When I had my front end jacked up to check things over, my wheels didn't spin very freely. It's like there's a little residual pressure on the brakes. I know thats how drums work but shouldn't discs be released completely? New stuff includes: calipers, pads, turned rotors, booster, and master. I also cleaned up the caliper slides too thinking that was it but still nothing. Could it be that I have the wrong master? Maybe one from the 70s with front drum brakes? Seems highly unlikely, but I'm lost.

 

Double check the wheel bearings too, they can cause the same issue if they are too tight.

 

Inspect brake lines rubber and steel both could be squeezed together. Make sure the caliper is free. going on up the system check the porportioning block. Dodge calls it a comb. valve.

 

Brake lines look ok. I don't think it's the wheel bearings either because I can hear the pads dragging. What or how do I check the proportioning valve? I'm trying to gather parts to convert to hydroboost. I'm hoping that will solve most of my problems.

 

Is it just one side dragging? If so highly suspect the brake hose on that side. They can look ok but be collapsed on the inside. If it is both sides remove comb. valve and blow through both sides notice if debris is present.

 

Dead on...

Except that if you have a 20 year old truck, and the hoses haven't been changed, or the fluid serviced in the last 10 years or so, the brake hoses could BOTH be bad, or not bad at all with the CENTER HOSE being the culprit.

Disconnect the caliper from the hose and see how well the fluid runs out of it. If the hose is good, by disconnecting it, you'll have a full stream of fluid running out of it, and the reservoir will empty out really quick. If it's just Dribbling out, then the hose is probably internally collapsed and needs replacing.

FWIW, if the hoses are > 10 years old, change them out. For $75 in materials plus your time, it's well worth it.