With my Dexter hubs, the nut is too big to pass through the center of the drum and pull off the seal. I use a $5 seal puller from a local tool store. It destroys the seal, but I always replace the seal anyway. Seals are cheap...a wreck caused by grease on the brakes is expensive.
In case there is much wear, check the prices for replacing the complete assembly vs. just buying parts or remachining the drum. My local auto parts store sells new drums for less than the cost of refacing the inner face (magnet contact face) of the brake drum. They can resurface the inner rim cheaply enough. A complete "loaded backing plate" with shoes, new magnet, new springs, and everything is cheaper than buying the parts. Four bolts and two wires are the total replacement job.
I don't use WD-40 for much. It is great for what the name says, WD for water-displacing. I've found it to be a poor lubricant and poor penetrant. I'd use a very small dab of grease on the adjuster threads.
It is OK to mix greases if they are the same base material or compatible base materials. If you aren't sure, don't mix. Grease is a mixture of the base (thickener), oil (conventional or synthetic), additives like graphite, molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), or teflon particles (OK in grease, no-no in engine oil), and maybe dye. If you have one lithium complex base grease, you can mix with another brand of lithium complex grease. Mixing a calcium base grease with a lithium base grease may result in a watery, runny mess and bearing failure.
http://www.boucherandjones.com/grease.htmI prefer to adjust the brakes with the wheels removed. Without the momentum of the tires, I get better feel for just when the shoes are beginining to contact the drums. I like no shoe contact, one click away from making contact.
Ken
