Thanks for your help--I'll keep my eyes open for a dealer service manual. First thing I need to do is get some tires and take care of the brakes that grab if I step on the pedal too hard. Can anyone tell me what causes that and how to remedy it?
The most likely causes are probably rusty calipers that don't release properly, deeply grooved drums that grab the brake shoes, and possibly even metal to metal contact from work out shoes or pads. If everything *looks* ok, it's most likely sticking calipers.
Grabbing brakes are usually the result of contamination on the discs, most commonly brake fluid leaking from a caliper. You can clean the discs, but the pads must be replaced (which is such a small expense that you should go ahead and do it when swapping the caliper). As always, you must replace pads on both wheels on an axle at the same time.
There are several sources for mechanical parts;
And if you want to turn it into a sleeper, this will probably work on your car:
Gary
/ Johan
The early Amazons had drums on all four wheels. Around about
1965, however, they went to front disk/rear drum brakes. In '69 they got a US-spec dual master cylinder.
In either case, discs or drums, brake fluid from a leaking slave cylinder/caliper is always my first thought for grabby brakes. On drums it makes the brakes extremely grabby, nearly unusable.
Mike
I believe they're drums in rear, discs in front. I just drove it home yesterday about 15 miles and on first using the brakes they grab and lock up one time and then were fine. Didn't really have great stopping power but they didn't lock up after that first time and it doesn't sound like metal to metal. The car was pretty much sitting for a year and a half.
That changes the complexion a bit - contaminated linings are consistent about locking up. Now I'm thinking about the shoes on the rear drums kicking up. If the linings are still in decent shape, sandpaper (with attention to beveling the leading and trailing edges) may do the trick.
To be clear, you are saying the brakes suddenly become more forceful rather than seeming to ratchet on and not release?
Mike
I'm going to 'stick' with my original guess: sticking calipers. If they weren't too rusty, just using them regularly may solve the problem.
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