Right front brake grabs

I've been having trouble with the front brakes on my T Bucket. It seems that lately (since last year) the right front wheel locks up when I step on the brakes. I've tried adjusting each front brake until there is a little drag on each drum. I've tried backing off the right brake adjustment. The brakes are drum brakes circa. 1952 Ford. The front wheel cylinders are new as of last year. I changed them when the problem started. The pedal is solid; not spongy.
The rear brakes are '68 Nova drums. The master cylinder is a single cylinder circa 1967. For years it was OK. I even went as far as pulling off the drums and with a caliper adjusting the shoes to be the same size. Each drum ID is close to the same the same size.
Any immediate thoughts?
Thanks,
Bill

 

I had the very same problem after not driving the car for 10 years. Tried everything like you
have, turned out to be the the brake shoes. Changed them and everything was good again.

 

I have found that the left brake not working properly makes the right seem to grab. I would check the function on the left side.

 

Interesting about which side is the problem. I guess I'll just rebuild the shoes and the drums and see what happens.
Thanks everyone for the advise.
I'll let you know what happens.
Bill

 

You could swap sides with the brake shoes and see if the problems switches sides.

If you make two changes, you will never know where the problem lies.

 

Brake hose collapses internally , acts as a one way valve , pressure will bleed off if vehicle sits..,.... had it happen on 2 different pickups..., they were about 25 years old...

 

That's a good idea to swap parts side to side. FYI, the brake hoses are the braided stainless steel type from Summit. The new shoes cost about $25.00 per pair and not in stock. More to come. Thanks for the ideas.
Bill

 

I finally got the new front brake shoes and replaced them this morning. Funny thing. The problem went away. I took it for a test ride and the problem was gone! There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with the old shoes. There was plenty of life left to them. In fact, they didn't look much different to the new ones I just put on. So, $35.00 later, the brakes seem to be working fine. I did a couple of hard stops and there was no pulling either way.
Thanks for all the suggestions. I never would have thought that the shoes would be a problem because they looked fine.

Back on the road!
Bill

 

I have the same or similar old style Ford brakes. They are not self energizing. The hyd wheel cylinder expands the shoes at the top and the bottom just hinges. I had one wheel cylinder leak. After replacing the wheel cylinder and putting new shoes on that side, the brakes pulled. I think the pad friction rating is different. Good news front and rear shoes interchange. I will change 1 shoe on each side.
My brake shoes are the same as an 8N Ford tractor. The local shop will also reline, if that is your preference.
Glad it worked out for you.

 

Thanks Railroad and all those who gave advise.
Bill

 

Back when I was kid in the early 60's. when we had an axle seal leak or wheel cylinder leak and the brake grabbed, we would clean the shoe and drum with kerosene. The we would light them on fire till the kerosene burned off. Then fix the axle seal leak or wheel cylinder leak. Then hit the shoe with some sand paper. Must have worked because I don't recall that it didn't.

 

Is that what you call a Red Neck fix ???

 

More like hill-Billy as I grew up in West Virginia.

 

In 1983 I worked as a mechanic at a cab company. Brakes were the most common repair. Our instructed common repair was to use a rasp to scuff the glaze or uneven spots, clean them with degreaser, and reinstall them. When they were worn to the rivets, we relined them. Drums rarely got turned. That’s how “the Safety Cab co” rolled, lol... we also regrooved lease tires when the tread was worn to the safety bars. On a side note, just wondering if both sides were installed correctly, long shoe to the rear, short shoe to the front? Hope the issue is gone for good! I always have a need to understand why the problem happened. Mystery fixes make me nervous, like it’s ready to reappear as soon as I let my guard down.

 

I agree about the mystery fixesFletcherson, I did have a leaking wheel cylinder on the side that was grabbing but it didn't appear to get much on the shoes. I would have thought the the oily shoe would not grab as well and the other side would grab. That might have started the problem. I did the sandpaper thing to the shoes and drums on both sides before I changed the shoes. That made no difference.
Yes, the long shoe in the back and the short shoe in the front. Time will tell.When I have a chance, I'll take a couple of pictures of the old shoes.

 

If one of the wheel cylinder cups stick, it can easily be freed and go back to operating normally. My brakes are older style than those being addressed and they seem to stick after sitting a long time. I stab the brakes a couple of times, if they do not feel a little odd.

 

That's the problem with these cars sitting for long periods. Things happen.

 

Here are a few pictures of the old brake shoes that I removed. There is plenty of lining left on them. Must have been caused by the slight weeping of brake fluid leaking from the right front wheel cylinder.

 

A few more.