Rear Brakes

Ok, so any ideas why the rear brakes don't work especially well? The handbrake is ok, but the foot brake not so good…

New shoes fitted, and adjusted, drums "roughed", wheel cylinders working ok. but MoT due end of August and failing due to poor footbrake.

Car is a 1990 clipper.

Thanks in advance.

How old is your brake fluid?
How did you adjust the shoes?
What does the flexible rear brake hose look like, near the rear beam and are you using the rubber hoses or braided hoses? 

I have the tale of 2 cabbies, one is Rock Hard, the other is Squishy.

Both have new M/C, Calipers, Wheel Cylinders, Rubber Hoses all around.

Check that your Brake Booster Check Valve isn't leaking, or that your hard plastic line isn't holed. Running RTV about the check valve on the booster is a good fix.

The only differences between my two cars are the m/c's one was a rebuilt and one was NEW.  (Originally bought a Re-built but the Re-Built was bad.) so I bought it a new one.

I would also inspect and possibly re-set the free-play in the pedal.

If you haven't replaced the Rear Rubber hoses, then they can "Balloon' out under pressure and not deliver the full pressure to the rear, front can do it was well.  On my cars when they were new to me, first thing I did, was replace all the parts on the braking system, so I could be sure they were up to snuff.

I can still lock up the brakes on the squishy one.  If your car is off, are the brakes squishy or are they rock hard?

If you have to "pump" them up to harden them, with the car off, then I would suspect the M\C or air in the lines.  If you have to "pump" them up with the car on, then I suspect Vacuum leak on the Booster or a possibly bad booster or mal-set free-play adjustment.

First thing, is use a power brake bleeder, or Mighty-vac, and re-bleed the lines…..