I have never had really good brakes on the T-Bucket. I have the Disk/ drum combo and I have the 2psi front and 10psi rear residual valves plumbed in. Well even with all that I never could get a complete lockup of all 4. The front 2 may grab but usually just the driver. Well I bled this thing numerous times and I have no leaks. The pressure bleeder was put on the brakes several times to make sure no air was in system. Well now I have the driver caliper locking up again. It will drag and then hold tight at times. I replaced the caliper about 2 years ago and everything was back to normal. Well it has done it again and every now and then so does the passenger front. I am replacing both calipers and was wondering if maybe I need to remove the residual valve and in the process split the lines to the front closer to the master or is the way I have it now good. The picture with the red lines is the way it is now with a T fitting near the driver side front wheel. I was told that I would need to change it to the green line setup instead. Can someone tell me if this is true or am I wasting time replacing the lines.
What is the red box in the left front frame corner, a tee fitting or residual valve? Also what kind of calipers do you have, GM metric? If you are running GM metrics where did the original calipers come from and where are you getting the new replacements? It doesn't matter where the lines tee because the front circuit should develop the same PSI throughout it's entirety.
Check that the pushrod on the brake master cylinder. If it is too tight it may be holding pressure in the system. The front hoses may be collapsed intyernally and holding pressure on, but this only normally happens with old ones. The routing of the lines should not be a problem. This is how Ford did it for years. Mart.
The red box in the front is the T fitting. They are GM Metric calipers that I ordered for a 75 Chevy Nova. The pushrod is good and hasn't changed. I thought the same thing at 1st. The only thing else I can think of is the residual valve. I have the car jacked all the way up and was able to spin the passenger front wheel but not the driver. I removed the tires and had to pry the driver caliper back so I could get it off. When I went to the passenger side now that caliper is stuck and I can't turn the wheel.
Break the braided line loose where it meets hard line and see if wheel turns,if it does you found your problem.
I did a little digging and found the master cylinder is for a 75 ford mustang. It has a 15/16 bore. Is this too big or too little?
so your saying if I break it loose at the hard line to braid line and the wheel turns then it is not the hose.......well not that I just typed it I guess that is the answer...
I run a 1" with the metrics and a 5:1 pedal ratio. Can you release the passenger side caliper by opening the bleeder valve or unhooking the braided line? If you unhook the line and the caliper releases then your problem is the line like '55 Dude said. I had some of those metrics and one was tight causing the wheel bearings to get warm enough to discolor them. Don't know why it was too tight but I replaced both of them with these; http://www.southwestspeed.com/?sec=view_menu&cat=Hubs%20And%20Brakes&sub=Brake+Calipers&ssub=!!!GM+Metric&sssub=Steel%20Modified%20Calipers (they're good, inexpensive and look better on a fenderless car). And most importantly they are not low drag calipers like you may get from the parts stores.
Open the bleeder on the caliper and see if it turns then. If it does something is holding pressure in the system-master cylinder, bad residual valve, bad hose. If it's just one caliper then it's something after the lines split. If cracking the bleeder makes no difference the you have a problem with the caliper itself sticking.
when I open the bleeder it breaks free and the wheel turns easily. As soon as I start driving and touch the breaks again it starts grabbing again. What was strange though was when I jacked the car up I could turn the passenger rotor fine and the driver was locked. As I pryed between the rotor and back pf the pad to free it up so I could slide it off the passenger side then locked.
Push rod too tight. Loosen it til the pedal has a small amount of free play. The piston in the master cyl is blocking the port trapping pressure in your front system.
Pump the brakes until the front locks up. Crack the line to the front brakes at the master cylinder to see if they release. If not, move toward the calipers cracking lines until you find where the pressure releases.
Master cylinder piston not retuning all the way. Too tight a pushrod adjustmant or even the snap ring the holds the piston in the bore bent a bit keeping the piston from fully returning. Also maybe a defective MC.
Ok so here is the total run down. I found that the return spring on the brake pedal would relax at times causing it to hold slight pressure on brakes. It doesn't do it all the time and that is why when I checked the push-rod the other day it was good. So I have new springs and since the brakes had cooked numerous times I will be replacing both calipers and pads. I had the rotors turned and they needed it. I also had the front wheels re-balanced since I had a vibration in the steering wheel. I am also replacing the king pins since They have had a little play in them since day 1. When all will be done I hope it runs and stops like new. PS I also gutted the residual valve because even when pedal was all the way up I still had pressure on the brakes. I started at the caliper all the way to the valve and that seemed to be a problem too. Anyway I will be down for another week since I will be out of town all next week. Speedway will deliver parts by Thursday which is when I return. I want to Thank EVERYONE for all your advise and help. I love the HAMB and hate I missed out for so long.
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