on the 1969 i purchased today the only problem for concern is the brakes,but since i got such a great buy i didnt care..it has drum brakes all around and its hard to stop..the guy turned and replaced the shoes ect. but the car has been sittin awhile..when i try slowing down the car pulls really hard one way then seems to streighten out..this is very dangerous at highway speeds..i know i need to get front disks down the line for safer driving but untill i save for that is there a cure..any adjustments i can make to help out this problem..i did try going reverse a few times believing these where self adjusting but didnt seem to help ..ty

 

Do you have a dual master cylinder, or the jelly jar style?

 

not sure so please tell me where and how to check and i will.. the master cylinder coming outta the firewall seems single and small if that helps..

 

Yeah,

You might try upgrading to a dual cylinder. It will help distribution of brake fluid, and possibly stop the pulling.

 

Take your wheels off and manually turn the hub. If it slightly rubs, then you are about right for adjustment. If not, then manually turn the adjustment until the shoe stops the drum, then back off until you get a slight rub. Do the other side the same way. And, you may even want to pop off the hub to see if any oil or other crap is on the shoes or drum. Clean them both with a clean rag and maybe some alcohol. The master cylinder won't cause this pulling effect. But, in the future when you upgrade to disks, you will need to replace that jelly jar with a dual MC.

 

Really? I had a friend who used to have a nova with a jelly jar. He said if you were on an angle or incline, the brakes would pull in strange ways, and this was caused by the single master cylinder.

 

That doesn't even make sense that the master cylinder would cause either side to grab more than the other. Fluid pressure is the same for both sides. It could also need a good bleeding job on the front, but with shoes, the pulling is usually related to adjustment and oily substances on the shoes themselves. You will notice this effect when the shoes get wet. One side will pull more than the other, depending on which one is the wettest. I would pull the hubs and check to see if one of the brake wheel cylinders is leaking down onto the drum or shoe. While you are there, you may as well adjust them, and re-pack the front wheel bearings.

 

ya, it seems a little simple to me, if it pulls to one side it's probably because one side is tighter on the brake.

 

As was said earlier, pull all the wheels and see if there is any brake fluid leaking and also if the axel seals may be leaking in the back.

You may also want to check to make sure nobody pinched off a brake line because of a problem at one or more of the wheels.

 

Or ya could just be lazay like me and have a shop do it
Just kiddin, The exhaust place I use adjusted em for me when I was haveing my tail pipes cut off, really nice living in a small town where people still help people out