I starting getting a constant squeal from the right rear and figured the parking brake has come out of adjustment (plus the pedal goes down pretty far). Pulled the tire and caliper but now I can't get the rotor off. I made the mistake of beating the rotor off with a hammer on my '98 camaro (which has the same setup) and was wondering if anyone else has an alternative. Thanks.

There is a TSB on the parking brakes on these vehicles, the shoe(band)tends to come off the anchor spot and ruins the drum in hat part of the rotor. You'll probably need a new rotor anyway, knock it off. You'll need at least one parking brake kit too, only available from Chevy last I knew.

The key to removing those drum in hat rotors is to pull them straight out.Pry the e-brake lever at the backing plate back first and use a bungy cord to keep it there.With a large screwdriver inserted into the cooling fins of the rotor 180 degrees of the caliper mount..lightly tap the outer edge of the rotor where the caliper would be be,while pulling on the screwdriver.The goal is to remove the rotor without cocking it sideways that grabs the e-brake shoe and damages the hold down clamp.Easier said than done though.Once the rotor clears the axle centering hub..you can use this as a base for your large heel bar to pry the rotor off for service or replacement.The e-brake hold down will be taxed at this point.replace it or reseat it with a punch past center so that it holds the shoe tight to the backing plate.If you reface the rotor..cut the rust/wear ridge off the drum in hat so can reinstall and set up your e-brake to spec.

The goal is to remove the rotor without cocking it sideways that grabs the e-brake shoe and damages the hold down clamp.Easier said than done though.

Man, your not kidding! Thanks for the advice, I got impatient with it and put an extension in the cooling fins and beat it off with a hammer. Ended up breaking the metal tab that holds the band/shoe :o . I'll get one today from a chevy dealer today. The other problem is the quaility of these rotos, there not even close to being round on the inside. I remember when I put these rotors on I had a hell of time getting the parking brake adjusted correctly and ended up returning one of the rotors because it was really bad. Thanks for the advice.