32-34 rear drum fit?

[Ken Arms]

Can anyone tell me..I have a pair of used rear mech brake drums, when I put them on with a new bearing (dry no grease yet) no backing plate or shoes in the way and no key I can feel a wobble, its not a lot but its there. Is that normal or have I got worn race surfaces. I have a set of later ford juice drums that came off the car with grease in them and they have no wobble. Bearings are no name repops but im told they give no issues. Thanks so much Ken

[Bruce in southern OH]

Ken, I think you need the key and parts in place to check, the axle bolt torques to 100 to 110 that would take any wobble out, Bruce

[Ken Arms]

He Bruce, we seem to have alot of communication! I agree it might take the wobble away as you say but the bearing does not ride on a tapered surface, in other words you could possibly put the drum on with no bearing and it would feel tight. Just my 2cents. I may be over thinking it all. Ken

[flatheadute1934]

Sounds like you need to shim the axle as the race is worn

[David J]

Not supposed to be tight . Not supposed to have excessive play either but you should grease it and check it then . The axle has NOTHING to do with tightening the bearing as it is a floating type rear . The axle drives the drum and keeps it from falling off but does NOT support any weight . If the housing doesn't show excessive wear on the BOTTOM and if the race in the hub doesn't show excessive wear and if the bearing isn't crapolla you should be good to go .

Originally Posted by Ken Arms

Can anyone tell me..I have a pair of used rear mech brake drums, when I put them on with a new bearing (dry no grease yet) no backing plate or shoes in the way and no key I can feel a wobble, its not a lot but its there. Is that normal or have I got worn race surfaces. I have a set of later ford juice drums that came off the car with grease in them and they have no wobble. Bearings are no name repops but im told they give no issues. Thanks so much Ken

[DICK SPADARO]

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There are two wear surfaces on a rear axle , the axle snout and the drum race. Either of these being worn will produce some issues, The wear on the axle snout is on the bottom so it is necessary to take a micrometer and measure the width and then rotate it around the clock of the snout to determine if it is worn. Determining the wear factor on the inner hub race is harder but you should check for pits or scores. Comparing the fit of non greased bearings to greased bearings is like apples to oranges.