Front wheels locked up

[MaximRecoil]

This is a 1969 318 automatic that has been sitting outside for the past 16 years.

I took the driver side wheel off and I can wiggle the drums back and forth some, so the drums themselves don't seem to be seized, not fully anyway.

How should I go about getting the front wheels to turn again?

[MaximRecoil]

Well, at least there are 40 other people on this forum besides myself that wouldn't know what to do if their front wheels were locked up either.

Someone suggested that I beat on the drums with a sledge hammer. It seems to me that this could damage the drums, but there may be no other way, and drums can be replaced.

[tan top]

take the drums off ! see whats going on inside !   what are the rears like ?? 

[MaximRecoil]

take the drums off ! see whats going on inside !   what are the rears like ?? 

The drums won't come off; they are most likely frozen to the brake shoes according to my mechanic.

The rear wheels rotate fine.

[tan top]

 i'm thinking  you  remove the front wheel bearings first ?

[MaximRecoil]

i'm thinking  you  remove the front wheel bearings first ?

I did remove all that stuff (including the wheel bearings) behind the center cap. The drums won't come off. They will only shift back and forth some if you pull on them.

[Domino]

Probably just a wear lip inside the drum holding you up.  Try backing down the shoes with the slack adjuster through the access hole. 

[MaximRecoil]

Probably just a wear lip inside the drum holding you up.  Try backing down the shoes with the slack adjuster through the access hole. 

If the drums are seized to the shoes, they won't adjust down out of the way will they? Is there anything else (besides the drums being seized to the shoes) that could cause the front wheels to be locked up? The wheel bearings look fine; everything behind the center cap looked fine, packed in relatively clean grease. 

[resq302]

Could be a seized up wheel cylinder that is not allowing the shoes to return back to their at rest state.  Or could also be a broken return spring that is also not allowing the one shoe to return.  Does the drum turn at all or even rock back and forth?

[tan top]

Could be a seized up wheel cylinder that is not allowing the shoes to return back to their at rest state.  Or could also be a broken return spring that is also not allowing the one shoe to return.  Does the drum turn at all or even rock back and forth?

yeah could be anything like that going on !!  

think by now i would be looking  
((after really exhausting every other way !!))   to unbolt the wheel cylinder also disconnect the hard hard line  , &  grind (die grinder or dremmel with carbide bit )  the brake shoe retaining pins on the rear on the back plate & just pull the whole thing off  either by hand & or  (bolting on hub puller with a big slide hammer because  (shoes might be rusted in at botton or back to back plate ))  try by hand first ,  your will be prolly be wrecking wheel cylinder &  may be some of the hardwear inside but sitting 16 years , you should be replacing some / all any  way  
becarefull when in comes off  they are heavy wear thick gloves

[MaximRecoil]

Could be a seized up wheel cylinder that is not allowing the shoes to return back to their at rest state.  Or could also be a broken return spring that is also not allowing the one shoe to return.  Does the drum turn at all or even rock back and forth?

If you pull on the drum as if to remove it, it will move some (maybe 1/8" or 1/4") when pulling on the bottom and sides, but won't move (or will move very little at best) at the top. You can't rotate the drum at all in either direction. I wedged a 24" breaker bar in between two of the lug nut studs and tried to rotate it, but it wouldn't budge.

[Domino]

I built a puller for exactly this issue on ATV brake drums.  A breaker bar-like extension on one end of the puller lets you work it back and forth as tension is applied to the wheel studs, pushing off the shaft center.  That + some meaningful dead blows.

[GreenMachine]

The '68 Dart I bought had the left front wheel locked up. We dragged it about a hundred feet and wouldn't free itself. We ended up using a hammer and a prybar along with some WD-40 to free it up. It took awhile, so just keep with it.

[AirborneSilva]

Probably just a wear lip inside the drum holding you up.  Try backing down the shoes with the slack adjuster through the access hole. 

That's what I had to do with my 65 Polara then I had no problem removing the drums....

[tufamc]

......crack kills.......just sayin what everybody is thinking.......