I was once wrenching on a '63 GM Concession truck. Some guy had put a grease zerk into the dust caps and must have pumped 8 tubes of grease into each drum. Everything was completely saturated. I mean the drums were full of grease, like oozing out the backing plate full. The truck had to go out that evening, and there was a week turnaround time on having the shoes relined. So I just laid them out on a piece of steel and took a propane torch to 'em. I was careful not to overheat them and crack the lining. As they heated up, the grease would begin to seep from the lining, and then burn up. It took about an hour, and when I was done, the shoes looked like new. It was meant to be a temporary fix, but they have held up well for about 2 years now... for what it's worth.
Your friendly neighborhood carnival mechanic,
Shane
