We has some warm weather on Tuesday and I finally had a chance to investigate my brakes. The culprit was not what I expected.

I pulled the drums and found the passenger side to have a fair amount of brake dust but the pads were still appeared to be pretty thick. The drivers side was much cleaner. I found the rearward "plunger rod" had broken. One side of the "fork" had split and the missing price of steel was nowhere to be found.

I'm not clear how this caused a strong feeling of "binding" but this was the only problem I found. The remaining piece of the plunger was not seated properly at all. I checked the drums and pads for any indication of damage but all appeared to be fine.

So I then replaced the broken rod and loosened both adjusters a few turns. I can now drive the car without a feeling of dragging. My e-brake does seems a little weak now. I plan to just keep braking in reverse until the brake feels close to normal again.