My '59 sat for months and now it feels like the brakes don't fully release. If I do a driveway only move (it's not licensed yet) forward or back, and then depress the clutch it stops as though the brakes were in contact with the drums. That is, an abrupt stop, not just the gradual loss of momentum. But when I jack up the front, and then the rear end all wheels turn freely with no resistance.

Is there some other cause? Is the hydraulic pressure not releasing quickly, but is fully released by the time I get it jacked up?

Note: Everything from the new dual MC back to the shoes and drums is new and worked fine when I did a brief drive 8 months ago. That's why, esp. here in wet Oregon, I expected rust between shoes and drums. But that doesn't fit with free rotation when jacked up.

I'm stumped, and don't want to overheat a drum & shoes if it's going to be sticking while I drive.


A VW guy trying his hand at a '59 LB fs. Lots to learn, but it's about the journey.