with the pilot drill left out



 
These studs were not the swedge type. The are serrated like the ones that were removed and installed with an impact wrench (not my idea, the fabricator who I employed to help me out).

Nonetheless, it appears the serrations came out too far after installation and are preventing the drum from seating as perhaps you can see in photo #1 (it does not seem to be a problem with "press fit", as I was asking earlier).

The funny thing is, the replacement wheel studs appear to have the same measurement in the serrated area as the old ones (actually, with the naked eye, it looks to me like the new studs have a slightly shorter/smaller serrated area which is really weird. If that's the case, how could there be a problem now with them sticking out too far? (see photos #2 & #3 where the item with the shinier threads is the old piece)

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IMG_0735.jpg


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After watching the first video, it looks like the swedged lugs also have the serrations (I thought they were smooth in that case). Now I wonder if maybe the factory lugs are "swedged" after all.
 
So far as I know ALL Mopar front drums in the era that "we here" are interested were originall factory swedged. Whether they "are now" due to replacement, etc, is a different story.
 
I don't know about stretching them that much.

The following video is what I expected the job would entail (not the beginning of a nightmare).

 
When Chrysler actually had them in stock, they always came as a hub and drum assembly, where the studs were swedged to the drum to make it one solid unit. In replacing just a drum, you should cut the swedge off the stud/drum, knock the old drum off, press out the old studs, press in new studs, seat the new drum back on the hub, and then re-swedge the new studs to hold the drum tight against the hub. I know, GM didn't do it that way, but, hey, we're Mopar.....we do it differently, more expensively, and better IMO. I've seen many that didn't get that final step and work fine, but, I've seen some that had problems too.....mainly brake pedal pulsation issues.
 
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