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AKAchamptrucking - SDC Forum - South Bend, IN - June 2015

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Drum Fun with Fairborn Axles WITH interchange part numbers!!

I recently bought a tapered axle sans brake drums and a Fairborn axle kit. The Fairborn Axle Kit is sweet! After the axle install and differential swap in my Lark I thought I could use the flanged axle rear drums I already had off my old axle. The center hole in my drums were too small to register on the Fairborn axles. I believe the Fairborn Kit is designed to work with the drums off of a TAPERED AXLE so do not assume (!) like I did flanged drums will automatically fit. I started out increasing the center hole with a burr bit but soon realized I was actually removing the fish mouthed edge of the center hole rather than increasing the actual inside diameter. So I ground the fish mouth off smooth on the drum and then gently snuck up on the inside diameter so it actually fits the axle register. (See picture below)

Yesterday I had enlarged one drum too much being impatient with the bit. Forgetting I had a spare drum in stock I did a little research online and found a reference from the old NG about a Jeep brake drum that would fit FLANGED AXLE model 44's. It is AIMCO # 8838, and is designed for a 84 - 85 JEEP Cherokee with a screaming 2.7 Litre power house. I purchased a pair from my FLAP'S but they are available thru Autogroan, I mean Autozone. My FLAP's part number is Ctek (Centrex?)123.63014. Use the Aimco number and let your FLAPOs figure it out. So I installed these drums on the Fairborn axles and snugged down some lug nuts. One axle would turn and the other was bound up. After looking inside the drum,one brake surface was machined 2.5 inches wide and one was machined 2.25 inches wide. A quarter inch difference!! WTH?? The narrower machined surface had a nice shoulder that rubbed on the brake shoes preventing the axle from turning when the lug nuts were tightened!!!

THEN I remembered the spare drum I had in the parts stash so I did the grinder boogie on it and I now have a pair of drums that actually fit. The AIMCO replacement drums match up well with a stock flanged axle drum I have off my other Stude (see other pic below,rusty drum is stock,new is AIMCO) and would appear to work on a STOCK FLANGED AXLE since the stock flanged axle drum's machined surface is 2.25 inches. Maybe I will pull a wheel off the second Stude and see. IF you choose to buy a new pair of AIMCO drums for your Fairborn Axle swap look inside and make sure they are 2.5 inches wide or prepare to have them machined by a friend with a brake lathe. Hopefully by posting this I can save someone some drum stress!!!! Take care.

 

/////THE (DRUM) CENTRIC NUMBER YOU LISTED ROCKAUTO HAS FOR $27.79 EA. They show it also fit 78 amx,74 javlin, and pacers plus a lot of others. (sic) swvalcon - SDC Forum)/////