I have a '69 1800S. It had been sitting in a barn for 12 years and has now spent 1 year in my garage. I am in the process, albeit slowly, of doing the brakes.

My problem is this: I still haven't gotten one of the drums off. I also mushroomed the axle in the process because I neglected to put the castle nut flush with the end of the axle. I have been working with a thread file to try to "unmushroom" the axle with little success. I realize that I can always get the axle off by further damaging the axle, and then have the axle repaired at a machine shop. Does anyone have any better idea?
Bob Marks
Medfield, MA
rpmarks@gis.net

David says: If it is mushroomed enough that you can't get the nut on with a little work with a file and a thread file, then cut the mushroomed part off with cutoff wheel or hacksaw.

Dress the thread end with a file. Put the nut on backwards -- if there's no clearance left between nut and hub, saw the castle nut to make it thinner.

Use proper puller properly. If the drum does not pop loose, apply heat to hub.

If the end of the axle is more than a slight amount mushroomed, it will have to be replaced -- not repaired. Do not go to a machine shop that says they can fix this axle! Tapered axles are scary enough when new!

I've done this on a couple of "impossible to remove brake drums;" one looked like they took the nut off and used sledge hammer on the axle.