Problem with rear drum brakes, I'm out of ideas.

Yeah, that pretty much sums up his reply right there.

 

I would be tempted to spray a light coat of paint inside the entire drum and then install it. Should rub the paint off somewhere!?

 

It sounds like you've discounted this idea because other "reputable" shops have looked at it.... yet none have come up with an answer.

You can trust anyone's work, but when issues arise, go ahead and verify... hence why I suggest checking the drums run out... preferably bolted to the same axles. Just bolt the drums on "inside out", and set up a dial indicator to read the turned surface.

I'd imagine an untrue surface would float some when turning by hand, and become more resistant when bolted down. Since the drums are hub centric, is there any slop between the drum's bore and axle's hub? what about the axle studs, are the splines protruding through the axle flange too much and not clearing the stud holes in the drum?

By the way, I've seen some brake lathes with a bit of a wobble on their spindles that would obviously translate on to the disc / drums. Perhaps not enough to cause an issue with street pads, but maybe enough to exaggerate the drag with performance pads.

 

Not discounting at all. As a matter of fact you're on the same path I have been on with this since the start. Prior to this thread I asked Mark to take his axles over to the guy who built my rear end so they could check them out. And for the record, he has tried two sets of drums and had the first turned and then checked AGAIN to verify they were not out of round, etc. I'm of the mindset now that when torqued down something in the axles, studs, drum is getting, in technical terms, out of whack do to some incorrect contact surface issue. And to answer another question you pose, Mark says the the hub centric hubs fit perfect on the axle hubs.

I'm done racking my brain from afar. Going to wait and see what this qualified Ford tech says this weekend.

 

bummer, I'm curious to know what's up with these things!

 

I'm with Craig but will add unless he has a good excuse may the fleas of a thousand camels infest his house.