New build, filling and bleeding brakes

I'm about to fill the brake system of my Model A build. I'm concerned with getting brake fluid on the paint and ruining a bunch of stuff. Another part of the puzzle is having the master cyl under the floors combined with bleeder screw locations.
What kind of tricks do y'all use? Vacuum hoses on the bleeder valves? Suction bleeders? Homemade tricks? Please show us and explain. I would like to see answers to help drum and disc guys.
Thank you.

 

I just recently did my 47 with similar problems and i was alone with no help. I took 4- empty quarts of gear oil cleaned them out. Used the existing spout caps and ran rubber hose from each bleeder to the upsidedown quart jug with brake fluid in them and a breether hole on top of the upsidedown jug and pumped away...
You might want to hose clamp the rubber hose ends to ***ure no leaks..

 

Good start, thank you.
What do guys do if they built a car like Evel's? Or maybe Tommy's roadster?
Please pull up the sleeves to show tricks with keeping clean and difficulty because of M/C to bleeder al***ude problems.

 

btt, would like this to be in the toolbox.

 

No trick. All you need to do is make sure that your hose from the bleeder is submerged in brake fluid to start.

Small piece of rubber hose on the bleeder. I then use a straight piece of brake line as it's far less likely to flop around than hose.

Small jar partially filled with brake fluid and submerge the line. Pump, pump, pump, refill the M/C, go all around and then adjust the brakes.

 

i use silicone brake fluid on a ch***is that i'm concerned about ruining the paint. a lot of guys say they have problems with silicone , but i never had any...your call on using it

you want to check for any leaks as soon as you start bleeding. there is a good chance you will have some. if you use regular brake fluid you will want to be on top of it and get them stopped and cleaned up asap before any damage is done

 

You might do a search on hotrodders.com, lots of tricks there.

I use speed bleeders, I love the things.

Most recently I built a catch can that was hooked up to an A/C vacuum pump($9 from harbor freight) and attached a hose with a valve to it, so I turn on the compressor, it ****s, and I open the valve as much or as little as need be. Works great.

when bench bleeding the MC I'm also using a small plastic syringe of brake fluid(from the rite aid-its for giving meds to kids) into the reservior ports(dry reservoir of course), followed by filling the reservoir and using the big plastic syringe of brake fluid(off ebay, for horses or something) and shooting that in at brake line ports to get air out.

I read that in r&c or CC or one of them, they've got an article online. I haven't used that trick yet, but will soon.

 

36 3-w brings up a good question, Silicone or DOT3. When DOT 5 silicone came out and the military started using it, it was too easy for us guys in the shop to mistakenly add DOT 3, the shop supply guys weren't mechanics and also weren't fed purple DOT 5 juice. Nice brown **** with bad braking results afterwards because of the mistake at the maintenance end. Done it and called it on the maintenance end of M1008/CUCV trucks that 4wd guys crave for the Dana 60 fronts and 14 bolt GM rears w/4.56 gears.
TOYS and TOOLS-----I started using a jelly jar and vac line back then, I was 19. I didn't know to care about paint and brake fluid back then. Wanting to learn to do it better than that. The next step is__________________

 

One thing to remember is that if you use silicone brake fluid it retains air bubbles. It takes a lot longer for the bubbles to leave the fluid than DOT 3, so don't PUMP, PUMP, PUMP the hell out of the pedal to get pressure before you open the bleeder. Best to gravity bleed silicone...unless your Master is lower than your wheel cylinders. I don't use anything but silicone, and it's great stuff. I don't need to spring for stainless lines, since I don't have to worry about the system rotting from the inside out...not to mention the worries about brake fluid damage to paint...

 

Been using silicone brake fluid since 1985 in the 37. I haven't had any problems with any leaks at cylinders. Bought the fluid at Eastwood.

 

So, I'm hearing some good things about DOT 5 silicone. What else???????
Thanks guys, keep it coming please.

 

One trick that I learned for filling small opening or hard to get close to openings is to stick a clean screw driver or rod into the opening or m/cyl and hold the fluid container opening up against the side of the rod/screwdriver as the fluid starts to flow it will follow the rod down into the small opening avoiding the sudden surge that spills the fluid over everything. This is especially helpful with a full container. Just tip it against the rod and it will slowly follow the rod exactly where you want it to go at a pace that is easily controlled.