i recently got an 83 elky conquista- 61,000 miles- disk front-drum rear- the brakes work well slowing form higher speed but when moving 4 or 5 miles per hr they grab like heck and darn near pitch the driver(me) thru the windshield- has anyone dealt with this problem and what recomendations can you make. Note - lots of pad thickness left and disks look ok- no visible scoring or rust build up- no leaks visible. :nanawrench:

I have the same damn problem.... I have brand new brakes all the way around, as well as brand new master cylinder, new rear wheel cylinders, and everything else...

jack up the front to see if the calipers are dragging. it's easy to tell, it will be hard to turn the tire. if they are dragging it's likely your slider pins.

are the rotors warped or grooved?

no the rotors appear to be ok- I will check the calipers- thats a good idea- Ive had trouble with my chevy silverado with the slider pins - one was bent from the factory and the other rusted up. The brakes did not grab like crazy , but did pull to one side. I'll try pulling apart the front brake system- thanks for the idea.

Contaminated Pads can cause this problem too. Might want to powerbleed the whole brake system too as there could be an air bubble stuck in the combination valve.
:)

The problem could be:
The brake pad material. Change to a name brand semi-metallic pad.
The front shocks or spring. Weak spring or bad shock can cause the front to noise dive during braking.
Bad front end parts like control arm bushings or tie rod ends.
A bad combination valve, the metering valve side should hold off front braking to let the rears catch up.
The rear brakes are not working at all. Again the combination valve (proportioning side), seized wheel cylinders or just worn out rear shoes, poor rear brake adjustment.
Mike