Brakes Pulling

[canary runner]

Hi... Need some advice....My 66 Barracuda front brakes have just started pulling when applied fast & hard... thought they were just out of adjustment so adjusted them up...that helped some initially. The brakes now pull to the left or the right when applied hard...(never know which way they will pull) not so noticeable when brakes applied lightly. Never know which way they're going to pull. Brake shoes are in good condition....(not that many miles on the brake system) & still running original master cylinder. Thanks for any info!!

 

[dano]

Check your alignment. Sounds like a tie rod, the pit man or Idler arm might be bad.

 

[KitCarlson]

Restricted hoses can do that for a fast stop. They also delay release.

 

[RustyRatRod]

"WHAT" brakes? Drums all around? Disc/drum? Disc/disc? It helps if we know these things. Since you talked about adjusting, I'm assuming drums all around. Pulling with drum brakes, especially hard and fast as you describe, can be perfectly normal. That's the nature of the beast. They "RARELY" actuate at exactly the same time, because of their fairly primitive nature. They work well, but "sometimes" that's just "how it bees". Have you made sure the pads the shoes ride against on the backing plates have been greased? A lot of people leave that out and that's one BIG thing that can sometimes make them hang up for an instant and cause a pull.

 

[Dana67Dart]

Check the backing plates where the shoes ride on it. If it is groved that can cause pulling. Machine shop can weld up and machine to flat.

 

[Professor Fate]

Also make sure your primary/secondary shoes are installed correctly- short shoe toward the front. Mismatched/incorrect orientation can also cause wonky braking.

 

[canary runner]

Thanks to everyone for answering to my problem...I have drum brakes front & rear... alignment was checked prior to new wheels & tires...the brakes have been on car for awhile & have been working great until I really had to stop in a hurry then just started pulling from side to side the last time i had it out... I am going to check the brake hoses on the front as now that this was mentioned I remembered having that problem on a truck several years ago, doing the same thing... brake hose being collapsed inside. I will check that out. Thanks again for your ideas... Always nice to be able to bounce ideas off everyone!!!