VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND NEWER 1949-1954 1953 braking issues

I have a 53 4dr Bel Air and it pulls to the left when I brake hard. On an easy stop there is no pulling. When I brake hard there is pulling. The drums have been turned, the shoes replaced and new wheel cylinders. Everything is clean and moves freely. The front end has been checked and properly aligned. There is no play in any of the joints or connections. Front end is solid. It is a very perplexing issue. In theory it should be braking very well. Anyone have any ideas as to what may be happening?

Could be brake hoses, return springs, drums truned to different sizes.
Have you "centralized" the shoes? see page in shop manaul under "minor service operations, adustment - MAJOR"

If shoes are not equally centered the brakes will pull due to the self-energizing feature of Bendix brakes.

you probably have checked but, tire pressure? wheel bearing adjustment? oil or grease on a shoe? My guess is the problem is in the R.H. brake.

you could try swapping the drums from side to side, I've seen that cure the problem.

Whatever you do, regarding these suggestions, do one step at a time, or you'll never know what the fix was.

You may swap shoes, from left to right, as well.

Good luck and advise as to what fixed your issues.

That's it: I'm not driving in front of you this year…

Rather than brake issues, I'd be more concerned with the guy driving the gray Chevy, and taking pictures at the same time !

Who is that driver ?

There is some very good advice from everyone (except Brewster) to look into, most of which I can follow the logic. However I am unsure of the brake hoses. How would that affect the braking? I will try one thing at a time to see if it fixes things. I will post what did and/or did not work.

Bob you are right, I should be concerned about the guy following me taking pictures instead of driving. However it is a nice pic of my tail lights.

First the brake hoses should be replaced every 20-25 years just for safety reason as they can "blow-out".
As to uneven braking they also can collaspe internally restricting the fluid flow.

When the Bendix brakes cme out in 1951 we had a lot of pulling problems (in 1951-52 especially). One of the first things done as recommened by Chevrolet was to centralize the shoes. Chevrolet claimed we were the only area to have a problem and they blamed it on high humidity. Yet magizine roads tests from all around the country claimed the same problem. t seemed as these models aged the problem didn't show-up as ofen.

Also are the shoes installed correctly with the longer linings to the rear on both sides?

Rubber brake hoses tend to deteriorate from the inside, first. That can cause a restriction in pressure to the wheel cylinder. As stated earlier, it appears your concern may be in the right front brake.

And yes, it is a very good pic of your car leaving Brewster in the dust...... camera and all.

Would swapping drums side to side really cure the problem, or just make the car pull the other way?

I'm pretty sure that he's braking hard in that pic… you can see the car going to the left. We need to do something to get it going to the right, as I usually pass him on the left...

IF the drums are the problem , yes, it would pull the other direction.
If the drums are causing the pull it would most likely be because one drum in turned to a larger size than the other......providing the surface is the same for each drum.
If the drums were never turned I would doubt if that is the problem.

Well Brewster is still behind me breathing in my tailpipe fumes. Well I tried all the suggested items and nothing cured my problem. But, I think I solved the problem. Last year the rear bushing on the pivot pin on the upper control arm was very loose, so much so that the knuckle support moved back and forth about a half inch. I thought at that time I would have to replace it, but just torqueing the bushing with 40 ft/lb appeared to be all it needed. The situation greatly improved. Yesterday with the wheel off and for no reason, I stuck a wrench between the knuckle support and upper control arm and to my surprise the knuckle support moved over. I again thought I would be replacing the pivot pin. As I was about to loosen the bolt on the knuckle support I had the thought that maybe it was loose, so I tightened the bolt and alas there was no movement in the knuckle support. Put the wheel back on and test drove the car and no sudden pull and I break hard. The car appears to be breaking nice and square. Now the left wheel locks up before the right but that appears to be fading as I drive the car. So problem may have been solved. Just thought I would update you as to how things were working out.