brakes grabbing

[Phil Martin]

I just bought 50 dodge coronet. Waspulling to left real hard when braking. I got under to adjust brakes and found vice grips clamping off the flex line on right front. Took them off and adjusted both brakes now right brake locks up. Then releases alright. Took right brake all apart. Had new shoes, rebuilt cylinders, New hoses. Put back together, adjusted and bled still locks up. Anybody have any ideas what to do next?

[greg g]

Perhaps the wheel cylinder leaked and soaked the friction material on the shoes. Once this happens the shoe will grab. thee is almost no way to clean the fluid our of them. You will probably need to change the shoes on that side. you can try brake cleen or maybe sand off some material with a belt sander, but you probably will not get good results.

Check the drum also. give it a good going over with some emery cloth.

[JIPJOBXX]

I had a problem that it took me about a year to figure out and that was I had one of the small washers that was in the brake shoe area in the wrong place. I wont go into detail but be sure that your brake assembly is put together correctly as mine would grab until I found that one washer that was causing one brake shoe to not return right. I was an easy fix once I noticed the problem. I just moved the washer from one side of the brake shoe to the other side. This might not be your problem but it would be well worth the look. Jon

[Normspeed]

I've been lucky with cleaning shoes with brakleen. I just did that again today on the right rear.

Phil, some ideas...correct return springs? Fronts have 2, rears have one. If someone put a rear spring in place of a broken front one it may be too weak or too long. Any oil or grease on the shoes? Oddly that can sometimes make them lock up. Are the backing plate attachment bolts tight so the backing plate is solid?

The photos are what my Plymouth manual says about locked brakes, hope they come out readable:

[Phil Martin]

New shoes and drums have been turned. I read a few minutes ago that one band could be longer than shoe. On my b4 a rear brake would grab and the shoe was coming apart on end. I will take it off again and see if its too long. Only does it going forward not backward.

[Norm's Coupe]

How far did you drive it after you rebuilt the brakes? Just about everyone I've talked to say after their car sits for awhile, the brakes pull for the first few miles (about 10 or so miles). Mine did the same thing if I didn't move the car all winter before I switched to disc brakes. In the spring they would pull for several miles, then they would be alright. Even happened to a guy who owned a 66 Chrysler after it sat for awhile. If you didn't test drive it very far, take it out again for a longer run. It may improve or go away altogether if you have them adjusted properly. Sort of ride the brake a little while test driving.

[Frank Blackstone]

I had similar problem and tried everything mentioned but only solved problem by replacing master cylinder. The rear brakes would not release so maybe it was clogged internally. I wanted a dual cylinder MC anyway so it turned out better than new.