Pulling the brake drum, adjusting the brakes, installing the drum (only to find it won’t go on because you put too much adjustment in), pulling the drum, taking some adjustment out, installing the drum, etc. is a rinky-dink way to adjust drum brakes, and you can’t adjust them properly this way. So I decided to do something about it and drilled a ½” hole in my brake drums. There are 3 holes in the axle flange, and I installed the drums with my new hole over the large hole in the flange. Now I can access the adjuster with a screwdriver and adjust the brakes until they’re just beginning to drag. Still have to pull the wheel to do it, but the drum doesn’t have to come off. I’m not worried about the little bit of dirt or water that may come in through the hole – the rim covers it somewhat. I’m happy.

id be worried about the balance of the drum that is now thrown off because of the hole....

ill stick to adjusting the hard way

I was wondering about the same thing, as well as the integrity of the drum itself. Are the holes for the studs drilled or cast, and will the shorter distance now between the stud holes and the adjustment hole weaken the drum?

A small hole that close to the center of rotation will not cause a noticible vibration unless you are extreamly sensitive to vibes.

The holes in a drum are punched (I believe) so not drilled or cast.

The idea seems a little weak to me. For the effort you went through to drill a hole, you could have just adjusted the brakes. And even aside from that, they are self adjusting if they are in proper working condition so why even bother with the hole drilling or adjusting? If they don't adjust on there own, then there is something else wrong anyway.

Looks like long-term testing might be the only way to tell on this one. Keep us updated on the ride quality and longevity of this mod.

As we all know, the rear brakes make up very little of the stopping power of these cars, especially if the drums are out of adjustment. I wouldn't expect there to be big issues with this, but time will tell.

not totally accurate...yes the brakes are self adjusting on the Bonnes, BUT do not rely on the self adjusters alone, every time that you do a tire rotation you should MANUALLY adjust the rear brakes...

Whoa! This is weird. You could have adjusted the brakes from behind the back plate. Leave the drum on and adjust until it the drum stops turning. Not too tight, but enough to stop the drum.


I wonder if that will still pass state inspection?

Drilled Drums

I think the FSM says that there is a knockout or spot to drill in the backing plate to achieve the same thing.

If it works.. great.

the knockouts are not for adjustments. they are to release or retract calipers to aid in removing drum.