someone answered this in another part of the forum but I can't find the link anymore. their answers helped me but I added some steps. First let me detail what they offered.
1. The rotor is also a drum brake! inside the rotor you will find that it houses a circular brake shoe. Often there is rust build up on the drum that prevents the rotor/drum from easily being removed!
2. there is a small rubber plug on the rotor that when removed will give you access to the drum brake adjuster. My adjuster was around the 12 oclock position and hard to see.
3. you can adjust the brake shoes either tighter or looser depending on the direction you spin the adjuster. Use a flat screw drive to turn the adjuster wheel. it has small teeth on it. rotate the wheel while doing this to determine if you are tightening or loosening the brake shoes
4. Some folks suggested removing the e-brake cable / bracket to free the shoes. this did not help me
5. some folks suggested putting lug nuts back on the studs and using a crowbar or other long bar to turn the wheel while periodically beating on the drum to work the thing off. this did knock much of the rust off but was still hard going.
6. The final answer for me was taking a 16" piece of angle iron, laying it across the rotor resting on lug nuts so it was horizontal. Then I took two short bar clamps forcing the forward one in between the rotor and the rotor shield and the back one just place right on the rotor. The bar clamps pull against the angle iron pushing on the center of the axel area and it allows you to bull directly on the rotor. You still need to tap/ bang with the mallot but it come off more easily and under control. Also an important note, before you use the clamps, make sure the adjustment/ access hole is facing the 8 or 9 o clock position.
7. As you start to work the rotor off, before you get too far, take a drift pin and via the access hole, carefully hammer the shoe back out of the drum. This will avoid ripping the shoes away from the spring that holds them in place
8. remember to adjust the e-brake shoes when you re assemble the system
Hope this helps, I really appreciated the info someone else shared so I'm trying to pay if forward.
