Weird problem with front drum brakes

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RON REAGLE

RON REAGLE

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I'm helping a friend with a 68 dart GTS that has the 10 x 2-1/4 front drum brakes. We pulled the drum and hubs for inspection of the brake linings , hardware , wheel cylinders etc. I looks like someone has serviced the brakes recently. Satisfied we put the drum back on spun the drum to check the adjustment and bolted the wheel on. IT'S LOCKED UP AND WILL NOT SPIN??? We pulled it back apart , checked everything put it back together and it's locked up ? We tried putting the drum on from the drivers side same problem? Everything looks the same side to side , the drivers side doe not have this issue. We checked to make sure the wheel itself it not hitting the upper or lower ball joint we have clearance. Any ideas what we're missing?? I'm really stumped on this one.
 
Confusing explanation. It spun without the wheel on but with the wheel on it locked up?

Satisfied we put the drum back on spun the drum to check the adjustment and bolted the wheel on. IT'S LOCKED UP AND WILL NOT SPIN???
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Seems like when you tighten the lug nuts the wheel won't spin?
 
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The weird thing is We drove the car last week and had no issues. Yes the drum spins without the wheel on , we put the wheel on and tighten the lugs nuts it locks up and will not spin ? This is why I'm asking the question. It's not obvious what the problem is?? I have worked on these cars since I was 12 (I'm 60) I've never seen this before. I have never been a fan of front drum brakes but we're just trying to make sure they're working until we do a disc conversion next winter.
 
Did you swap the opposite drum and hub or just the drum?

With the wheel off take the lug nuts and ( you might need some washers) torque down the lug nuts to the drum. If you have the same issue it's hub drum related, if not it's tire wheel interference related.


You can do the same with a bare wheel as another check.

You say you drive it before removal maybe it's was the same but you had the force of the engine to force it to turn, I suspect you would have smelt overheated beakes
 
Yes they are Centerline aluminum wheels we just bought. We had them balanced and the weights are on the edge of the rim. And they do hit the upper ball joint so we know we need the stick on wheel weights on the inside of the rim. However no matter which way we put the wheel on it won't move. We crawled underneath and checked for clearance the wheel itself is not hitting or rubbing anything. Now I guess as mentioned we should try the hub and drum from the drivers side. I said it was a weird problem
 
Try tightening the lug nuts on the drum without the wheel using same torque or use the old wheel and torque it on
 
I had something like this happen when the brake drum wasn't sitting 100% flush to the hub. In my case, it was due to installing new lug studs where the shoulders of the studs were hanging up in the holes of the drum but it wasn't really noticeable. Everthing worked fine until i got the nuts tight then the wheel wouldn't spin. You might try pulling the drum and rotating it to a different set of holes in the drum and make sure it's sitting flush against the hub.
 
I pulled the drivers side hub and bearing assembly off and moved it to the passenger side. It spun freely without the drum,put the drum on and it still spun freely. Bolted a rally wheel on that was originally on the car The wheel spun in reverse but locked up going forward??? I tried a couple different times and it moved about an inch and locked up. I pulled it back apart and am still puzzled. Looking at the brake shoes there is one that has a longer lining it's towards the back of the car the one with the shorter lining is towards the front Is this correct?
 
If the shoes really measure 10 x 2.250, that might be your issue. They should be 10 x 2.
 
^^^^^ WRONG - O , Buckaroo ^^^^^

ALL 1963 - 1972 " A " Body 8 cylinder vehicles utilize === 10 " x 2 1 / 4 " === Front Brake Shoes & Drums==
From the Factory === A L L === O N L Y ===
 
mobileparts said:
^^^^^ WRONG - O , Buckaroo ^^^^^

ALL 1963 - 1972 " A " Body 8 cylinder vehicles utilize === 10 " x 2 1 / 4 " === Front Brake Shoes & Drums==
From the Factory === A L L === O N L Y ===
Click to expand...
Well alrighty, Buckaroo. I guess he shouldda asked you first.
 
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