1957 Pulls left when braking

[Hogryder]

Help! For several years now I've been dealing with a problem that no one seems to be able to help me with. For years now my '57 has a severe pull to the left when braking. It becomes more pronounced the harder I apply the brakes. I've had shops adjust the shoes, change out bushings and I've even had the entire system rebuilt. The best that they've been able to do is limit the effect, not correct it. Any ideas out there?

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[Tom Alpers]

Things that can cause it...
old rubber hoses between the hard line and the wheel cylinder. If the inside swells it can prevent good flow/pressure on that side.
bad wheel cylinders... they can look good on the outside but be corroded on the inside and stick
Crappy brake shoes... I had Centric brand and they fit terrible, didn't bed in, pulled, replace with Raybestos, which fit better and bedded in better.
Could the problem be with the rear brakes? maybe one side isn't working at all?
worn out suspension parts that allow too much slop... it's possible the problem isn't the brakes.

Obviously hard to diagnose from afar not having seen what has and hasn't been done to try and diagnose and fix it. Do you know what's has and hasn't been replaced?

 

[74 Harley]

If it's pulling left the right side might not be working. Also look for dented metal lines.

 

[Frankie the Fink]

Correct...its the opposite side that's usually the issue (e.g. right). And usually a severe pull is caused by front brakes.
As noted, rubber brake lines can "hour glass" internally causing sloppy braking, Many shops are losing expertise with drum brakes... But anyway a wheel cylinder with a rusty bore can cause the issue, lack of lubrication on the backing plate where the shoes slide, leading/trailing shoes swapped, springs improperly assembled greasy or glazed drums/shoes, a frozen adjuster, etc.. Now if the shoes are contaminated it can cause brake "grab" (and that WOULD be the left side).

If there are no self adjusters on these early brakes then a good rule of thumb is to tighten the adjusters until the wheel will no longer turn then back off 8 clicks.

And here is my personal favorite, if your brakes have the 'torpedo' adjusters they are SIDE SPECIFIC and I've seen them swapped by idiots. Usually there is an "L" or "R" symbol on the geared part indicating placement. You can see the "L" in the end of the part in this picture.

 

[Tom Alpers]

Speaking of the backing plates and lubing the boss the shoes slide on.... when I did my brakes, I found those raised bosses very worn, a couple had a lip which could snag the brake shoe. I used a Dremel to grind them back down smooth.

 

[Brax]

Help! For several years now I've been dealing with a problem that no one seems to be able to help me with. For years now my '57 has a severe pull to the left when braking. It becomes more pronounced the harder I apply the brakes. I've had shops adjust the shoes, change out bushings and I've even had the entire system rebuilt. The best that they've been able to do is limit the effect, not correct it. Any ideas out there?

I have to assume that you don’t do your own work on your car, the brakes are very simple set up and easy to diagnose problems, any competent mechanic should be able to correct the problem. A shop manual is your friend in assembly adjustment and troubleshooting, find a new mechanic who actually knows these types of cars

 

[widgits]

When I went thru the rear brakes on my '56 I noticed that the left shoes were worn substantially more than the right
As it turns out someone replaced a wheel cylinder and the bore size was different
Made a call to Tbird HQ and they said with the front disc brake upgrade I needed to install 7/8" bore cylinders and not 15/16"
Dunno if the front drums have the same issue of different bore sizes available but maybe something to check
All be well

 

[widgits]

Tbird HQ is a thunderbird parts sales place in Concord California
These guy's have been awesome over the years for information and parts, being nearby I can usually get my order in 1 day shipping
But now I hear they are shutting down after 45 years and selling off the inventory so now I'm left with Casco, Larry's, Hills etc.
Thinking the owners want to retire and nobody to take the reigns
They will surely be missed !!

 

[Frankie the Fink]

Tbird HQ is a thunderbird parts sales place in Concord California
These guy's have been awesome over the years for information and parts, being nearby I can usually get my order in 1 day shipping
But now I hear they are shutting down after 45 years and selling off the inventory so now I'm left with Casco, Larry's, Hills etc.
Thinking the owners want to retire and nobody to take the reigns
They will surely be missed !!

I'm seeing the same thing across the classic car hobby, two major. MAJOR suppliers of quality parts have just shuttered their doors and sold off their inventory to scalpers who will charge hobbyists outrageous prices for the remaining quality parts.

As to brake systems being "simple" and "easy to diagnose", they can be surprisingly problematic to deal with if you aren't mechanically inclined or lack experience. Many systems have residual valves, proportional valves, distribution blocks, power boosters, etc.. that complicate things.