Brakes: 1962 lark front springs replacement / brakes pull left

[Guest]

i just had the springs replaced on my 1962 lark.
i also replaced the front brake pads, master cylinder, wheel cylinders, brake pads, upper and lower control arm bushings and the rubber hoses. when you hit the brakes hard the car pulls to the left. theres plenty of pressure in the cylinder and the brakes seem to be working properly.

1. the new springs are a little shorter than the factory springs.

2. the wheelbase is over / under by about a half inch on either side. 112 1/2" on the driver. 113 1/2" on the passenger. i did not replace the trunnion bolts but they're pretty stuck. do you think that i can get enough caster adjustment from new trunnion bolts to correct the wheelbase? will that correct the pull on the brakes?

3. i did not replace the drums but as far as i know i think they're still within spec.

has anybody else encountered this issue with replacing the springs on the front end?

Thanks.
Fitz
1962 Studebaker Lark 4 door 259 v8

[irish]

You mention brake pads, pads imply disc brakes, your car would have had brakes drums originally (with brake shoes) on the front. If you do have drums on the front it could be as simple as the front brakes need to be adjusted, if they aren't adjusted properly the car can pull to one side because the brakes shoes on one side are engaging the drum before the shoes on the other side are. This would be the simplest place to start, of course you could have alignment problems.

[41 Frank]

I think the springs are the last place to look for the problem. Most likely it is a problem with the brakes or wheel alignment. Were the upper inner bushings tightened with the car's weight on the suspension as called for? Does the car's steering track straight when driving? Brake issues to check:

Brake shoes binding
brakes out of adjustment
foreign matter on brake shoes
plugged brake hose
stuck wheel cylinder

If you have a shop manual check the brake problem diagnosis chart for more info.

[StudeRich]

While there are MANY reasons why it is impossible to "arm chair" diagnose this problem, all of these are "possible" issues, here is another:

One that I am very familiar with that happened twice on two different cars, is that IF the Left Upper Trunnon is not torqued well over 100 PSI AND bottomed out into the upper "A" Arm, it is LOOSE, the arm can twist on braking and cause a serious PULL to that side.

[Dick Steinkamp]

If you do have drums on the front it could be as simple as the front brakes need to be adjusted, if they aren't adjusted properly the car can pull to one side because the brakes shoes on one side are engaging the drum before the shoes on the other side are.

One of the neat things about hydraulic brakes is that they don't have to be adjusted perfectly to stop straight. Not adjusted properly right to left on MECHANICAL brakes will cause a pull...but not so on hydraulic brakes. Hydraulics will equalize the pressure of the shoes against the drums quickly enough that you would not notice it. This is probably the main reason the industry went to hydraulic brakes. Ford held out longer than the other makers ("All steel from pedal to wheel")

I'd look for grease/brake fluid on one or more shoes. Also the wheelbase being different by one inch left to right would scare the heck out of me.

[irish]

One of the neat things about hydraulic brakes is that they don't have to be adjusted perfectly to stop straight. Not adjusted properly right to left on MECHANICAL brakes will cause a pull...but not so on hydraulic brakes. Hydraulics will equalize the pressure of the shoes against the drums quickly enough that you would not notice it. This is probably the main reason the industry went to hydraulic brakes. Ford held out longer than the other makers ("All steel from pedal to wheel")

I'd look for grease/brake fluid on one or more shoes. Also the wheelbase being different by one inch left to right would scare the heck out of me.

I would agree that they don't have to be adjusted perfectly but we have had trucks come into our shop that had brakes so far out of adjustment that they pulled to one side.

Joe

[kmac530]

My guess would be the A-arm alignment is just off. I would take it back to whatever shop did the work and have them re-check the entire job. If you did it your self I would just pull it all down and kind of restart over.

One thing I have not seen mentioned. You said your had the "springs" replaced...did you also replace the REAR leafs? I am not positive on your exact model, but MANY leaf springs have a centering pin for the axle that not dead in the center. If you put the springs in the vehicle with one of the leafs reversed then the axle is cocked crooked and it causes dog-leg tracking and when you hit the brakes it wants to turn the car.

I would look into that.

[Warren Webb]

Along the lines of what kmac530 (Kelly) is saying I would suggest putting the car up in the air (on 4 safe jack stands or better yet a side by side lift) and cross measure the frame for previous damage & cross measure the suspention components. This can be done easily with a tape measure. Use holes in the frame that are equal on both sides and go from one side forward to say the center bolt on the opposite side rear leaf spring and so on. This may also indicate that the rear leaf springs are positioned in the wrong hole on the front mounting bracket, which would explain the difference in wheelbase. Measure the frame the same way. Let us know what you found.