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Posted by: red914 May 1 2004, 09:45 PM

well, Dino came up from Bremerton this morning and helped guide me through the operation known as,"take the rear caliper off and see why it is dragging, push the pistons back in then adjust/vent them and top it all off with a good round of brake bleeding." I honestly could not have done it without him. For all of you unfamiliar with Dinomium (a precious metal?), i'll just say, in his inimitable fashion, that "He totally RAWKS!"

Thanks also to DaveP; without his description of the operation, sent to me via PM, Dino would have just as well have spoken Greek today. Thanks, DaveP!

Afterwards, I drove down to his place in Bremerton so I could see his toys. I now have teener envy! His tools are the stuff of envy also (which isn't as bad as it sounds). All he asked in exchange for his invaluable help was a sandwich and a Guinness , which makes him a man after my own heart. He also let me try some of his very nice fine Kentucky bourbon.

Dino, my offer to help with your project, to the best of my ability, still stands. and your idea of a paint job is awesome. i'd like to borrow the movie when i see you next; cool? Thanks again.

Posted by: DNHunt May 1 2004, 10:07 PM

Great you guys. Sounds like fun especially the Guiness.

Spent the day doin lots of little things. fixed the passenger panic bar (had to retap the 5mm square nut with the snaps in the door (what the hell were they thinking of?)). Reatttached the spring that holds the cover over the map case in the driver's door (what the hell were they thinking of?). Reattached the top of the interior panel to the driver's door (what the hell were they thinking of?). Reaimed headlights and had to remove bezels to do it (what the hell were they thinking of?) Is there a theme here? How can these cars be so simple in concept and so frustrating in practice?

Finally, I watched my son wash and wax the car and I had a Fat Tire.

Oh ya, I ignored the weeds for another day.

Sorry I hyjacked your thread

Dave

Posted by: J P Stein May 1 2004, 10:19 PM

Big day for ne, I softened the front bar a half inch......then took a nap.

Posted by: red914 May 1 2004, 11:47 PM

i know what you mean about the spring on the lid for the map pocket on the driver's door; indeed, what the hell were they thinking?

i even got to drive my car. after a week of seeing it on jack stands, it was a wonderful treat! what a fun car!

i should have mentioned that all 4 brake calipers, we discovered, have a different bleed nipple setup. yup, in the back, one has two nipples the other has one. same in front. a brake upgrade is on my wishlist now. oddly, they don't pull at all in any direction. hmmmmm.

Posted by: dinomium May 2 2004, 02:03 AM

Any time I get paid in Guiness for stuff I already know, that is a GREAT DAY! I am also availible for 80s trivia and the quotalbe Bill Murry at journey from Meatballs thru Lost in Translation...

Shane, it was great to meet your family. By the grin on your face, it looked like everything was a OK! LeMans is yours for the asking.

BTW I am the new proud papa of a MIG 135 Lincoln welder WooHOO!!

Cheers,
dtd

Posted by: davep May 2 2004, 06:04 AM

The bleed nipples are an indication of age. The single bleed nipples are up to 72 style, and the duals from 1973. On the rears it makes no difference, just makes it easy to drain the caliper to ensure all the crap fluid is out of there before refilling and bleeding.

The front difference is a concern to me however. That would indicate a 73 caliper on the car. Now since the calipers are not supposed to be interchangeable between early and late suspensions this raises a few questions. It is possible, I guess, that since the 73 caliper is wider it may fit without great problems. Or, it may be that the entire strut has been changed on that side; if so, when and why.

For 1973, it was decided that thicker brake pads were a good idea. They increased the thickness from 10mm to 14mm, thus the caliper had to be 8mm wider. This meant that something had to change to keep the caliper centered on the rotor. In fact the strut, the rotor and the caliper all changed in various ways. The rotor got the rim centering ring and an offset change for 1973. Basically, you need to treat the components as a matched set.

Posted by: red914 May 2 2004, 07:32 AM

Dave,

your latest is another one i am going to save and print, for reference next time i am underneath. the front calipers 'looked' the same, except for the nipple thing. however, i will pay more close attentiion when i look next (this afternoon, perhaps).

thanks for yet more information. how do you know all this? amazing... your PM really did allow me to understand what Dino and i were doing yesterday.