claytonc

I have an '81 5spd wagon, mostly stock. I'm experiencing some pretty bad braking problems consisting of the fronts locking up with the rear not really working. Does anyone have any input swapping the drums for discs on the rear or possibly any other alteration that would increase braking ability? The e-brake is pretty useless as well.
Clayton

Bleach

Are the rear drums self-adjusting? Maybe all you need is to adjust your brakes?

Make sure the shoes are adjusted out so they rub just a little bit. That'll make sure there is no slack. With the rear brakes slowing the car you should get 100% better braking power.
On the inside of the hub, just under the axel there might be a little hole sometimes plugged with a rubber piece. Remove that and you can see a little gear. A narrow screwdriver (bent at a slight angle) is what I used to spin that gear. turning it up or down adjusts the shoes in and out. I forgot which way, but you should be able to figure it out. Turn the drum by hand after a few turns to see if you can feel it getting tight.

Putting new seals in your rear brake cylinders is really cheap and also you might want to check to see that the rear brake lines are bled properly. If the hand brake doesnt' hold good though, that tells me the shoes aren't adjusted out far enough. Maybe you just need new brake shoes too.