Just bought the very best brake shoes my parts supplier carried, front and rear, assembled with all new hardware, wheel cylinders, and all properly lubricated, and even turned the drums....
with the adjusters all the way in, with no wheel the drum spins freely. the moment i put a wheel on its locked solid...

any thoughts?

1967 289 automatic convertble, f&r man. drums.
RAYBESTOS Part # 154PG {Professional Grade; 10.00 X 2.25}
RAYBESTOS Part # 152PG {Professional Grade; 10.00 X 2.00}

 

When you say 'put the wheel' on do you mean just setting it on the studs or torqueing the lug nuts down? If you're tightening the lug nuts and it won't spin then, it sounds like the shoes are too wide. Measure across the shoes with a tape measure and across the contact patch in the drum, there were different size drums or you may have gotten misboxed shoes. I had misboxed Raybestos last time I did my rears so it happens. I'd say it's got something to do with the drums being pressed against the shoes/ hardware that's not fitting right and binding if adding the wheel does it.
Jon