Classic/Antique Car Repair: 1963 Rambler Classic 660, cars of the 60s, size drums

Question
I am having brake problems. The rear brakes keep locking up when hot. I have replaced shoes, drums, brake lines and wheel cylinders. I was looking at my Tech Manual from 1963 and it says there are two types of brakes for that car, series 10 (which I have) and Series 80. Can you tell me the difference and can I convert mine to the series 80 so I can use the spring kits and get the parts I need. I cannot find spring kits for the series 10 that match what I have. Also is there a conversion that is bolt on?

Answer
I do not advise changing the brakes to those from a different model - the design was optimized for your car, with the right size drums and wheel cylinders to stop it safely.   The larger cars have bigger brakes, including drums and linings, and will be too much brake for your car.  Rambler brakes are not usually troublesome, so your car must have some individual problem.  The way to fix it is to investigate the cause of your symptoms.

If the rear brakes are not contaminated with leakage from the wheel cylinders or the rear axle seals, the problem is most likely a miss-adjustment of the push rod length in the pedal to master cylinder linkage.  Make sure that you have at least 3/8" of pedal "lost motion" before you feel the contact with the piston in the master cylinder.  If this is OK, the problem may be in your self adjusters (an error in assembly, particularly if the parts got swapped from one side to the other of the car), or your master cylinder may have a blocked relief port.  

If you cannot track it down yourself, you should take it to a professional brake shop, and avoid the "chain" shops that advertise on TV - find a privately owned shop with mechanics that have dirty uniforms and grease under their fingernails - they will find the problem for you and fix it reasonably.   

I have never had trouble finding replacement parts for cars of the 60s at NAPA stores - if you want to replace some of your parts, try your local NAPA store. They may have to order the parts for you, but they will be good parts when you get them.

Dick