Replacing my Brakes Options

[purple]

This weekend was step one of two of replacing the brakes on my '76. The previous owner upon selling to me told me that he had rebuilt the front calipers and the brake fluid looked very nice and fresh in the master cylinder. Looks like a nice fresh tank of ATE super blue..... I will find out later that what's in that tank doesnt look like what's in the brake lines....

I started this project because when turning the wheels in the rear to set timing, I can hear the left rear brake dragging, and loudly. I feared it was a bearing, but it wasnt. The brake was dragging. I lift the car and put it on 4 jackstands, the evil kind (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif) I need some proper pin-thru stands. I have all 4 tires under the car in case the car decides it wants to smoosh me.

I'm using 4 new rebuilt calipers from Eric Shea. With these calipers are 4 new rotors, new front bearings, new seals, 4 new softlines, all new pads. A total of $1038 in parts from Eric.

From the pic...the parts are gorgeous!

[John]

I'm really not sure what is happening with your brake issue.

You need to go back and bleed your brakes some more. Do as they suggest and check to make sure your venting clearance is set for your rear calipers.

When sitting in your garage, ready to bleed the brakes, can you get any firmness out of your brake pedal?

On my street car that I had apart a couple years ago, I went through 2 quarts of brake fluid before I started getting a decent pedal. I had all 4 calipers off and the system went dry. I just simply could not get all the air out. I think in my case, I had air trapped inside both the master cylinder AND my proportioning valve.

When bleeding brakes with the buddy system, have your buddy pump the brake pedal slowly but firmly and hold pressure on the pedal. While they are holding pressure, open the bleeder (on top) and then close the bleeder prior to the pedal being released.

The pedal should have some firmness while holding pressure after pumping the pedal.

I prefer pressure bleeding mine, but when the master cylinder has run dry, I will use the pressure bleeder and crack open one bleeder at a time and slowly depress the brake pedal and release it while still pressure bleeding. That helps force any trapped air out of the master cylinder.

Make sure you have a firm brake pedal prior to driving your car again. There is a reason your pedal goes to the floor. It won't get better by itself.

I am confident that the solution can be found.

As to your carbs, that is another topic.

just my $0.02

[purple]

I'm really not sure what is happening with your brake issue.

You need to go back and bleed your brakes some more. Do as they suggest and check to make sure your venting clearance is set for your rear calipers.

When sitting in your garage, ready to bleed the brakes, can you get any firmness out of your brake pedal?

On my street car that I had apart a couple years ago, I went through 2 quarts of brake fluid before I started getting a decent pedal. I had all 4 calipers off and the system went dry. I just simply could not get all the air out. I think in my case, I had air trapped inside both the master cylinder AND my proportioning valve.

When bleeding brakes with the buddy system, have your buddy pump the brake pedal slowly but firmly and hold pressure on the pedal. While they are holding pressure, open the bleeder (on top) and then close the bleeder prior to the pedal being released.

The pedal should have some firmness while holding pressure after pumping the pedal.

I prefer pressure bleeding mine, but when the master cylinder has run dry, I will use the pressure bleeder and crack open one bleeder at a time and slowly depress the brake pedal and release it while still pressure bleeding. That helps force any trapped air out of the master cylinder.

Make sure you have a firm brake pedal prior to driving your car again. There is a reason your pedal goes to the floor. It won't get better by itself.

I am confident that the solution can be found.

As to your carbs, that is another topic.

just my $0.02

the gf and i did exactly this. I mean EXACTLY.

I read and read and read about how to do this. She pushed the pedal and i would crack the valve, it would expel fluid nicely, i would close it and she'd let off the pedal. we went through a whole quart that way. it took a while to get the bubbles to stop and i had her stomp quite a few times to jar air out of the prop valve, which worked nicely.

the venting clearance.... I must not have the right tool or something because the brake pads are at quite an angle and do not push straight at the rotor. i have the tippy point of the pads set to .004 I saw this wierd gynecological tool in the haynes manual they use for that, and I think they want you to remove the pins and stuff that hold the pads on for that or something. It just seems to me that the pads would drag all over the place if you adjusted them without the spring thingies on them and then put them back on, that's kinda what i wanted to avoid. or are brakes supposed to drag? i dont get it.

oh, wouldnt it just figure this piece of shit needs a new MC too... just great. I'll have bought a whole new f*ing car in parts. i hate old cars. I can handle chipping a new car and ricing the hell out of it, and you know why? because i'll actually get to DRIVE a car instead of just OWNING one.

nobody oogles this car, it's old, it's ugly, and of questionable design. i've had ONE oogle and it was a guy in a 993 cabriolet. maybe it was a pity wave (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

Couple this with my worthless computer,my parents jacking with their internet connection and calling me every 5 minutes for tech support, and i'm feeling like i just want the world to GO AWAY!

I should have figured this would happen. EVERY time i embark on a project with this car, it ends up being a complete nightmare and in the end is WORSE off for the effort. i'm gonna get these brakes working and one of you guys is gonna buy it. i'm throwing in the towel.