Hi. I've replaced and rebuilt just about every part of the brake system on my '62 122S. The one thing I didn't do was turn the drums in the rear (front disk). I thought I might not need to do this, but the brakes are pulsating pretty severely and obviously coming from the rear.
I pulled the drums and am now unable to find a repair shop or machine shop that can turn them because they are too small to fit the jigs available on standard turning lathes. Even the local machine shops can't find a way to do it. Has anyone else encountered this problem or have any solutions.
I saw the Vclassics article on conversion to 'full-size '70's Ford rear end and realize this is an option. Anyone have any experience doing this conversion?
I know I can buy drums, but at $200 a pop, I'd rather explore these other two options. Thanks, Mike

Drive out the lugs and take them the bare drum. The inside hole of the bare drum is plenty big. They are likely having trouble with the hub.

You can also look around for older Mopar guys as they have the same rear axle system and need brakes too! They can hook you up, guaranteed (just tell them its an old Chrysler Imperial).

Mike!

Not really. The knurled fit of the studs in the drum are a pretty weak interference. The real holding power is in the holes in the hub. Just support the hub on a block of wood and hammer away. It helps to put the lug nuts on the wheel lugs to minimise mushrooming of the lugs (and you can re-form the ends as the nuts come off). Even if you do mess em up a bit, they are 1/2"x20 which is a very common size for both taps, dies and new lugs.

Mike!

Off topic:

I can't recall who did it, but supposedy if you separate the hub from the drum, then do the same with a front 122 disc, you can then mount the 122 disc to the rear hub. And then lightly modify (mostly just drilling new bolt holes) on a front 122 caliper mount and replace the drum back plate, install the calipers and have rear discs on a 544 without an axle swap. Although the lack of a parking brake is an issue, I think that the person I recall doing this used a hydraulic line lock.
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I'm JohnMc, and I approved this message.

I replaced the rear end in my 58/444 with a Ford Ranger rear end, had to cut the housing on one side to make it so it would take the short axle on both sides (Ford uses a long and a short axle which off sets the diff.) The cutting of the housing was done a t a local speed shop. I also had to cut the Ford mounts off, grind the housing down and cut and re-mount the Volvo mounts onto the Ford. Keep in mind you will be changing your rear axle gear ratio by quite a bit. After all this was done someone told me that a rear end off a S-10 will fit without cutting the width down, but I never checked that out. All in all it is a real major job for the adveragebackyard mechanic and probably very costly for having someone do it for you. I went to this set up due to replacing the engine with a Buick V6 with an automatic so there was lots of other work involved. For you would reccomend trying to stay with your original rear end and keep looking for someone that can turn the drums. Check some of the Volvo sites that feature racing Volvo's and see what they have for mods or where they turn their drums and good luck.
Dennis

Hey Beak

You don't recall what the overall axle width came out to.... axle flange to axle flange.

Thanks

I am not sure but it seems to me that it was 74 inches, anyway it came out the same as the Volvo rear end measured at the hubs where the wheel bolts on.
It was not bad until it came to mounting it in place using the Volvo rubber mounts on the control arms. Had to grind the rubber out a little and then had a heck of a time getting it centered and the distance from the front wheels the same at the same time so it woulden't dog track. I did it by myself and should have had a helper. Only having two arms is realy a pain in the butt sometimes.
The axle shafts were stock Ford and did not have to be cut, just a short one on both sides.
Dennis

Thanks Dennis.

Yeah, but when you got that third arm, the teasing is really tough in grade school. Handy in a fight though!!

Mike

That's a new one on me!
I've had 'em tell me they couldn't find the maximum diameter spec, but never "They're too small".
Lotsa ricers are in trouble, since their rear drums are smaller yet.
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Jim McDonald

Is has more to do with the small diameter of the inside hole of the drum. Apparently, the collet diameter is too large for the inside hole of the drum. I never dreamed this could be a problem but I've checked many places.
BTW, My earlier reference to "the other two options" were to the Ford thing and to converting to disk brakes. But from what I've read, the conversion sounds like too much work to me and how available can those P1800 rear disks be?
I might have access to rear drums off a '69 122. Can anybody tell me if these are compatable with the '62? Are they all the same?
itchin' to drive - Mike

Yes. The 544 drums likewise. A machine shop that really wanted to help
you could chuck on the flange that holds the lugbolts on the old one.
Mostly what you have to do is get the lip off the edge unless they are damaged
pretty severely.
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George Downs, Bartlesville, Oklahoma, Central US

Yes. The rear drums are all the same, although the innards of the brakes varied over the years.