The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline 51’ 3600 rear brake drums question

This is my first post on STOVEBOLT. I have had my 51’ Chev 3600 flat bed for about 40 years. Don’t drive it much, use it for work around my property. Lately the rear brakes have been making noise. I drove it into oldest brake shop in town (a converted old gas station).
The owner told me that the 3/4 ton trucks were made with one of three different drums which can be identified by a number stamp on the drum. He also told me that the 3/4 ton rear drums were so hard to find that he has seen guys put different rear axels in. He wanted to pull drums to check out the problem and the number, but I elected not to have it done at that time.
My questions are:

1. Are there 3 different drums, which are not interchangeable?
2. Are the drums REALLY hard to find?
3. Has anyone heard of guys having to change the whole rear axel because of drum availability.

I'm not sure about the "3 part number" thing, but yes, 3/4 ton and 1 ton drums are incredibly scarce items. We've got a few professional number crunchers on the site who can not only trace a part back to its original source, but they can probably tell you the Jockey shorts size of the guy who built it! Somebody should be along shortly to give you all the information you never wanted to know about your drums.

Yes, it's possible that people have swapped out entire axles, not only to resolve brake problems, but also to get a better selection of ring and pinion gear ratios. The GM Corporate 14 bolt axle is a popular swap, and it's fairly available at a reasonable price.
Jerry

With your being a 51, it more than likely has the "Huck" type brakes on it. Starting in 53 GM started using "Bendix" style brakes. It's possible yours got converted to the newer style, but since you've owned it for 40 years, I doubt it.

Either way, the 3600 brakes and drums are hard to come by. I just did a search on Jim Carter's and it seems they have the parts you need.

Thanks for the insight and information. Just went to jim carter site. Bookmarked it.

On these 3600 's with huck brakes will the front and rear drums interchange , and possibly the shoes as well ???

John

Hy panel fan, I would have to check on the brake shoes, but I know the front and rear drums will not interchange.

Check to see if there is any indication of oil around the flange on the inside of the drum, in between the drum and backing plate. Could be just a seal. Rear end grease will make the brakes make noise and even chatter.

Thanks , you told me what I needed to know .

John

I have a set of Huck and Bendix drums out in the shed. I 'm pretty sure they have different dimensions. I know the shoes are totally different.

On the rear wheel seal, I'm pretty sure they use the same seal as a 70's/80's 14 bolt full float hubs.

I'm surprised Jim Carter has 3600 Huck drums. Maybe that bodes well for 3800 Huck drums somewhere down the line. At some point I'll probably have to do the 14-bolt swap when my drums wear out. The front ones are worn thin but now there is an aftermarket disc setup available. Just in time.

Has anyone researched the possibility of swapping the entire 14 bolt brake system- - - -drums, backing plates, and all to the earlier axle housing? It might be worth a try for someone with a little time to kill.
Jerry

i just went with disc brakes all the way around on my 50 3600