Bottom Line Up Front: It takes a LOT of pushing & muscle to get my car to roll when it's not started and sitting in neutral. Any ideas about why?

My half-restored 1962 Sport Fury has sat undriven for 5 years, and I've been getting it roadworthy. It has a 727 pushbutton automatic trannie, all drum brakes, and a limited slip 489 rear end. When we went to push it out of the garage, it was REALLY hard - took 3 guys to move it on level ground! I assumed the brakes were seized, so I removed the drums - all 4 drums came off easily, and all 4 wheels spun pretty easily with minimal drag. What the....

I double-checked to make sure the car was not in park, and in neutral. We didn't hear any dragging or weird noises when the car was moving.

So I'm scratching my head about where this friction is coming from....I'm guessing either at the differential or the transmission? Both were rebuilt 5 years ago, but haven't been run - could one of those components be seized up?

Thanks for any ideas.

Pull the driveshaft out and try it again.

Or jack up the front with both wheels off the ground and spin each tire to see if they are dragging or locked up, then the rear

Had that happen to me with a project car. Turned out the rear brakes were dragging to the point they were locked up. Turns out the self adjusters tightened the brakes up when we pushed it backwards. Installed the adjuster incorrectly.

You say the rear diff was rebuilt too? Was it hard to turn by hand prior to hooking up the driveshaft? All new bearings have preload? Mine was tight.

It's normal for a TF equipped car to push harder backward than forward, this is due to the increased internal friction in the trans when moving backward and sitting for years exacerbates the condition.

I would drive it around a little to get the fluid circulating and see if the condition improves.

Does a 62 still have the e brake drum on the end of the trans? I've seen them hang up. Also, if you are trying to turn the car in the least little bit, the sure grip could be binding also, especially if it hasn't been used and got some lube between the clutches.
Of course we are all assuming the tires are properly aired up. Gene

My '63 rolls much easier after all the fluids are warm.