I went to put brake dust sheilds on my wheels to keep them nice ('82 300TD wagon). Apon inspection of the brakes I realized the calipers seem to drag more than they should. My first clue was that the brake dust seemed to build up on the wheels quicker than it should. While I wait on my shop manuals, can someone give me some advice on how to adjust these out a little? I always thought it is somewhat normal to have very minimal drag, how much, if any is acceptable?

 

How about no drag?
Sounds, like your wagon is due for brakes cleaning and servicing.
Replacing the springs might be good idea.

 

Another thing to check is the brake hoses. As they age, the tend to swell internally and do not release hydraulic pressure as they should. This is not something that can be detected looking at them. They look normal externally, but the inside swells closing off the passage. It's kind of like time for bypass surgery. Hoses are pretty cheap, so if they are old, change them and at the same time change your brake fluid.

 

0.2mm

 

That leads me to a few questions...By cleaning and service, do you mean disassemble, clean, inspect, possible new pads and reassemble? The rotors look great, very smooth and minimal wear. Kajtek, when you mentioned spring replacement, are you referring to springs within the brake system or the coil springs in the suspension?