Rear drums

[Puddin]

Bought this 79 cutlass not long ago
Couple questions
Do these look like stock rear drum or upgraded ? And
How do you take this drum off ?

That axel nut is there a special tool to tighten that up and loosen.

I have some play in and out not sure if that’s normal

 

[RegalX78]

Bought this 79 cutlass not long ago
Couple questions
Do these look like stock rear drum or upgraded ? And
How do you take this drum off ?

That axel nut is there a special tool to tighten that up and loosen.

I have some play in and out not sure if that’s normal

Those are factory aluminum drums. Tap the drum around the axle to loosen any corrosion. Then it should slide right off.

 

[403Olds]

There will be some in and out play with C-clips. Good score on the aluminum drums. Check out the bumper reinforcements also.

 

[SS_Malibu]

If you still can’t get them off, there should be a slot at the bottom area of the backing plate to allow you to spin the brake adjuster inward to allow the drum to come off. Those drums are what we want. Nice score!

 

[Puddin]

If you still can’t get them off, there should be a slot at the bottom area of the backing plate to allow you to spin the brake adjuster inward to allow the drum to come off. Those drums are what we want. Nice score!

What’s special about the drums ?

 

[RegalX78]

What’s special about the drums ?

They are aluminum with a steel liner. Lighter and better heat dissipation than cast iron.

 

[ck80]

They are aluminum with a steel liner. Lighter and better heat dissipation than cast iron.

However, with high heat they can be prone to cracking and have grenaded in racing applications.

So, on a grocery getter they worked fine, gm even used them on peg leg rear 8.5 equipped turbo regals and 442s, along with some 7.5 f-bodies, however, read up on them depending how you intend to use the car.