Why are they there in the first place? There's no way to seal the rotating gap between the drum and the backing plate, so gasketing the junction between the drum and the axle flange seems to be a fruitless effort!
Jerry

"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln
Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt!
There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway
Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!