Success! For those interested who have a '53 or thereabouts 3/4 ton, it took me about 30 minutes to remove both rear drums. No need to pull the axle. Just back the brake shoes way off, remove the two recessed screws from the face of the hub and strike the back side of the drum on each side. They slipped right off. From there it is easy to access the brake shoes, wheel cylinders, etc without having to mess with pulling the axles or screwing around with the wheel bearings. One paper gasket on each side to replace and that's it. I had a little rust on the surface of the drum where the shoes make contact and am hoping they have enough surface left to be turned one more time. Thanks to all who posted replies and maybe this will help others who need to replace shoes or wheel cylinders on a 3/4 ton with Bendix brakes.
