1961 Left wheel locked up

[Nearing]

Hi, I just bought my first Thunderbird, a 1961 with 48k miles? I'm having an issue with the left rear wheel that has locked up. Could this be a emergency brake cable issue? Any thoughts or ideas as to what is causing this problem would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Phil

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[Bond007]

Congratulations! I think you may be on the right track.

 

[74 Harley]

Congratulations! If the car has been sitting in a damp environment the brake shoes could also be rusted to the drum. If they are, a couple of good whacks with a hammer usually works. Stuck cables are a pain. You may be able to rent a drum puller to get it apart. If so, you will need to replace the nails that hold the shoes to the backing plate.
Good luck! Let's see some pictures!

 

[OhioTbird]

Welcome to the club!

 

[Nearing]

Hi, I just bought my first Thunderbird, a 1961 with 48k miles? I'm having an issue with the left rear wheel that has locked up. Could this be a emergency brake cable issue? Any thoughts or ideas as to what is causing this problem would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Phil

Thanks for the welcome. I should have added that the car has been sitting in a climate controlled storage facility in Denver for the past 14 years. It drove in with no issues, just can't move it now because of the wheel being locked up.

 

[64ZCODE]

It does sound like an e brake cable issue. I had to replace one on my car because it was kinked where the cable emerged from the brake drum. Suggest you put the car up on ramps and have someone operate the e brake while you observe the mechanism from underneath the car. You should also pull the drum to determine if there is anything hanging up the e brake cable and mechanism on the backing plate.

 

[biddle]

Hi, I just bought my first Thunderbird, a 1961 with 48k miles? I'm having an issue with the left rear wheel that has locked up. Could this be a emergency brake cable issue? Any thoughts or ideas as to what is causing this problem would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Phil

Your subject should summarize your post which is about your wheel being seized up. I revised your subject "Just bought my first Thunderbird - 1961" to reflect this.

 

[Nearing]

I went to the storage facility today and put the car on stands. The outside sheath of the e-brake cable does not move when the emergency pedal is depressed or released. The drum is frozen and can't be persuaded to move with raps from a 5lb hammer. Any other thoughts on how to get the drum off to begin addressing the problem?

 

[74 Harley]

Yes, you have several options.
#1pull the rubber plug and back off the slack adjuster all the way. Or at least until the wheel moves.
#2 try to rent a drum puller. (This could damage the brake shoes and hardware, but that's cheap.
#3 cut the drum off. It may sound drastic but your options are limited and a drum isn't that expensive either.

 

[64ZCODE]

Yes, you have several options.
#1pull the rubber plug and back off the slack adjuster all the way. Or at least until the wheel moves.
#2 try to rent a drum puller. (This could damage the brake shoes and hardware, but that's cheap.
#3 cut the drum off. It may sound drastic but your options are limited and a drum isn't that expensive either.

Umm, I was with you until #3, 74 Harley. I dealt with a stuck rear brake drum a while back. I wasn't able to rent a drum puller (seems parts stores don't rent stuff anymore), and rather than buy one for $100, I sprayed WD40 into the stud holes (where the studs stick out through the drum) and gave it time to work it's way down between the drum and the hub. Then I used an air hammer to tap on the drum in-between the studs while keeping outward pressure on the drum, and it popped off.

 

[74 Harley]

Well @64ZCODE ,if someone mashed the parking brake on and the cable is jammed/ still holding it can seem nearly impossible to remove the drum. After my avatar was drug out of a barn from a 20 some odd years abandonment, I wound up cutting 3 drums off. Mine had rusted terribly. Just saying it's an option. Notice I put it last....

 

[biddle]

I sprayed WD40 into the stud holes

PB Blaster is also a very good product!

 

[Critterpainer]

If the parking brake is seized, I believe that there is an adjustment near the rear of the transmission. You can back off that adjustment to hopefully relax the cable to free stuff up. Put penetrant on the cable and housing from the backing plate all the way up towards the transmission. If it still wont release, and you are SHURE it is a frozen parking brake cable, then buy a new cable assembly. and cut the old one as close to the brake backing plate as possible.

 

[Critterpainer]

Have you checked to see if the wheel cylinder is seized? You said you drove it with no issues. Did you use the parking brake for the first time when you parked the car?

 

[Nearing]

I just purchased the car. The previous owner parked it years ago in a enclosed storage facility. It was driven to its resting spot mo issues. Now the wheel won't turn. Locked up.

 

[64ZCODE]

Just sayin' beware, TBird problems can come in flurries 🙂

 

[paul5456]

Pull on the cable on the frozen side. If it does not move then the lining probably has frozen to the drum. Or the inner cable has frozen to the outer cable