JMD

Pardon me, but I don't know if a 70 was available with drums or not, but if either a front or rear drum brake is out of adjustment it can cause the car to "pull" on braking.

Also, if there is oil or grease on the shoes the brakes will pull. Could be grease or oil (even brake fluid) on the RIGHT side for the car to pull left.

If the brake in question will bleed, probably not an obstruction issue.

The problem is not going to be a master cylinder issue on an American car.

redzo6

Yes, we did a complete brake bleed with two people. I will order a pair of hoses and see if that remedy's the problem. I have not checked the back brakes yet to see if they need adjustment. The bushings on the suspension look fine, but are older. I will update as soon as I try the new hoses, or reply to other comments. Thanks

Nabster

If the brakes are fine, check your alignment. Mine pulled to the right on braking until going through and replacing all my bushings up front and getting a proper wheel alignment.

KMatch

No bad advice I've seen, but let me break it down a bit for ya.

Rear brakes can make it "pull", but not jerk the wheel. It's more of a drift if one rear wheel isn't working. The "jerk" rules this out.

A couple of things can rule out hoses versus sticking calipers, but it's a bit more of a judgement call to the inexperienced. A collapsed hose slows the fluid flow but will allow equal pressure eventually. A sticking caliper rarely balances out the applied pressure side to side. So, with that in mind, here's what you do.

While rolling at a slower/safe speed, apply the brakes a given amount. enough to slow it down considerably, but not enough to actually stop too quickly. Hold this steady pressure while holding enough throttle to keep a constant speed (ride the brakes under power). You'll feel the familiar pull right away. Now, if the pull remains constant, it's more likely a stuck caliper or brake pad friction difference between the right and left brake pads. If one side is newer than the other (pads), this is a BIG no-no. Always replace as a set front or rear. A caliper sticking is common after replacing new brake pads as the pistons are shoved back into the crap that's settled in the piston bore over time. This crap gets between the piston and its bore.

If the pull eases up after about a second or 3 while riding the brakes under power, you're looking at a fluid restriction that has leveled off since time allowed for it. The weak link here is hoses. If a proportioning valve has caused this, you have much bigger problems in the whole system as that's a sign of serious sludge and more parts are in line to fail. Hint: the proportioning valve is only a Y between the front brakes. There is no valve action separating right from left.

redzo6

Well after removing the rear drums, the passenger side rear pad was completely off the shoe. The pad looks like it has been off for awhile, but its very possible it came off when I test drove the car with the new front brakes. I cant imagine no pad on one shoe would make it yank to the left, if its passenger side rear? I will replace tommorow and let all know if this was the problem.

JMD

The amount of "horsepower" a brake can absorb is huge..

even a rear brake....

I think you will likely find that the lining separated from the FRONT shoe, this shoe does MOST of the work.

With the front lining off the brake on that side is almost totally useless, and the other side is working great, this = pull.

The lining likely separated as a result of the car being driven with the parking brake set for a period of time. The resultant heat could have weakened the lining to shoe bond, setting the stage for separation at a later time.

I think you may have found your problem....

I see you did say "the rear lining".... ,,, I still think you may have forund the problem though!!

KMatch

For replacement shoes, you'll find 2 types. Riveted and bonded (glued). The bonded can separate like yours did. Riveted can crack, but take a ton more things to go wrong before separating. Look for riveted shoes.

redzo6

Thank you, I will plan on riveted.