I recently got a vehicle running that had been sitting for 25 years. The next order of business is the brakes, but I wanted to know where the best place is to start. Some info. 4 wheel drum, the wheels all roll easily, the E-brake works, but the brake pedal itself is locked in the up position and will not budge even a tiny bit. Best to start at the master I'm guessing? Maybe pull it out and get it on a bench to try and compress the piston? Is it common for a master to freeze up after that amount of time? I'm really surprised at how well the truck idles after getting it to start (coil, plugs, wires, points replaced) The only issue might be that it puffs a bunch of blue smoke out the exhaust, but I'm hoping this may be from the Marvel Mystery Oil I pumped in the cylinders to free it up. Any good advice that has come from experience is appreciated.
Replace the master cyl. and all the wheel cyl. they will be junk after sitting for all those years. The rest of the brake hardware should also be checked. What vehicle are you working on?
You need to replace the brake parts in this order. 1: shoes, wheel cylinders, hoses, inspect/flush/replace steel lines, master cylinder. 2: paint the brake drums. 3: re-install the wheels/tires Don't shortcut the brakes!!! I have done this on a lot of cars that have sat for more than even a couple of years. The moisture that brake fluid attracts is sitting in there rusting everything metal. The rubber parts will be rotten. The reason you can't push the pedal down is the master cylinder is full of rust and corrosion.... don't try to rebuild it, throw it away. Brake hardware??? Cheapest part of the whole rebuild, replace all of the springs and adjusters.
Your best bet is to replace all of the moving parts...I.e. master cylinder, wheel cylinders, shoes, hardware, and either have the drums resurfaced or replace them all together. By nature brake fluid is hydroscopic, meaning it absorbs moisture from the air. This moisture then turns into rust, which is catastrophic for brake parts. The contact points where the shoes touch the backing pates are most likely frozen together. Replace the moving parts, make sure the hard steel lines are clean and free from obstructions and bleed the hell out of the system. The last thing you want to do is slam your ride into the back of a dodge caravan because your brakes failed on you. The best place to start? Replace it all. .. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
just this past weekend i had to do the same thing for atruck that had been sitting for four years, replaced anything that was rubber, was touching rubber, or was sealed by rubber, it gets bad sitting there. rebuilt the master cylinder new wheel cylinders and rubber hoses. sea foam works great to clean out clogged up brake lines with dirty fluid. like others have said, dont shortcut the brakes
Also, the wheels shouldnt roll easily...with drum brakes you want the shoes adjusted out far enough to create some drag on the drums...maybe one or one and a half full turns giving it a good spin. Anything more than that and the shoes will have to travel a long way to touch the drum which will give you a low brake pedal. The fact that they spin freely as is tells me they are wayyyyy out of adjustment and/or frozen. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
While you are at it, I would replace all of the lines as well. Lines are not expensive, especially when it comes to brakes. After 25 years, it is impossible to tell what all has built up in the lines.
Yes, just replace everything, and look at upgrading to a dual-chamber master cylinder in the process since it seems likely yours is an under floor job or it wouldn't be frozen up.
This is am excellent point i failed to touch upon. Your hard lines are made of steel, which likes to rust. This rust then creates weak points, which under the rather high pressures of braking can and will eventually fail with often deadly results. Do yourself a favor and replace the steel lines as well...that peace of mind will go a long way when some idiot cuts you off and you have to smack that brake pedal hard. Its either you stop in time because everything is working correctly or...well I dont like to think of worst case scenarios. Your brakes are the most important safety feature on your car. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
YES, to all the above. !!! No cutting corners , when it comes to brakes. For that matter, the same goes , re; steering !!! Happy Roddin' 4TTRUK
Hi, If replacement master and wheel cylinders are available, then replace yours with new. If replacements are unavailable, send your icky cylinders to a brake service that will sleeve them with stainless and install new guts. The same places will reline your shoes also. There are several places that will do this. I have successfully used brakeplace.com for three vehicles. You MUST replace the rubber flex hoses. These ******s deteriorate on the INSIDE over time and you can't tell by external inspection that they have swollen shut or rotted internally. Beware of cheap Argentine hoses on EBay. Go with DOT-approved hoses. They should cost you about $80.00 for a typical 3-hose DOT-standard set. "Brake Hoses Unlimited" in Holland Michigan supplied mine for three cars. If you are new to brake plumbing, or if you have fought with steel brake lines in the past, there is good news! Use nickel-copper-ferrous ("NiCopp," "E-Z Bend," a**** others) brake tubing instead of steel. This stuff is DOT-OK and bends easily. You can get it anywhere--I got mine at my NAPA store. Don't bother with an auto parts store flaring tool--go to Eastwood.com and buy the flaring tool kit. You'll never make a bad flare again. Yes, it's $250, but after your first flare you won't care. And you'll have the tool for future projects, because this is NOT your last car, right? They have a demo video on youtube. Consider that in another 25 years you or your heirs will be doing this again. Your or your memory will be blessed if you ***emble your threaded parts with anti-seize compound for ease of future dis***embly. Don't get any of the compound into the brake fluid though. When I re-did my 1940 LaSalle's brake system after almost 30 years, all my fittings came apart easily because I had been given--and heeded--this suggestion back in 1980. Have fun doing your project. If it's not fun, why the hell are you doing it? --Tom
As said earlier,,after sitting 25 years replace it all,,don't try to be cheap when it comes to brakes. HRP
thats the only thing from having no personal injury or to having personal injury plus repairing the damages also ...
replace the master /wheel cyls- rubber flex hoses ( rubber hoses can look good but be bad on the inside) ,Use compressed air & brake cleener to flush out the metal lines. If any rust comes out with the brake cleen you will need to replace the steel lines too.Just think that as fast as you want to go-you want to stop faster!!
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