Right Rear Wheel not rotating - any suggestions ?

[George Henry]

Hi everybody, I had my 64 75 Limo brought to my place yesterday.  Right rear wheel is not rotating in the bad boy.  All other 3 wheels rotate in neutral except this wheel. I banged on the drum from all sides and used a body puller around the outer periphery with no luck. There is a 1/2 inch head bolt on the drum abt 1/2 inch long. I removed it and sprayed anti-rust all over too. Now the drum can be wiggled but not coming out. The car was in a collection for over 20yrs, perhaps not driven for the whole time and was not well maintained, as I see. Only has 14000+ miles on odo. I am hoping someone can enlighten/advise me of the mechanics involved in this scenario.  I am also wondering if it is a dif lock ????  Need to get this issue resolved to get it off my carrier as it will not roll down.  Any advise much appreciated, if someone is familiar with this situation or knows the construction well as I do not have any shop manual yet.  Thanx in advance.

[Tony and Ginny 429]

Jack the car up and remove the rim and tire 

The slot to adjust the brakes on these cars is on the front of the drum 

With a brake spoon —back off the brake shoes some —-as the shoes are to tight to the drum now 

Put the rim back on the car and try to turn the rim by grabbing the outside of the tire and turn it if possible 

If not possible to turn by hand —lower the car to the ground put the car in gear and use the engines power to move the tire and free it 

You might hear a pop —when you back up as the shoes come off the drum ( frozen on the drum ) 

my own brakes have had that pop sound when I have had the car sitting for a long period of time just moving the car out of the garage 

Best to move the car on a hard surface ( driveway or street  surface ) if possible ( not dirt ) 

Enjoy your new Classic Antique Cadillac Limo you have joined a very elite group of people with your new pride and joy purchase 

That should do it 

Enjoy 

[George Henry]

Thanx  Tony and Ginny 429 for taking the time to respond. Yes, I did play with the adjuster and now the drum is wiggling but not coming out.  I also dragged the car thereafter with mu winch abr 15ft with no luck. Car is back on the carrier now. Car is not driveable as the engine room has some fire damage, mostly the harness and plastic parts in the engine room. So I plan to pull the motor and trany out to rebuild and make a new harness OR go with electric propulsion ????? The interior is nice with a glass divider. As the left wheel rotates, I can rule out a diflock, I guess.  Anybody can confirm this ????  Also thanx to  Kevin Campbell for his input,,did the Holden built a model comparable or similar to this 75 series Limo in OZ ?  Cheers.

[Tony and Ginny 429]

You need to raise the car by the front of the rear control arm —or the tire will not drop down out of the wheel well so you can remove the rim and tire from the drum 

Enjoy 

[Kevin Campbell]

Here in OZ, we had to free up a locked wheel on an old Holden recently.

Turned out, the local ants had build a nest which was holding brake drum.

[Tony and Ginny 429]

I do think the problem is a frozen drum to brake shoes issue and not the rear end gearing

Were you on a hard surface when you dragged the car ?
If not do try that

Using the engines power to pop the brake drum loose should be the answer when you repair the under hood damage and get the engine running again

You might try backing off the brake shoe adjustment more than you have

Pushing the car with another vehicle for a few feet on a hard surface might break the drum free

Enjoy

[Tony and Ginny 429]

I would push the car with another vehicle from the front then from the back ( back and forth) until the wheel breaks free
That motion may help get it done
Do have the car in neutral ( of coarse )

Enjoy

[George Henry]

Thanx, will try doing so..btw where can I see a diagram / photo of the construction of the inner mechanism, if you guys may know..So that I know what I am dealing with. Also what is the purpose of the bolt on this drum if you may know.

[Russ Austin]

All you need to know is in the shop manual.  Easily found on ebay. Look for an original, as the diagrams will be crisp and in focus.

For just a picture of the brake assy, go to the HELP tab up top, and look for "Brakes"

[Russ Austin]

Use a large mallet on the back of the drum until a gap appears. They use pry bars in the gap to pry off the drum.

The small bolt is just another Cadillac attempt to make sure everything on the car is secured with way too much hardware.

[George Henry]

Thanx Russ Austin,,Guess you imply that bolt holds the drum to the axle flange by bolting them together.  That is it looks to me like. 

[Russ Austin]

That's what it does. It is not necessary, but in true Old School Cadillac fashion, they put a fastener there anyways.

[Mark S Anderson]

just to nitpick, the bolt does serve a function; it allows you to fasten the drum without the tire in place so that the drum is in its correct position when the brakes are adjusted from the outside.  On later cars the adjuster window in on the inside and brakes are adjusted with the wheels in place so it's not needed.  Without that bolt installed, you would need to temporarily reinstall the wheel nuts to adjust the shoes or risk adjusting the shoes to the ridge that's left on the edge of the drum when the shoes force outward.