help on78 dodge lton rv with brake problem

My 78 dodge rv has been idle for a couple of years and it seems like the driver's side rear brake is frozen. Took off the dual wheels. The axel is flanged just before it gets to the hub/drum. Does the axel housing have to come off to get to the drum? Took the 8 nuts off, but nothing moves. Thanks for any advice. Carl

 

[QUOTE=carl lathrop]My 78 dodge rv has been idle for a couple of years and it seems like the driver's side rear brake is frozen. Took off the dual wheels. The axel is flanged just before it gets to the hub/drum. Does the axel housing have to come off to get to the drum? Took the 8 nuts off, but nothing moves. Thanks for any advice. Carl

 

most full floating rear axles that old required removal of the axles after removing the bolts the axle should slide out then there should be a couple of hub nuts to remove before the drum will slide off and may require a special socket to remove the nuts.
if the brake is froze up you will also have to loosen the brakes before the drum will come off usually through an adjuster slot on the backing plate, most common cause of rear brakes locking up is frozen emergency brake cables not allowing the brakes to release when the emergency brake was released.
might also note that it is a good idea to clean and pack the bearings in the drum or hub with grease when you reinstall them cause they can fail before differential oil makes it back to them, and dont forget to replace any differential oil you may have lost from having the axle out.