Dodge Repair: 2001 dodge ram b2500 van brakes lock up, dodge ram van, vacuum booster

Question
2001 dodge ram van R.W.A.L.brakes. 5.2L 318 engine. When all the old parts were on the van the front calipers started locking up and overheating.Since then I have replaced the vacuum booster  master cyl.  brake hoses  combination valve fully loaded  kelsey-hayes calipers, and the whole system has been flushed and bled numerous times.But the brakes still persist with locking-up.Particularly when the brakes are applied with the booster on.I have been at this for weeks with no success and the van is a work-van.The right side bearing has gotten bad because the wheel got so hot that it melted the grease.The temperature of that wheel went to 185 deg. after driving some distance

Answer
Hi Frankie Don,
If the front brakes only are dragging then  given all that you have replaced, I would question whether the caliper 'slides' might not be worn/corroded, rusty, dry, etc. such that the caliper is not moving slightly back away from the disc when the brake pedal is released. Check the slides and lubricate their surfaces with high temp grease.  
Also of course is the possibility that the rubber hose connecting the metal brake line to the caliper is worn so as to be fragmented on its interior lumen such that the brake fluid is not 'returning' when you release the brake pedal so the pressure has not dropped.
Finally I would wonder whether the brake pedal itself might not have enough free-play between its resting position and the master cylinder piston rod.
I notice that some of the ram models have an 'adjustable position pedal' feature and wonder whether you have those and if so might there be a problem causing them to drag. There are cables involved in that system which do wear out. Let me know if that is the case and I can send you some pages about that option.
Sorry for the delay in responding but I just found your question in the 'pool' to which Kevin had referred it.
Please read the PS below.
Thanks,
Roland


Frankie Don,
I couldn't access your 'reader feedback' posting. So please do it here, as a follow-up question. I am interested to know what you have done.
Roland