1965 Mustang Front Drum Brake Problem

by J.Lucius Ford
(Pretoria South Africa)

Question:

I have a 1965 Mustang that has unequal braking on front drum brakes (pulls to the left).

The LH brakes harder than the RH side.

Brake lines are open, slaves are good, shoes and mechanism all good.

What do you suggest?

Answer:

Here are possible causes for the brakes pulling on your 1965 Mustang front drum brakes and my suggestions.

* Inner brake hose breakdown acting as a one way check valve. Replace brake hose(s), bleed and retest

* Rusted or worn wheel cylinder restricting movement. Replace or rebuild wheel cylinders.

* Brake fluid, grease or oil on one shoe or drum. Clean surfaces with brake cleaner or replace shoes if saturated.

* Incorrect adjustment of shoes to drum clearance/frozen star wheel adjuster. Readjust star adjuster for correct clearance

* Drum worn past minimum wear thickness. Replace drum.

From my experience in the industry, these are usually the most common issues. The hardest one to diagnose is the brake hose issue.

I'd suggest starting by checking the last three listed first and then retesting at each change.

Good Luck

P.S. See also the drum brake repair section Mustang Brake Rebuilding.

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