i have a 68 beetle that i just went through the brakes and put everything new but brake pads they where new?

Don't forget to adjust your brakes after changing all those parts.

Type I VW's are noted for frozen brake adjusters. Make sure yours are free, and adjust them up so there's just a bit of drag when you spin the wheels.

Also, your old shoes may not have conformed to the new drums yet. For the (cheap) cost of a set of shoes vs the pain of taking the car apart twice, you shoulda sprung for new shoes.

If you've got a high, hard pedal & crappy brakes, there's not much left you can do.

Hey! Here's a thought! Are your primary & secondary shoes in the correct position? You can tell the difference because the primary shoe typically has a longer lining. If you accidentally reversed them, it'll definitely cause weak braking.

If you are certain that the air has been bled from the lines, and there are no obvious brake leaks in the lines (the fluid level stays the same right?) Then the odds are about 90% that your master cylinder is failing and allowing bleedby. Its an easy and not very expensive fix. Buy a new one, PREBLEED IT (that means seal the brake line holes and manually pump it while it is mounted in a vise and you keep adding fluid until it stops bubbling). THEN mount it on the car and bleed the air from each line. That should do it. If not then it will be a bad slave cylinder.. but my money goes on the master... .

sometimes the master cylinder gets rust in the piston, as well you might want to make sure that the front wheel cylinders are getting fluid, and working. the wheel cylinder is the part that the brake hose screws into, when you take off the drum, have someone else pump the brakes, and you watch the cylinder. if it moves here then it is getting fluid and is fine. if not then you are looking at replacing it, or replacing the hoses.

since brake hoses are actually two hoses, sometimes the hose looks good on the outside, but the inside hose is rotted, and is blocking fluid flow. granted this usually works the other way (locking your brakes) it is possible to work in a way to restrict fluid from going into the wheel cylinders.

I vote for the guy above me. If you replaced the M. Cylinder then you prob, have some trapped air. If you didn't then you should.. they are not that expensive to get and easy to replace.

If the front wheels are locking and sliding.. sounds like they are working and the backs are not.. if the MC comes up good, then it has to be the line or slave/wheel cylinders. The system is pretty basic.

(All this assumes that you are not LOSING break fluid somewhere at the rear).

good hunting..

.Oh.. BTW.. next time replace the shoes.. its such a ***** to get to them and they are so cheap that you might as well do it. Its like replacing the throw out bearing and clutch when the engine is out.,,

.

All have given you the right points.yet i can try to help too.

I have 1963 model beetle.mine had simillar problems.I opened up the 4 wheel pumps,polished the cylinders,renewed seals and used DOT 4 brake fluid..

Adjust your shoes to proper heights without handbrakes on.

bleed the lines for trapped air inside.

Hope u can solve it now.

Enjoy your safe drive.

sounds like a master cylinder problem. you have two inlet ports and two exit ports on a beetle m/c there are two inlet ports and three exit ports on a super beetle m/c. first did you replace the m/c and second if you did, did you "bench bleed" the m/c prior to installation? sound like you have air in the rear activator.

You might need to check the push-rod adjustment. If someone messed with it it might not be at the right length and causing the MC not to work right.

could be your master cyl you have more front then back psi or need adj back break more or bad wheel cly