Drum, no swage?

[qstott]

This weekend I replaced the cross shaft (thanks for the work Will), and all brake rods on my '30 Tudor to eliminate the slop.

I had been hearing a popping sound sometimes after releasing the parking brake and backing out of the garage, so I pulled the left rear hub off to check on things. I was surprised after taking off the wheel and installing the puller, that the studs were not swaged.

After the hub was off, I discovered the studs had been tack welded in place on the inside of the hub and ground off flat. I did not find the cause of the pop, but think it was solved when I sorted our the mess with the return springs.

There was not really any great improvement in brake performance, but the pedal felt more "solid" when applying the brakes. I think cast iron drums are in my future. The brakes looked good on the left rear.

I have some spare used hubs and backing plates. I should call Randy Gross, but I'm hoping I could send him enough stuff to use and he could fix me up.

Is not having swaged studs a big concern, or is it ok for the short term?

Thanks

Quintin