Getting Front Brake Drum Off Tricks

This is all interesting information. I have never had a CJ5 from the 50s. The two 67 CJ5 Jeeps I have had did have swaged studs, the two sets of Marine contract surplus M38A1 axles I bought had the screws. I had assumed the screws were used on military Jeeps and for some reason they still swaged the studs on the civilian. Obviously this assumption was wrong.

My two CJ5s both being 67 models may be a clue.

Perhaps while the military Jeeps were still in production they used the same drums on civilian Jeeps which makes sense from an assembly line perspective. I am guessing now that when military contracts dried up, which happened to be in 1967, Kaiser decided to cut cost by going back to swaged studs, saving the cost of 12 screws per vehicle and eliminating the drilling operation of 12 counter sunk holes.

 

Well, got the drum/hub off today without breaking anything.. all springs and retainers were in place. Drums did not have a shoulder groove , so I think
the wheel cylinder must be hanging up as one boot has cracked and was damp. Next will apply the brake pedal to see if shoes returns or not...

 

If you apply the brakes without the drum to hold the shoes, you run the risk of blowing the cup out of the wheel cylinder.
Then I guarantee it wont retract......