Break Issue

[eroomas]

When I drove my car yesterday it pulled heavy to the right when I broke the first couple of times then started to break normally after that. Obviously this means that I had no breaking on the drivers side initially. Anyone have any ideas where I should start looking? I still have things I would like to accomplish in life and am not ready to die just yet. I looked at the Break fluid but frankly I don't know were the full marker should be. (white dot maybe?) Does this look low to any of you veteran "forward look" era mopar people?

[Mark Merritt]

Eroomas; The fluid level in the master cylinder at the white dot seems A little low but would be sufficient,I put it near the top but not spilling out when the cap is installed and the rubber diaphram is fully collapsed.The fluid looks A little brownish(rust)? Open A wheel cylinder bleeder and slowly pump the brake pedal while A rubber hose is attached to the bleeder and the fluid goes into A clear jar,do each one until you see clean fluid coming out,also raise the car and spin A wheel to see how each wheel cylinder is functioning,while the car is up make sure the brakes are properly adjusted,there is A little star wheel through the slot that turns and makes the brake shoes closer to the brake drum surface,as the shoes wear the surface gap gets wider wnd the brakes are less responsive.It might be A good idea to pull the drums off and give the wheel cylinders A look,check to see if there is any missing clips or springs(properly installed) and check for any leaking,you need A hub puller to take off the drums as the spindle is tapered and it has A key/slot,check for previous posts I think I might have some up,I found my hub puller on E-bay,it attaches to the 3 lug studs and is A must have for early mopars!!! Mark M

[eroomas]

Thanks Mark M, That was extremely helpful. I did bleed the breaks but found no air bubbles in the line. I will take your advise and run new break fluid through the lines. Next I'll pull the drums off and check things out mechanically.

[Faulkner]

...while the car is up make sure the brakes are properly adjusted,there is A little star wheel through the slot that turns and makes the brake shoes closer to the brake drum surface,as the shoes wear the surface gap gets wider wnd the brakes are less responsive.

Oops! No Bendix star wheels on original '59 drums - there are bolts to turn to tighten up the brakes, then back off - two for the front drums, one for the rear. You can read about them, and maintenance, here (Thanks, Ron!): https://59plymouth.net/59gallery/thu ... p?album=37

Dan

[Mark Merritt]

Ron; Good catch,I got that mixed up with my 55 Buick,Mopars have the "cam" thanks Mark M

[eroomas]

So It turns out it is the front passenger side brake that is the problem. So now its time to remove the drum to see whats going on. After reading about the unfortunate person who wrecked a drum using a standard puller. I would like to avoid the same, so I purchased a puller closest to the one John (Big M) recommended for removing a rear brake drum that I could find. Will this also work on the front? I'm having my doubts. Any advise or tips on getting a front drum pulled?

[Faulkner]

Put the crown nut on backwards, to prevent the drum from flying off when it lets go. When you're done pounding on it, snug it up and come back to it in a few hours. Use penetrating oil. Cuss a lot!

That's all I got.

Dan

[eroomas]

Does the Drum and the hub come off together as one piece?

[Faulkner]

Yup!

Under normal circumstances

[eroomas]

Thanks Dan.

[Dick Koch]

The front drum will not need the puller. Remove the grease cup, remove the cotter pin, remove the serrated piece over the nut, remove the nut and pull the drum toward you easily. The outer bearing will move outward and you can grab it and the outer washer and set them aside. then the drum easily comes off. I suggest you replace the seal and re-grease the bearing when assembling.
Dick.

[eroomas]

Thanks Dick, That was a piece of cake, it came right off. This brake has been locking up every time I brake, could it be a bleeding issue? I see there are two slave cylinders I think we only bled one. Do I need to bleed both cylinders?

[Dick Koch]

Looking at your picture I immediately do not see any thing wrong. The cylinders are not leaking, the shoes look dry and still have plenty of lining left. It looks like you have the later three plane shoes, they have the three little risers on the shoe other than the large one the spring is hooked into. These three risers on the backside of the shoe ride on three raised areas on the backing plate which should have a light coating of grease. If your backing plate does not have the risers you have the single plane backing plate and may have the wrong shoes which might be the cause of the wheel locking up. I would check to see if both sides are the same, shoes and backing plate. The oval shaped hold down clips lead me to believe you have the early single plane setup, but I could be wrong. You definitely should bleed both cylinder at the same time, do the bottom one first and them the top one. Let us know what you find.
Good luck,
Dick

[eroomas]

When I took the drum/hub off I did have to wrestle a little with it because it was getting hung up on the shoes. Could it be that the shoes are not retracting enough. Worn brake hose maybe? When I get back to the shop I will take the other side off and make a comparison.

[Matthew Keij]

On the back of the drum there are 2 bolts that adjust the shoes. If you turn them inwards you can take the drum off.
Adjusting all the brakes can be a pain in the you know what!