MikeM

If the emergency brake was applied when the car was parked, the shoes can quickly bond to the drum on the inside of the rear rotor(s).

1974purchase

i recently had a wheel stuck and it was the parking brake. i think the shoes were twisted, and locked because the actuating lever was rusted / frozen. the caliper was hard to get off because the bolts were frozen, and even after getting the caliper off the rotor was not easy to remove because the brake shoes inside were locking up the rotor. i was able to get the actuating lever moving again, but am now following the advice i read on the forum of not using the parking brake.

1974purchase

you will likely need to use a six point socket with a breaker bar to get the caliper off (plus penetrating oil and tapping with hammer).

chuckaroo

Thanks to all for the replies and suggestions.
I'll try to answer each question as I remember them. I should have given more info in the first thread. It's a 4 speed positraction. Yes I can shift through all gears easily, with engine running and in neutral release clutch and engine turns freely. Had rear wheels off the ground (both) and slowly released clutch...driver side wheel turns but the passenger side oscillated back and forth. Hand turned the wheels and had lot of resistance and uneven. Brake pad on rt side was right on the disc but with a c-clamp I could compress easily. Now looked at emergency brake and saw a small spring which I removed thinking it somehow got caught. Tried again no improvement. Suspicious yes but it been frozen for years why now. I think it was the spring that holds the adjusting wheel/gear. It was mangled. Still hope there is nothing wrong in the differential! There was no backing plate on the passenger side brake. How to approach this problem...do I have to remove the brake calipers to get in there to fix? Well the parking brake was one of my project for later but maybe it surged to the top of the list. What do you guys think I don't want to jump to conclusions. Thanks to all of you for your help.

MikeM

That is exactly what happened to my '65 right after I bought it in '72.

I could drive the car forward okay but when I tried to back up, the brake shoe would jam against the drum and lock it up.

I pulled the rotor off, removed the park brake stuff and put the rotor back on.

If you do that, index the rotor back on the axle at the same clock position it came off.

Frankie the Fink

If the emergency brake does work enough to apply it that is indeed true. My Mazda pickup would do that after a week or two in extremely humid weather sitting in the driveway

Subfixer

This would be my approach.....

Jack up the car.
Remove all the rear brake hardware.
Buy all new emergency brake parts and anything else that is worn out.
Buy anything that was initially missing.
Put all back together.
Drive away knowing all is well and safe (and the e-brake actually works).

Anything else would be a Bubba workaround......

GUSTO14

If you raised the rear of the car off the ground with the rear suspension dangling, it is never a good idea to put the car in gear and turn the wheels/tires with the engine. With the rear suspension dangling the U-joints in the half-shafts can be damaged from binding caused by the extreme angle.

Good luck solving the problem... GUSTO

chuckaroo

Thanks...that's what intend to do (all new stuff) but wasn't planning on doing it right now.

MikeM

Well, what was the problem? The Ebrake shoes dragging?

Some vendors went to all SS parts just for this problem.

FFBillysCor

Try to loosen the brake line fitting at the master cylinder, release any pressure, and see if car will move. Sometimes corrosion can cause debris to become lodged and lock brakes in full-on position. Good luck...

chuckaroo

Mike
I don't know for sure since I haven't torn anything apart. I was preparing to fix the e-brake anyway and anything that needs replaced. I'll post a note when I know. Thanks for asking.

rtruman

I also power washed my 1st 63 under neigh real good .The clutch
was out But the car felt like it was stuck between gears or in gear
presser plate was stuck like in gear .Weird

Frankie the Fink

Haven't had my first C2 long at all and never knew that.....that one goes in the memory banks...

MikeM

That can happen but if you have the correct length shocks, don't believe it will.

leaky4150

project creep 66 coupe rt e brake toast lead to trailing arm removal Bearings/bushing etc.

67*427

I have shocks from one of the major supporters of the forum. They WILL allow the swing arms to drop enough to cause the universal joints to lock. I called them and they said they knew that problem exists but that's all they have available. In 12,000 miles, it hasn't been a problem so as mentioned, just don't let the swing arm droop and try to turn the wheels, particularly with the engine.

hope2

will the car move with the clutch in?

Powershift

According to Bair's Corvettes and also GM docs, the maximum extended length of the rear shocks for our C2 cars should be 14.25 inches or less. This distance is measured between the centerline of the upper and the lower shock mounting bushings. Additional length can result in a bind between the halfshaft and inner axle in the reared which can result in damage.

Larry

hope2

xxx