I have a few 68 Impalas, my favorite model year!
If you still have drum brakes on your car, they might have developed hot spots on the braking surface. Drum brakes tend to overheat and if you have wheels that don't have vents, they can really get hot and stay hot resulting in damage to the surface. It doesn't take much to get that wobble from braking when this happens and when it does, it feels like the wheels are going to come off. The only way to really tell if they are shot is to indicate them on a lathe and maybe have them machined but if it has gone on too long or the damage is so severe you will have to change them. If you drive fast and brake hard you can get brake fade. Many street rodders change the drums for disks from 69-73, they fit right in there. a tell tale sign of burnt drums is the blue on the braking surface or in some cases on a good old rusty drum, the blue will show through the rust on the outside.
Oh yeah, the bushings could also be worn out too, this makes the shuddering feel even worse!
Oct 30, 2009 at 7:46 PM
