Got em done!! Yay first time ever on drums, and I didn't use any special tools. The hardest part was getting the freakin' drum off! I backed the star adjusters all the way off so I knew the shoes weren't holding it on. It was that the drum had rusted to the axle flange. But after two hours of soaking in PB Blaster and a few wacks with a hammer it was all good. I also replaced some wheel studs that have been broken since 2003. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/scared.gif" alt="" />

I have a little tip about the actuator lever, because I couldn't find a picture anywhere of exactly how it was set up inside the drum. I was using a mirror and a flashlight through that little bitty hole to try to see what was going on back there.
The actuator lever to release the star wheel is on the bottom of the star wheel. So you have to stick a little screwdriver though the access hole in the back of the drum and position it under the adjuster piece to the backside (towards the rear of the truck) of the star wheel and push up on the screw driver which will push the lever down and off the star wheel, this will release it and allow you to back off the shoes.

So now I'm good for a while, I hope. In the past month I have replaced the serpentine belt and now the brakes all the way around. The timing belt was replace two years ago so it still has a lot of miles left on it.