BMac Posted November 6, 2019 Share Posted November 6, 2019 On my 64 Riviera, I am having issues with the brakes. I am running the stock drums front and back. Front drums are in spec and recently turned. Rear drums are new. All new wheel cylinders. New booster/dual master from OPGI. All new steel and rubber lines as well. My issue is when I apply the brakes, they initially work, then they grab and lock up. I have had the wheels on and off adjusting them many times and nothing is correcting it. At this point I feel it must be something simple I am overlooking. Just seeing if anyone else has experienced something similar and has any suggestions. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted November 6, 2019 Share Posted November 6, 2019 Everything seems normal except for the booster and master cylinder from OPGI. What specs did you use to come up with this one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Cannon Posted November 6, 2019 Share Posted November 6, 2019 41 minutes ago, BMac said: On my 64 Riviera, I am having issues with the brakes. I am running the stock drums front and back. Front drums are in spec and recently turned. Rear drums are new. All new wheel cylinders. New booster/dual master from OPGI. All new steel and rubber lines as well. My issue is when I apply the brakes, they initially work, then they grab and lock up. I have had the wheels on and off adjusting them many times and nothing is correcting it. At this point I feel it must be something simple I am overlooking. Just seeing if anyone else has experienced something similar and has any suggestions. Thanks Please look at the placement of the brake shoes on each backing plate. You have "primary shoes" and "secondary shoes". One faces forward and one faces toward the rear. See shop manual for details. If you accidentally put the rear-facing shoe in the front, it will make the brakes really grab as you apply them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1965rivgs Posted November 6, 2019 Share Posted November 6, 2019 Short shoe on each wheel goes toward the front Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seafoam65 Posted November 6, 2019 Share Posted November 6, 2019 If you have the short shoes on the front, try replacing the brake shoes.....Over the years I've seen a few cases of drum brakes grabbing and locking up simply because the linings on the shoes were defective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMac Posted November 6, 2019 Author Share Posted November 6, 2019 Thanks for the tips everyone. I cant get out to the shop until tomorrow night to check if the shoes are on correctly. If they are correct, I will order new ones. The shoes on it look new, but are probably 30 plus years old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMac Posted November 10, 2019 Author Share Posted November 10, 2019 All the shoes are on correct. I will go ahead and order new ones and see if anything changes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1965rivgs Posted November 10, 2019 Share Posted November 10, 2019 19 minutes ago, BMac said: All the shoes are on correct. I will go ahead and order new ones and see if anything changes. I think I would go after the non stock booster/master before I would change out the shoes. Do you have your original booster/master on hand? Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMac Posted November 10, 2019 Author Share Posted November 10, 2019 I do not. The car had been going through a restoration when I got it, and the old booster/master had seen better days. It was tossed when replaced. OPGI sells several different booster/master combos for 1gen Rivieras and this one was specifically for the drum/drum application. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KongaMan Posted November 11, 2019 Share Posted November 11, 2019 17 minutes ago, BMac said: I do not. The car had been going through a restoration when I got it, and the old booster/master had seen better days. It was tossed when replaced. OPGI sells several different booster/master combos for 1gen Rivieras and this one was specifically for the drum/drum application. Well, drum/drum was the only configuration available for the 1st gen, so if OPGI is selling anything else as an OEM replacement it's further evidence of their general cluelessness. I would definitely explore that line of investigation. You might still have a look at the shoes, though. If they've been exposed to brake fluid, they can grab. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMac Posted November 11, 2019 Author Share Posted November 11, 2019 OPGI was not claiming to to be an OEM replacemnt. It is a dual master, for the drum/drum configuration. They also have one for disc/drum and disc/disc. Those ones include proportioning valves it appears. For my knowledge, what would make the one I have not function as it should? I am reluctant to pull it off as it was fairly costly and not the easiest thing to swap back out. The rear end did not have any drums on it when I got the car, so the shoes were exposed for many years and upon examination I noticed they had a lot of primer overspray on them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KongaMan Posted November 11, 2019 Share Posted November 11, 2019 First, the booster and master are discreet components. There's no reason to buy them as a set (other than convenience). Given OPGI's reputation, you should consider the possibility that while the two parts may work with each other, one (or both) may be incorrect for your car. If it were my car, though, I'd replace the shoes as a matter of course (because that's relatively cheap and yours are suspect) and see where that leaves you. Too bad you chucked the old parts. Your could've had the booster rebuilt and picked up a dual master from anywhere (e.g. Rock Auto). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted November 11, 2019 Share Posted November 11, 2019 (edited) A stock booster and a bolt on stock OE drum/drum master cylinder from a 67 Riviera is as good as it gets unless you're going to run full out in the La Carrera Panamericana. Not that it will stop you better but it has the safety feature of two separate systems built in. Edited November 11, 2019 by RivNut (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1965rivgs Posted November 11, 2019 Share Posted November 11, 2019 4 hours ago, BMac said: OPGI was not claiming to to be an OEM replacemnt. It is a dual master, for the drum/drum configuration. They also have one for disc/drum and disc/disc. Those ones include proportioning valves it appears. For my knowledge, what would make the one I have not function as it should? I am reluctant to pull it off as it was fairly costly and not the easiest thing to swap back out. The rear end did not have any drums on it when I got the car, so the shoes were exposed for many years and upon examination I noticed they had a lot of primer overspray on them. 4 hours ago, BMac said: OPGI was not claiming to to be an OEM replacemnt. It is a dual master, for the drum/drum configuration. They also have one for disc/drum and disc/disc. Those ones include proportioning valves it appears. For my knowledge, what would make the one I have not function as it should? I am reluctant to pull it off as it was fairly costly and not the easiest thing to swap back out. The rear end did not have any drums on it when I got the car, so the shoes were exposed for many years and upon examination I noticed they had a lot of primer overspray on them. So, the shoes do not look new, have been exposed to the elements for years and have been painted on??? Oh boy...Lol, Tom 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMac Posted November 11, 2019 Author Share Posted November 11, 2019 No, the shoes probably have no miles on them. The car sat in the corner of a bodyshop all those years, so never exposed to the outside elements, and I stated that they have some overspray on them, not painted. But hey thanks for the comic relief buddy. Everyone has been helpful, but not sure why you waste your time posting Tom? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kegart Posted November 11, 2019 Share Posted November 11, 2019 I had this problem with my 1963, single master cylinder. When it was warm the brakes would stick. I changed the master cylinder and the problem went away. I see you have already replaced the cylinder, maybe it's bad. Try tapping on the master when it sticks to see if it will release. Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1965rivgs Posted November 11, 2019 Share Posted November 11, 2019 2 hours ago, BMac said: No, the shoes probably have no miles on them. The car sat in the corner of a bodyshop all those years, so never exposed to the outside elements, and I stated that they have some overspray on them, not painted. But hey thanks for the comic relief buddy. Everyone has been helpful, but not sure why you waste your time posting Tom? My point was that if the shoes are not or do not appear to be new and instead appear to be potentially contaminated then that changes things. If the shoes were replaced by someone else who knows if they are even the correct shoes?? In terms of an answer to your question that would probably be best left to a new thread! Good luck with your car/brake issue Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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