Projects built lots of cars, but never a 32 roadster...

Pulled the wheels and drum to make sure the shoes were adjusted properly. Also pulled out the 2 plugs I have on the engine side of the master cylinder to bleed that side and make sure there's no air trapped in there. A few bubbles came out, but neither of these solved the problem.

I guess I'm going to bleed the system again to see if I get any bubbles, but the first 2 bleed sessions went great and there was no air (unless it's trapped somewhere).
I may try pressure bleeding from the master cylinder.

Thoughts?

 

I’ve read that sometimes if the shoes aren’t arced to the drums very well they can flex when pressure is applied. Do your shoes fit?

 

They do fit pretty closely

 

Scott,
Residual valves don't pose a problem when bleeding.

 

Here's the rig I use. It's an Accutron Vacuum pump that I pump to 15" Hg once the hose is fit to the closed bleeder. I added a shut-off valve and a one-way valve in line because my hand got tired from pumping it up from "0" each bleeder.This way most of the vacuum holds in the jar and I lose very little brake fluid when removing the hose. I use petroleum jelly around the bleeder valve threads to stop air from being sucked in when you open the bleeder. You can suck a large amount of brake fluid into the jar at each valve to insure you get all the air out of that line. Start at the bleeder farthest from the M/C and work closer just like you would during any bleed job.

 

I've done that method many times and it's got it's pros/cons. I'm going to try this:

 

If the master is pointing upwards (from the pushrod) there could be some trapped air that is never going to come out, no matter what your bleeding process is, unless and until you change that orientation and get that air out. Alternatively, knowing that there isn't any in there is a potential problem area off the list.

Chris

 

Looks like a neat setup. Let us know how it works!
The person who built my car didn't cut a hole in the floor to easily access the top of the m/c. It's a big project just to check the fluid level. I do it once a year and pray it doesn't need refilling.

 

I have all modern tools shown , a simple bottle with a inch or so of brake fluid to submerge / cover hose works well bleeding brake by yourself .

 

Are the residual valves necessary with drums all the way around?

 

If the m/c is lower than the wheel cylinders. And in hot rods lower than stock that is almost always the case.

 

@NJ Don , I use a squeeze bottle like this to fill under floor master cylinder:
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/clp-bfb

 

On advice from Jerry at Pete & Jakes, I hung a weight on my brake pedal all day yesterday and found 2 minimal leaks - one at the connection to a wheel and one at a connection to the MC. Corrected that and will power bleed when that tool arrives tomorrow.

In the meantime, I installed the frame welting. I used very high bond 3M double sided tape to hold it down. Punched the holes as I went along...

 

Hi Phil,
That's a neater solution than mine. What do they say: "Necessity is the mother of invention."
My biggest problem is popping the bail off the top of the m/c and then re-attaching it, very little room.
I use a mirror to see the fluid level. Still a pain in the a-s!

 

Several companies make remote fill master cylinder caps - you can either mount a small reservoir on the firewall and run hoses to it, or just use the cap to top it off every once in awhile

 

you do not have to spend extra $$ for a fancy remote cap,
Take & drill /tap 1/8 pipe into master cylinder about 3/8s down from top, drill 1-2 1/8 holes near top 1/8 down in divider wall reservoir (front /rear ) mount a small reservoir any where above MC , it will gravity fill keep MC full,.

For bleeding on stubborn brake systems
I have drilled MC cap & seal ,installed wheel valve stem in cap to pressurize MC to push brake fluid out @ bleeders , also find leaks , If some one asked about valve stem & I did not change out cap , I said this is how I fill my Tires,,

Also after re-flaring a new brake line before installing into brass , use a steel fitting to seat / straightener correct shape So you will Not have to over tighten tube nut to seal ,,

1940 style brakes , You hang a 30-35 pound weight from brake peddle , then you adjust / set brake shoes on each drum ,

 

Have you done this successfully? Just wondering. Thanks.

 

Yes , fellow HAMBer in likes has seen my thinking out side of box & nows to be true !
& I trust my work , My rides are street driven Drag Race Rods, 100-110 mph in 1/8
Unable to post pics because of wheel combo

 

I've been using that style bleeder for years and I really like how it works, but there is a slight learning curve to using it without having unpleasant accidents. Here are some tips that will make this easier to use.
#1 Before I bought this bleeder, I read many reviews that said the hold down chains for the master cylinder lid did not work well to make a good seal. So I came up with a way that always made a good seal on the master cylinder. I made a wooden platform that fits on the bottom of the master cylinder.

Then I use a c- clamp to hold the lid on. You have to find a clamp that fits in the space you have at the master cylinder when it is on the car.

#2 I added some air line quick connect fittings in the rubber tubing between the tank and lid. This was really helpful when you are finished bleeding and are about to remove the lid, more on that in another tip.

#3 Before you add fluid to the tank, mount the lid on the master cylinder and with the tank connected, pump up the air pressure and do a dry test to check for leaks. You don't want to find out that you don't have a good seal by watching a puddle of brake fluid growing on your floor. Watch the pressure gage on the tank to see if pressure is holding. If the seal is good crack the lid on the tank to relieve the pressure, then fill with brake fluid.
#4 Sometimes after you are done bleeding the brakes, the master cylinder may be totally filled to the top. If you try to take the lid off brake fluid can spill out and ruin a fresh paint job. Here is where the quick connect fittings help. I disconnect the tank and empty the remaining brake fluid out, then reconnect the empty tank. Pump up a little pressure and bleed some fluid from both the front and rear brakes, this will push fluid out of the master cylinder without adding more and will lower the level below the top of the master. Don't bleed to much out, you don't want to wind up pushing air through the master into your system. Now with the fluid level below the top of the master cylinder it's safe to remove the lid.
Good luck.

 

Good points and good tech Bcap. That has to be helpful to many.

 

Thanks! Getting ready to try it tonight. Going to try a quick grip on the MC cap.
Another tip I saw on Motive's video is that you can use a bleeder bottle to suck fluid by squeezing the bottle, holding your finger over the open fitting (where the hose attaches when you're not using it), then let go of the bottle. it will suck fluid in that state.
I bought this bottle from Amazon for 15 bucks and it's good quality:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000W7F2GI?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1

 

For many years I've used a extra large livestock syringe with a length of clear hose to fill my under the floor MC's. Also very useful in sucking the fluid out if necessary.

 

Bicap's tips are spot-on! Saved me a lot of headache.
The chains with the Motive kit are garbage.
Wood under MC with a c-clamp is the hot ticket.
Air fittings on the hose is a big improvement over the way the kit is sold.
Thanks for posting that, man!

 

On a frustrating note, I still can't get a good pedal.
Jacked the front of the chassis up and tapped on the MC with a hammer (while pumping) in attempt to get any trapped air out.
Pressure bled each wheel and got a quarter of a bleed bottle from each with zero bubbles.
Pedal was hard after the power bleed, but when I let off the pedal and re-depressed it ...it went to the bottom. Had resistance but still able to bottom the piston.
I can pump it ip, and it gets decently hard...but that goes away when I let off and depress it again.

I'm wondering if;
1. The MC piston might be too small and it not pushing enough fluid to lock 4 wheel drums - those front repro Lincoln wheel cylinders are large.
2. I have another junk repop Corvette master cylinder.

 

Some thru-frame bulkhead brake fittings have been known to trap air, don't recall which ones but some had the pipe thread tap drill run full length instead of say a 3/16" drill through and the tap drill just deep enough to satisfy pipe thread depth.

 

I have the newer version with small through holes

 

Left weight on the brake pedal overnight. I may have a slightly weepy wheel cylinder on one of the Lincoln repro Bendix brakes (they'd been sitting in the box on a shelf for 20 years). I'm going to take it apart today and explore.
I may need a rebuild kit - anyone have any clue which wheel cylinders those use?

 

Let's see if @krylon32 can help with info on the Lincoln repro brakes wheel cylinder source (see prior post).

 

Been looking online, they may actually use 39-48 Lincoln wheel cylinders

 

Wheel Cylinders:
Raybestos WC14493 (LF)
Raybestos WC14494 (RF)
Raybestos WC7563 (LR)
Raybestos WC7564 (RR)