I needed new brake drums for my 1964 Dodge Custom 880. But I couldn't find them anywhere. I tried later 11" drums, but they didn't fit.
So now I'm wondering if I should just look for a replacement axle. I'm inclined to look for something late-model with discs.
So what has anybody else used? Any suggestions what to look for? Is there a "bolt-in" replacement? Or will I just need to whip out my tape measure & look for something with roughly equal wheel mounting faces and move spring perches as necessary?
Jeep/Dana 44 from a Grand Cherokee? Ford Explorer?
I did this to get away from the tapered rear axles. After I had installed the new 66 rear end, I was looking at the four drums that I had. The drums that came with the 66 rear end were pretty rusty while the drums that had been on the car with the 64 rear end were very nice.
Looking at the drums it was apparent that they were identical except that the 64 drums are meant to be permanently attached to the hubs. It was not difficult to separate the drums from the hubs and I am now using the drums from my 64 rear end on the 66 rear end.
You said that you had checked later drums and that they did not work which is why I do not post earlier.
Are you sure that if you separate the drum from the hub on your rear end you cannot uses a later drum?
The drums on my '64 rear end are not attached to the hubs. They came right off. But what later drum should I try?
Rock Auto has no listing for 1964 or 1966 Imperial drums. The 1964 Dodge 880 drum that Rock Auto has is 10", and that doesn't fit my rear. This is what I went through that's in my other post. I can't find a brake drum that fits. I'll heartily congratulate anyone who can prove that there's a correct drum available somewhere.
Joined: Wed Aug 11 2010, 10:15AM
Location: E WA
Posts: 1230
tleed wrote ...
The drums on my '64 rear end are not attached to the hubs. They came right off. But what later drum should I try?
Rock Auto has no listing for 1964 or 1966 Imperial drums. The 1964 Dodge 880 drum that Rock Auto has is 10", and that doesn't fit my rear. This is what I went through that's in my other post. I can't find a brake drum that fits. I'll heartily congratulate anyone who can prove that there's a correct drum available somewhere.
What about a rear drum from a 1965 C-body like a Fury or Polara?
If the drums came off, then the rear end you have is NOT a 64 rear.
There should be a casting number on the drum, which should allow you to cross reference to the correct replacements. There are likely some casting numbers on the diff too which may help.
Measure the drums, measure the shoes. Typically the rear drums from a C body 65 and up are 11". The shoes are usually 2" or 2.5" wide.
My drums are 11", 2.5" wide. I ordered a drum for a 1980 Newport that had the same basic dimensions, but it had way too much meat on it and interfered with the backing plate.
Where is there a modern auto parts store that has listings that allow you to "cross reference" anything? They all want the exact year, model, equipment, and if you go to the dealer now they want a VIN.
And who has a cross reference manual that shows the same parts that fit across various years, makes and models? I've heard of such manuals, but the stores and Rock Auto don't have parts listed that way…?
You're right the parts stores won't be much help. If you find casting numbers post them here, a few of us have old-style paper documents that might be of some help, particularly if they are Mopar drums not aftermarket.
Rear drums for the 65/66 C-bodys are in short supply, as I understand it. I see that National Moparts scored some of the police-spec (3" wide, I think) ones...
Joined: Wed Aug 11 2010, 10:15AM
Location: E WA
Posts: 1230
jazzandmoparguy wrote ...
If the drums came off, then the rear end you have is NOT a 64 rear.
There should be a casting number on the drum, which should allow you to cross reference to the correct replacements. There are likely some casting numbers on the diff too which may help.
Measure the drums, measure the shoes. Typically the rear drums from a C body 65 and up are 11". The shoes are usually 2" or 2.5" wide.
I bought my 1964 Imperial with the stock tapered axle rear end in 2011. I tried very hard using the correct puller and heat etc to remove the rear drums from that car.
Eventually as i was replacing the 1964 rear end with a more conventional 1966 rear end I discovered that the hub/drum assemblies had been welded to the axles which is why I could not remove them.
To make a long story shorter, it was in the this process that I realized that the drums on the 1964 rear end could be separated from the hubs giving effectively the same setup as the later rear end.
This is no different from the from front hub/drums on drum brake cars where the front drums can be removed from the hubs if you so choose.
I am using the drums that were on the 64 Imperial with its tapered rear end on the new 1966 rear end.
As far as I am aware the only difference between a 1964 Imperial 8 3/4" rear end and a 1964 Dodge 880 8 3/4" rear end (other than possibly width) is the bolt pattern and the same is true of a 1966 Imperial rear end vs a 1966 C-body rear end.
As a final note, if you do have a tapered axle rear end you can just remove the drums which makes any brake work much simpler. If you need to do any rear end work you can probably remove the axle without separating the hub from the axle. I did not get this far since I have a later rear end now and do not need to worry about it.