I just installed new hardware and shoes on all four wheels about a week ago...Today I took my 71 for a lil cruise and did a few brake checks with everything working fine...Later down the road i did a sudden stop and my front pulled left pretty sharp...This was the reason I repaired all four corners in the first place...I checked for air in lines and none found also I have replaced the master cylinder and booster...I know the brakes were all adjusted properly...Maybe a bad drum on that side? :(

I would check your ball joints and control arm bushings. Under heavy braking if front end parts are worn the alignment changes which sometimes causes a pull.

I did replace the ball joints and control arm bushings not too long ago...I havent done anything to the steering linkage like outer and inner ends and the idler arm...I believe this will be the next repair done to my 71...Thanks for the advice... ;)

Wheel cylander on the opposite side not working? Pulls hard to the left but no dirt/oil there, so maybe look to the right side as not working.
Actually I would change both fronts.

If you pop the wheel on the left side, check for a leaking wheel cylinder with soaked brake linings. Also, you could have a seized wheel cylinder on the right wheel preventing the shoes from expanding. Check each wheel cylinder carefully.

Have you ever checked or replaced the front brake hoses?

do a few hard stops in reverse from 10-15 mph and report back whether or not they wrok properly then. used to have to do that on the Nova about once a week before i got rid of the front drums and got the Vette discs.. if the pedal has a bit too much freeplay before engaging, i bet they just need to self adjust. usually only the old timers have the proper "feel" for how drum brakes need to be adjusted by hand.

Originally posted by MalibuJerry350:
If you pop the wheel on the left side, check for a leaking wheel cylinder with soaked brake linings. Also, you could have a seized wheel cylinder on the right wheel preventing the shoes from expanding. Check each wheel cylinder carefully. Could be that, or just a break-in problem. New shoes are usually not exactly the right diameter for the drums, so it takes a while for them to break in (or you can ask a brake shop to fit them to the drums). I hate drum brakes, and this is one of the reasons.

Originally posted by Olle:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by MalibuJerry350:
If you pop the wheel on the left side, check for a leaking wheel cylinder with soaked brake linings. Also, you could have a seized wheel cylinder on the right wheel preventing the shoes from expanding. Check each wheel cylinder carefully. Could be that, or just a break-in problem. New shoes are usually not exactly the right diameter for the drums, so it takes a while for them to break in (or you can ask a brake shop to fit them to the drums). I hate drum brakes, and this is one of the reasons. </font>[/QUOTE]Actually, I drove the Chevelle for 28 years and over 450,000 miles with manual drum brakes(ordered it that way in 1970) and have NEVER had the pulling problem because of new shoes. It usually was because of improper adjustment OR a problem with the wheel cylinder. If everything was assembled correctly and there is NO grease on the shoes, you should be able to take your hands off the wheel and the car should not pull. One other thing to check is front wheel bearing runout and/or the condition of the drums. Let us know your progress.

A bad hose will make it pull to the opposite side of bad hose. Bad hose on left will make it pull to the right

Checked out the brake system once again...The wheel cylinders, shoes,hardware and bearings were replaced...Did plenty of reverse braking at differents speeds also...Seems to be pulling to the left after a good initial warm up...Last thing to do is replace the brake hoses...I will be doing that this monday evening and I will follow up...I hope this cures the problem...