The patient (69 bug) is in need of new drum shoes, I believe. Having been many years since I needed to look at drums, I consulted my Beetle Workshop Manual.

It says :'Remove the rear road wheel, brake drum, and oil deflector'.

OK, I removed the wheel, found a split pin and removed it, and can't go any further.

I have the drum staring me in the face, with what looks like a large central nut. So I consulted the auto shops in town, while I (stupidly) tried to buy a set of shoes.

Half told me to undo the nut (which I can't), the other half said to bash the back of the drum with a hammer and it will come off.

Could someone here with knowledge please tell me the correct info? Anything else I shuld know about the back drums?

Thanks heaps.

You need to remove the large nut...it holds the drum on. You will need a LARGE breaker bar or a length of pipe over the socket/breaker bar. These things are TIGHT. Do you know anyone with a rattle gun?? Makes it easier.

i found the easiest way is 36mm socket with 3/4 drive breaker bar and a length of pipe on the bar with some one with the foot on the brake. stand on pipe if necessary and bounce repeat until nut lets go. this nut is tightened to 30 mkg. it might help you to buy the idiots guide as well i find it most useful.:thumb

[Edited on 4-7-2004 by barls]

Sounds more and more easier for me to just put it in to get done rather than me trying to find the 'technical' tools (length of pipe, breaker bar). This is, of course, once I can find someone in town willing to order the shoes in for me! Argh....

Thanks all for your time !

Please DONT put the car into a place thats going To bash it off with a Hammer For F ..K Sake isnt there a VW mechanic in Wagga ??

The 36mm nut is torqued to 217 Ftlbs so its bloody tight, If you canrt find barke shoes let me know. Vintage has the full range in stock and they can be down to you over night.

I have a mate at NIXON engineering at Wagga Wagga, they may help if you get desperate..........let me know.

Thanks for all the advice and contacts, will see how I go this week and let you know.

Yeah dont bash it with a hammer, you can screw up your rear wheel bearings.

Just get a 36mm socket and even a 1/2" breaker bar and a big old pipe and jump on it. It'd be a good idea to put the wheel back on too, with handbrake on tight and a big brick in front of the wheel. Squirt some rost off or WD40 on it overnight

This is getting worse....finally found someone in town who can have the brake shoes in for me Tuesday arvo, now no one will touch it cos its a VW. The one VW mech in town is busy till mid next week. So....

I found a guy who will do it but not without replacing the 'wheel cylinders'. I thought this was the slave but not apparently. So, on the hunt I went to locate wheel cylinders. Strike 2!

The latest is.....I have the brake shoes coming in by Tuesday night, the wheel cylinders coming in by Friday (hopefully) and a mate coming around to show me how to do the brakes Saturday. He doesn't have tools but reckons he'll look at the job and will be fine to get it done somehow. Argh!

All this for a damned NSW blue slip.....!

Now....who knows anything about wheel cylinders? 3 different sizes, non-reliant on year models? Argh! Have ordered 19mm, hope to God they are right....

If this fails, I'll be asking favours....keep you all posted.

[Edited on 5-7-2004 by phantom]