Hey Guys, i know we are all stressed out to get our cars ready for Torque Fest or Spring or.....anyhow after thrashing all day today I realized that the brakes still have no great pedal feel. Lets start from the start-the whole rear end is out of a 54 Chevy with a PG trans, so it has the Bendix brakes and better gear, the fronts were just changed out over the last couple of days to 52 Bendix brakes. Everything was replaced last season on the fronts including the wheel cylinders, they looked great so I did the swap and did not change anything including the shoes. Along the way we craked one of the lines and replaced it with factory 1/4" line, no kinks and went from the union block to the hose. We bled the brakes first to the empty lines and then the normal rotation of p*** rear/drive rear to p*** front/drives front. They all bled out nicely and we didn't see any leaks, so I took it for a test drive around the bloack and they felt weak!!! I had to pump them once to get a frim grab and even that was kinda soft. So here are some of the options we are going to check Friday.... 1. Drive the car backwards with lite pressure on the brakes hoping it might be the star adjuster. 2. Look for leaks, and tighten anything and everything! 3. Re-bleed the brakes...and hope and pray that this will fix the spongey brakes. If there is anything else I am missing please let me know, I understand this is supposed to be a common swap due to ease and better braking. But I don't know what we could have missed, so please share yer great knowledge with me & my Pops!!! thanks again, Mike
Try adjusting them up manually. Sounds like you covered everything else. I bet it will make a world of difference.
I agree. adjust them one at a time until they barely drag then back them off a couple clicks. they should all be balanced then too
Yeah, no self adjusters on those old babys! Hand set each wheel and you'll be good. If they are still "spongy" with a good bleed job, it could be an old rubber hose expanding with pressure. Not common, but I have seen it happen. Usually they just blow when they get old.
Rubber hoses WILL NOT give a spongy pedal as you have just due to the fluid volumes involved. I've worked under 50's for 40 + years. Check the small holes in the MC check valve behind the main piston(same OD dia. Use a flashlight to see any junk on bottom of MC fill resvoir(sic). And still check for AIR IN THE SYSTEM=SPONGY PEDAL.GL Fly
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