> Could this be a frozen brake or a more serious problem.
IMO frozen brake is the most likely problem.
> How should I go about making the diagnosis.
Start by trying to take the brake drum off. If it won't come off, odds improve
that it's frozen.
> I was
> hoping not to rebuild the rear suspension.
If you'll pardon my saying so, IMO it would be foolish not to go through the
brakes. Glycol brake fluid promotes corrosion, especially in cars that are
sitting around, and Triumphs have a lot of dissimilar metals in the braking
system that are also quite prone to corrosion. Unless someone has done the
brakes in the last 10 years (or converted to DOT 5), IMO there's zero chance
that the brakes are in good condition. And you don't want to wait until some
idiot cuts you off in traffic to learn that the brakes are only working on 3
wheels.
Don't forget that glycol fluid eats paint ... if you do have a leak it's going
to ruin that nice new paint job.
Most people even replace the hard lines during a full restoration ... they can
corrode from the inside out, look fine, but fail at inopportune moments. Not
common, but it does happen. Soft lines can also look OK but fail internally ...
35 years is way beyond their service life.
Randall
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