Strange Brake Issue....at least to me.

[NismoGriff]

So I am in the process of resurrecting my 96 DS. One of the issues that I have run into is the brakes stick. My first assumption was the cables. I went to remove them to lube them up and realized they move freely. I disconnected them to be sure, pulled the drums and backed the adjusters all the way off. Put the drums back on and worked the adjusters until I had brakes that grabbed slightly. I put the wheels back on and that is when it got strange. Once the lug nuts were cinched down, the brakes felt locked up. Took it all back apart, backed the adjusters off again, cleaned up the inside of the drums, put it back together, worked the adjusters and got the same result. When the lug nuts were tightened down, the wheels become difficult to turn. I started getting all the new parts in and haven't messed with the brakes since. I have the cart in running condition and need to address the brakes now. My plan is to pull everything off clean it up and lubricate the adjusters. I am looking for insight as to what else could be causing the problem.

[NismoGriff]

I dug into it this morning. Although the self adjusters seemed to be working, I didn't realize that sliding aspect of the self adjuster mechanism was pretty tight on one side and didn't move at all on the other. So, my assumption is that there was enough play when the lug nuts were lose that the drum wasn't hanging up, but once they were tight and they made contact with the shoes, the whole mechanism couldn't center properly and was hanging up. I am waiting for the auto parts store to open up to go buy some brake clean and grease. I moved about 8 months ago and still haven't unpacked all the crap in the garage and I am not about to do it today.

I'll report back later this morning or this evening.

[NismoGriff]

Well, the cleaning and greasing seems to have done the trick for the most part. The adjusters now slide back and forth freely. The brakes still aren't perfect, but I don't suspect that they were ever stellar to begin with. I guess I'll run them for a little bit and see how it goes.