After Panic Stop car now pull to left under braking?

Something broke/bent during the higher speed stop. I would put the car on the suspension and get in there with a big pry bar and start trying to move stuff. Check all the front parts and then the rear.

 

I don't know what suspension you have, but look at all points that mount... Mine was the top a-arm slid on the cross shaft mount. It was clear after close inspection. There was bare shiney metal.... It doesn't take much.

To me, it was kinda like diagnosing a vibration and finding a seized u-joint. Easily missed, but evident when found

 

So crawled all over the car. Still cannot find anything. So took it out for a drive with someone following me this time. Does not look like anything is loose or rumbling no shutter.

So I started to drag the brakes a bit with some gas and it is definitely something in the passenger side rear brake the one that I fixed the broken spring on and the new wheel cylinder. You can actually see the car from behind shift a little bit towards the front driver side.

Now for the weird thing. Once I started to drag the brakes to bed them a bit the pull got better, no where near as abrupt as before. I would say 0-60% braking no pull what so ever. When we got back the driver rear brake is way hotter by laser temp then the passenger rear ~55c.

Harder stops definitely moves the car around a good bit but nothing uncontrollable. My old restored 28 on original brakes did about the same.

Maybe the rear still had a bit of glaze on it that did not set. Any chance that if I keep bedding them in as I continue to shakedown the car it will get better. By hand and by feeler gauge I cannot get these things to stop right.

 

It sounds to me if you can see the rear shift when applying the brake the rear axle is probably loose, I have seen this before.

 

What kind of rear springs you got? If you have leaves, did you shear a spring center bolt? If coils is it a bad bushing in a rear suspension arm. Is it posible that you have a glazed shoe on the right side, so you are getting normal braking on the left, less than normal on the right? Effect would feel the same as left locking up.

 

OK I still have no idea what is going on. I have had that whole car apart two times now.

The only thing that I can see that is weird is that the driver side front wheel seems to be 1/2 of a inch further back from the front of the car othe passenger side. But I cannot measure from anything but the exterior body lines.

 

Got it up on a lift this afternoon.

When braking non of the front wheels move back and forth in the wheel-well.

First thing. All the rear leaf spring bushings are completely shot to hell. Which is going to be fun to try and fix. Did not even think of that before.


To when you raise and lower the car once it gets on the ground you get a heck of a thump from the front suspension now. I want to say that its the lowering springs seating but might be the upper control arm bushings going bad which is a 500$ fix and a weekend of my time. I cannot get anything up there to move with the suspension loaded or partially loaded so I think that they are good.



Is it possible that the rear bushings just gave out and are now moving around enough to upset the car when braking.

 

It's actually PROBABLE. (sorry, no Italics) But look at the LOWER control arm bushings.
And lift the car again, (!) find a hole in the bottom of the frame rail, about 20"-36" back from the front wheel centerline. (this is a factory hole for frame alignment measure after a collision: there's a matching one on passenger side.)

If the wheel has a caster lead, (right wheel ahead of left wheel) it will pull to the left.
BUT, if it only does it under hard braking, to locate the problem you will have to use a comealong fron the king pin/spindle area to a hook connected to say, the rear spring leading bracket.
Pull it and watch...then measure. Same with other side.
Pull that comealong pretty tight: figure 3500 lbs. of vehicle weight, and the inertia being snubbed down violently. Under hard braking, you are literally attempting to roll the front suspension back under the car...so pull it tight.

 

No luck here.

Replaced the leaf spring rubber as well which had no effect as well.

About ready to throw in the towel, is there a shop in San Diego that I might be able take this to that would understand early fords.

 

In some instances, this isn't always correct. On my Willys, the manual specifies short shoe to the rear. Reason, they are not self energizing.

 

Stupid question, but are the wheel cylinders the same diameter in the rear? Possible one is 1" and the other is 7/8" i.e.

 

No they are all the same. Since it worked well before but only after the panic stop when this started happening. SO I imagine everything is OK in terms of install.

So took it out for a drive again after adjusting the brakes for another time. It drives straight, turns fine, light braking is OK as well. As soon as I touch the peddle with any force and the wheel will go fully left with a huge speed. You can hold it back with your pinky but hands off the wheel and it will go 100% full left in ~1/4 of a second.

If I hold the steering wheel straight the car stops straight. It is unsettled like any old car with drums brakes but controllable. I have been yanking on all the suspension joints and not a single one looks like it is deflecting. I have no Idea whats going one.

Also had someone watch the car as I drove by and no deflection in any of the wheels when I hold the wheel straight.

Looking at the skid marks on the street only the front driver wheel is fully locking up when I hit the pedal hard.