1980 Blazer Front wheel binding up.

jcy123

Hello!

I have a 1980 Chevy Blazer and recently started to have some problems. I was driving in the rain one morning and had to slam on my brakes (I believe they locked) and as I was sliding I hit a bump in the road rather hard. After that, I noticed that the front right wheel would bind up after using the brakes. If driving for a short time (15 to 20 minutes) the brakes on that side would start to smoke and smell very bad. Also, when driving after using the brakes moderately, the vehicle will try to literally turn right without hands on the wheel, which is indicative that the front right brake is sticking.

So, naturally I replaced both front brake calipers and pads....but to no avail it is still sticking.

Does anyone have any idea of what the problem may be. I am a do-it-yourselfer, especially with this truck and I'd love to attempt this repair myself so I can get it back out to the gun range with no problems.

Thanks a lot!!

jlflemmons

Try replacing the rubber brake lines that run between the caliper and the steel line on the frame. I have seen these come apart internally and not let the caliper release. Once replaced, be sure to bleed the brakes until you see clear fluid coming through.

jcy123

You know, when we were replacing the calipers we noticed the brake lines were pretty shoddy...but me being the way I am, I decided not to replace them. :mad:

I'm hopeful this will fix the problem, now I just need to find a floorjack that's big enough to get the truck up!!!

Thanks for the info.