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By 56mercgal - 14 Years Ago
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I have recently had my brakes completly redone. They have been adjusted and the front end aligned till the cows come home but I still have an issue of pulling to the right when the brakes are applied hard. When the wagon is going straight, it seems to pull to the left! I had a cheesy repair shop (which lost it's licensce three years ago, a year after I had my front end rebuilt) I had all the rubber parts and new shocks put on. I don't think the idler and pitman arm were replaced. I was told by another shop I had play in the steering and the box could use a replacing. What should I do? I hate this fighting the wheel thing!
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By MoonShadow - 14 Years Ago
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Pulling to the left as you drive is most likely an alignment problem. Make sure the tires are evenly inflated though. The steering or idler arm would cause the car to wander more than pull. With all new suspension parts I would go to a good alignment shop and have it done again. As far as pulling to the right under hard braking, have you had the drums turned lately? Are they round and not egg shaped? Have you checked for air in the brake lines? If the drums are good and the brakes aren't dragging then you need to tighten up the adjustment on the left front to match the right. Seems backwards but losening the right front brake is reducing your braking efficiency. If the dragging brake is working correctly then the opposite on is the problem. Chuck in NH
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By Hoosier Hurricane - 14 Years Ago
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Check the front brake hoses. I had one almost swelled shut, and it caused weird braking.
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By crenwelge - 14 Years Ago
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If any of the brake shoes were ever soaked with brake fluid, it will grab forever. So will out of round drums and plugged brake lines. If your steering box has too much play, not much of a grab will cause it to pull to one side. I am assuming a Merc uses a similar cross member in front as a Ford. I have seen mechanics push new bushings in the lower control arm and then have the hole where the bolt goes rotted out to where the bolt could waller around an inch. I used to not be satisfied with a 56 Ford until I could hit the brakes at 30 mph with no hands on the steering wheel. But, on the other hand, I was always prepared for the vehicle to pull one way or another on a panic stop. Especially on wet pavement. The driver had to compensate for what ABS and power steering does now.Quite often it is a combination of a lot of things that makes them pull.
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By lowrider - 14 Years Ago
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One way to eliminate the drums being the reason it pulls is to swap the front drums side-to-side and see if the pulls the other way. You mentioned you had the front end rebuilt but I would check and see if you had a tight ball joint also.
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By stlroken - 14 Years Ago
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My '56 pulled to the right on hard braking. I had to replace the front cross member and when that was done the two large bolt were "rusted" with the one on the right really bad. After I had the bolts and cross member replaced I haven't noticed the pull. I don't know if that was part of the problem or if its in my head.....just a thought.
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By crenwelge - 14 Years Ago
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Down here in Texas where there are no salted roads, I'd venture to say that 90% of the cross members are rusted out and for some reason, the passenger side bolt hole rusts worse then the drivers side. I would say the mortality rate on rust belt cars is much worse. There is a guy in Oklahoma that builds a replacement cross member. It doesn't look like an original, but it is strong, fits correctly and is easy to install. By that I mean lots of work, but nothing that requires a lot of precision work.
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By Bob's 55 - 14 Years Ago
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I see your from California but where is the car originally from. First thing I thought of when you mentioned that the brakes where all redone and it was still pulling was also the front crossmember. Not hard to check.
There used to be a guy in the Ontario/Fontana area that built and replaced them. I will see if I can find his number.
If you do find it is the crossmember, please don't drive it because that is super dangerous.
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By 56mercgal - 14 Years Ago
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Eeeek! I have driven it almost 80,000 miles with the bakes being worked on at different times! NEw dual master cylinder was installed 5 years ago. HAd a new right drum installed, the old one was cracked. I will have a mroe thorogh check up on the brake sytem next weekend. The wagon was built in Long Beach and it has never left California, as far as I know. It spent alot of it's life down in Southern Cal and up in santa Cruz.
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By Timbo from Mempho - 14 Years Ago
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I'll second the brake hose suggestion. I fought pulling brakes for years till I finally replaced the hoses. Stopped straight as an arrow after that. Later, Timbo
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By Rudder2fly - 14 Years Ago
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Ditto on the brake hoses. I replaced shoes, turned the drums, rebuilt wheel cylinders, and the car would still pull right on hard braking! One day I had my head up under the left front fender and there was the problem a bulging brake hose. I had never noticed it before then. I replaced all three hoses and now when you stomp on the brake pedal it will slide the tires in a straight line. G.S.
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By 56mercgal - 14 Years Ago
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I will start with the brake hoses as they are about 8 years old. Some oil has gotten on one as far as I know, that would cause it to soften? Anyway, this week I will check them, thanks! 
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By John Mummert - 14 Years Ago
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The fact that you replaced 1 brake drum makes me think that the shoes were not fitted to the drums. If it stops straight on light braking but pulls on hard braking the shoes probably weren't "arced" to the size of the drums. If new shoes of the same size are installed with one drum that has been turned a number of times and the other is a new one you can get these symtoms. You might be able to adjust the brakes until it stops straight under hard braking but it will pull under light braking.
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By 56mercgal - 14 Years Ago
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Here's what I noticed after paying more attention to the braking issue. Driving along, it slightly drifts to the left, very slightly. As I slowly apply the brake, the front wheels veer to the right. The harder the brake is applied, the more to the right it goes.
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By oldcarmark - 14 Years Ago
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It sounds like the problem is with the left front brake.If you raise the wheel off the ground and have someone apply the brakes does the brake activate?Possibly air in the lines to the left front?Have someone bleed that side.If this pulling to one side has been an ongoing problem with the brakes you need to have a real good look at the left front.Another possibility is a siezed(non working) wheel cylinder.On the backing plate there are raised "pads" where the shoes slide on.If those pads are worn or rough the shoes can hang up.Old time mechanics would build them up with a little weld and file them flat if they were rough.Years ago I had a similar problem with a 53 Ford.Turned out the shoes were incorrect.They were right part# but the steel web part did not match the pads on the backing plate.Obviously the right side is working fine.
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