Old car, funky brakes

Might as well do rubber lines too, probably more likely your LF problem than the wheel cylinder.

oldopelguy wrote: Might as well do rubber lines too, probably more likely your LF problem than the wheel cylinder.

I did order one rubber line also, will probably do that before wheel cylinder since it's easier. I'm pretty sure that I've proved it ok though by the pressure relief test.

In reply to That_Renault_Guy:

primary (front) shoe has the shorter lining arc.

secondary (rear) shoe has the longer lining arc.

AngryCorvair wrote: In reply to That_Renault_Guy: primary (front) shoe has the shorter lining arc. secondary (rear) shoe has the longer lining arc.

Well that answers that question, they are installed correctly then.

Thanks

I was recently reminded that I never followed up with y’all about the final resolution to my brake situation.

The “bypass port” (naming per the factory shop manual) in the master cylinder that I took off was completely plugged. When I say completely plugged, I mean there was literally no opening whatsoever. There was a large (about 1/8” dia, the same as the vent) counter-sink on the reservoir end where the bypass should have been. I tried to clean it out but it was if there had never been thru-hole there at all, on the cylinder side it was completely smooth! As a last resort, I ended up drilling through with the smallest bit that I had before putting it back together.

This modification allowed way too much fluid to bypass if the rod length was adjusted normally. I was able to make it work by lengthening the rod, but this resulted in a very “digital” kind of braking (it would do nothing as you push in the pedal until the piston got past the modified bypass completely and then would grip a LOT). I drove it that way for a little bit, but it definitely did not give me a very warm fuzzy feeling when trying to stop this 4400+ pound beast – which is why I decided to just order a new master.

I was surprised, though, when the new MC came as the bypass hole was about the same size as the one I drilled in the old one. It’s hard to tell for sure, but I suspect that it might actually be V-shaped rather than a straight hole to allow it to work properly. Regardless, the new one operates as it should. The only other problem I had is that new leaks started popping up every time I removed and reinstalled the MC – Those brass fittings just aren’t meant to be taken apart a million times!

So, in the end, a brand-new master cylinder fixed it. I've driven it quite a bit since, including during Saturday of Woodward Dream Cruise, and the constant stop-and-go (mostly stop) proved to be pretty much a worst case scenario test.

Thanks for the advice, everybody. -Jim