Brake drum replacement

[Wilkiethegrid]

Need info about OEM brake drums aplied to a 1963 Dodge 880 custom. Were the original drums Full cast (one piece) or were they "composite" (two pieces consisting of a bolt pattern center piece and a drum surface piece bonded togeather)?
Were Front drums Full cast and rear drums composite? Do composite drums make much of a difference in performance?
Before I had a mechanic replace all of my drums, I recall the fronts were Full cast. I am now uncertain now as some or all of the drums are out of round. I bought a front drum from Craig and it is Full cast, but I have not tried using it yet. The replacement drums are from Centric.

 

[Davea Lux]

It is a two piece setup. The hub is riveted to the drum from the factory. These drum assemblies are keyed to the tapered rear axle and can be a PIA to remove. Invest in a quality rear drum puller. The ones made of the finest Chinesiun are a POS and will like break or strip out the first time you try to use them. Do not try to pry the rear drum off of the axle as this will warp the drum and ruin it if it is still serviceable. Some of the after market rear brake drums are sold as a complete assembly and some were drum only that will need to re-riveted prior to use.

Dave

 

[Wilkiethegrid]

It is a two piece setup. The hub is riveted to the drum from the factory. These drum assemblies are keyed to the tapered rear axle and can be a PIA to remove. Invest in a quality rear drum puller. The ones made of the finest Chinesiun are a POS and will like break or strip out the first time you try to use them. Do not try to pry the rear drum off of the axle as this will warp the drum and ruin it if it is still serviceable. Some of the after market rear brake drums are sold as a complete assembly and some were drum only that will need to re-riveted prior to use.

Dave

Yes thanks for responding. The drum is swedged onto the hubs of the front brakes. Are the rear drums swedged to the hubs as well? My question was what is the composition of the drums alone? Centric drums are two pieces bonded together.

 

[Davea Lux]

Yes thanks for responding. The drum is swedged onto the hubs of the front brakes. Are the rear drums swedged to the hubs as well? My question was what is the composition of the drums alone? Centric drums are two pieces bonded together.

Factory drums are a single casting that is riveted to the center hub on the rear. They are not swedged as the rivets hold things together.