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i have a 66' chevy c-30; almost a year after i rescued it from farm feild hell its almost ready to hit the street! im just worried about hitting the car in front of me also! its power brakes; drums all around with a single master cylinder. the main problem is that the front driver side wheel locks up at the drop of a feather. the other problem is that the brakes. . . .stick? once ive taped on the breaks they stay engaged until the truck comes to a stop and rolls back a little. even if i just lightly tap them and get back on the throttle. they just wont let go unless the truck comes to a stop. ive replaced the shoes but the problem was there when i bought the truck. I dont have an arm and a leg to spend on a disc conversion and im trying to keep this build as low budget a possible. any tips, advice, suggestions?

I would look at the return springs in the drums and the one on the pedal. Make sure the pedal isn't binding on the pivot.
Also, could you have the shoes adjusted too tight? Especially the left front? Loosen off the adjusters a few clicks and see if the problem goes away.

It sounds like corroded wheel cylinders which are causing one side to stick. It could also have collapsed brake hoses. The usual senario is that one side sticks and the other side locks up. You don't have to switch to disc brakes as C-30 drum brakes are totally adequate when working properly.
Fred

Yup, those big drums should do nicely, especially with power. If you've already spent a year (and untold $$), you should go through the entire brake system, too. New hoses, new steel lines, new wheel cylinders, new springs, and maybe even a new master cylinder. It just doesn't cost that much, and it's worth every penny.

cm

I'd take a look at the wheel cylinder. I bet its time for a replacement.

Make sure you don't have any fluid leaks into the drums and getting onto the shoes,
Scott

alright- seems the general consensus seems to be leaning twards the wheel cylinders so those will be replaced for sure. i will give the lines a once over; i know they arnt leaking but i havent looked for damaged/collapsed lines. i have always wondered about the routing of the brake lines though. its just one line that piggybacks from rf-lf-lr-rr. is that the way it was originaly done? should i change it to more evenly distribute pressure? i just dont know a whole lot about brakes- put new shoes or pads, and how to bleed them; but anything more than that and im like a monkey doing a math problem! thank you for your help guys!

On the single master cylinder system they basically used one line with junctions to connect all the cylinders. You won't gain anything by changing them around. If they are rusty or damaged, replace them. It's difficult to look at brake hoses and tell if they are collapsed. Based on the age of the truck and the problems you are having, replace them when you do the wheel cylinders.
Fred

I have done a lot of research on improving the brakes on my 57 3100 & have decided to stay with the drum brakes.

I am going to use the brakes from www.praisedyno.com as they make a kit that replaces the wheel cylinder, brake shoes, springs, adjusters etc... around $170 per axle.... PLUS Made in the USA.... I may switch to a dual master cylinder, but if mine is good I will stay with the original.

I am trying to keep the truck pretty original while still being safe to drive.

TC

sure sounds like a hose problem. you can get w/cyl kits for about $6.00 each for the frt.
1 1/8"
ron

I have had brakes that I had to bevel the first 1/2" or so of each end of the shoes, sometimes the brake dust/rust causes them to stick, I used to work in alaska and where I was the atmosphere just dissolved equipment, and we had a lot of trouble with brakes, just cleaned them up really well with brakleen, and they were good for another 3 months, we also converted to silicone brake fluid, as it doesn't absorb water, there was no more rusty brake cylinders

thanks for your help guys- i only had time to do the front half and they work great, next weekend ill be doing the rear lines, hoses, wheel cylinders, springs and shoes- doing all that to the front half worked great! thanks again!