Front wheel "rolling resistance" ??

[TWINRAY]

I bled the brakes on the '67 the other day:cool. When taking both front wheels off to access the bleeder screws, I noticed an abnormal "resistance" when I tried to spin the wheelshnoes. Now, I don't drive this vehicle too frenquently and have had it a long time. Even with front discs, the front wheels on my other cars spin without too much effort. Obvioulsy, I have to take the calipers off and see if the wheels spin without the brake pad resistance to make sure the front wheel bearings are OK, but before I do that, what do you all think?
Thanks, Fred

 

[JohnZ]

I bled the brakes on the '67 the other day:cool. When taking both front wheels off to access the bleeder screws, I noticed an abnormal "resistance" when I tried to spin the wheelshnoes. Now, I don't drive this vehicle too frenquently and have had it a long time. Even with front discs, the front wheels on my other cars spin without too much effort. Obvioulsy, I have to take the calipers off and see if the wheels spin without the brake pad resistance to make sure the front wheel bearings are OK, but before I do that, what do you all think?
Thanks, Fred

Corvette fixed calipers are a "constant-contact" design, where the springs behind the pistons keep the pads against the rotors all the time, so there's always some level of friction there - you can't just spin them easily with your fingers.

If yours are harder than that to rotate, it might be the flex hoses, which deteriorate and swell from the inside, creating, in effect, check valves that keep fluid under pressure in the calipers; if you crack a bleeder and the rotor frees up, that's what you've got. Could also be a bad piston seal in the master cylinder that doesn't allow fluid to flow back into the reservoir when you take your foot off the brake pedal.

 

[jims427400]

Could it be a bearing.. w/ the car off the ground w/ the tire on do you feel a wobble in the hub? Just another option.
Thanks JohnZ, i just learned something about my disc brakes.
Jim

 

[TWINRAY]

Thanks buds for your help. What I did the other day following the KISS principal was the following:

I got into the car and "hit" the brakes hard about a dozen times with the motor off.

I jacked up one side and found out that the wheel spun OK. I jacked up the other side and found likewise . Drove the car a bit and everything was :cool

I grease the outer wheel bearing of both sides. I just gotta drive this car more.

Regards, Fred

ps. the flex hoses are the S/S type so should be OK. I attribute the problem to the caliper pistons which don't get enough activity. All calipers I rebuilt in 2005.