Discussion Forum - Northstar Chevelle Club

John D · 2K+ Club

Arrggg - Green Mary

Derek69SS · Founding Member

Now might be a good time to throw in that 3.23 posi rear.

Lost in the 60s · President

John D wrote:
Got the exhaust repaired on the "Green Mary" today, and got her home. Up in the air with it to replace the air-shock lines... what drips in my face? Brake fluid.
Had to make a quasi-panic stop on the way home from the shop and must have found the weak point in the (rusty) LR line. It's weeping from the 1st downward bend after the splitter block on the top of the diff housing . Not fun to get at.
Thinking about raising the car as high as practical, unbolting the lower shock mountings, and letting the axle dangle as far as possible.
and then the brittle, cracked flex hose will break. May as well start with that hose and work your way out to the cylinders. Oh yeah, better see if the bleeder screws will open or break off. Might need cylinders too.....at least that's how these "sequences" go for me...

dashboard · 2K+ Club

I just put a dual master cylinder with booster in the Buick. When I went to bleed the lines the RR bleeder snapped off; the new rear cylinders had to be heavily modified with a file to fit, and then, and then ….. the new lines, and then… Just go buy everything; you’ll save money just on the trips to NAPA.

Chris R · 2K+ Club

Rusty leaking brake lines are a staple in auto repair in MN. I can remember spending 6 plus hours on some cars out there fixing brake lines on just one single car. Rusty brake lines are your basic, high pressure finds the weakest point repair. If the pressure blows out one spot and you fix it, it will find the next weakest spot and blow out that spot. Until you have pretty much fixed everything. Fixing rusty brake lines was one of the least fun jobs that paid the worst since they never have book time listed for repairs like this.

John D · 2K+ Club

Ok, enough goofing off... out to the "40 Watt Garage" and get my daily dose.

Lost in the 60s · President

John D wrote:
Ok, enough goofing off... out to the "40 Watt Garage" and get my daily dose.

Is that the output of the lights or your 70's stereo entertainment center......

I'd say "have fun" but I know what you're getting into isn't.

John D · 2K+ Club

Actually both!!

(and I'm not goofing off, I was on the other "tab" seeing if my local NAPA has the parts I need...)

John D · 2K+ Club

Project creep... (car was actually done around 4:30). Just finished up a little welding job for a neighbor...

I wound up making & replacing both rear wheel lines from the block to the cylinders. Then after removing the wheel cylinders to get the line stubs out I looked and saw they were only $10 new. Screw it, buy new ones.
Pulled a cylinder apart and I'm glad I did. NASTY. Scored bore & sticking pistons... and whatever was in there wasn't brake juice - some kind of black slimy crap. Sucked nearly a pint of new juice through and got clean fluid all the way out to the wheels.

A set of new shoes, springs & hardware, making the self-adjusters work, and it's got basically NEW rear brakes.

(Drums didn't have enough meat left to turn, so new drums as well.)

And yippy, I get to do it all over again tomorrow on the fronts! (Not lines though!)

Scott Parkhurst · Super Poster

Nice...but you know it's right now..and I think fronts are easier most of the time. It's just good to know its all fresh.

Lost in the 60s · President

Scott Parkhurst wrote:
Nice...but you know it's right now..and I think fronts are easier most of the time. It's just good to know its all fresh.

Buy a pair of loaded calipers, new rotors and flex hoses and BAM, you got new brakes...

But then John is a bit "tight" with a buck, so he may buy the rebuild kits and clean the calipers himself....

I should talk......I did that to the calipers I put on my '66....

John D · 2K+ Club

Yup, I can make a buck cry Mama... but I'll also "do the math" on my time vs. the economy (and warranty) of a new piece...

Tried the tricks on the caliper bleeders (wanted to suck new juice through) and no-go - they were fubar'd. Pro/Con on pulling the units, getting out the heat, potentially breaking them off anyway, then a rebuild kit (x2) vs. $32 each on NEW units with hardware. No Brainer - new calipers.

Rotors still had plenty of meat on them, and didn't need resurfacing (against my usual machinist mentality - I just have 'em cut as a matter of new on new principle), no grooves, no chunking, just a nice surface to bed in on.

The bearings took a dunk in the parts washer to clean out the goo, an inspection, fresh repack of grease, new seals and that's back to new.

Now I've got to relearn driving this beast. Holy Crap Batman!! If GM did anything right, it was was ignoring the bean-counters and putting "over-spec" hardware on their 4700lb. beasts. It stops.... NOW. (Running the 9" wide Potenza's and 11" brakes all around I can't get the ABS to even squeak. It just stops.)

Scott Parkhurst · Super Poster

Cool. That's how it oughta be..!

John D · 2K+ Club

Yeah, it's kinda nuts...
I did a few impromptu tests after the usual break/bed in procedures. Remember this barge is 4700lbs. with me & a load of fuel.

At 30mph, stomping the brakes when the bow crosses the plane of the sign, it will be at a complete stop before entering the crosswalk. This is tire & brakes at road temp/warm. (Granted the front bumper is scraping, and the azz-end is 6 feet in the air, but it's stopped!)

Good brakes are a necessity. I really wonder what the line-of-thought was in the '60s when our cars were built... 9 or 10 inch drums, with a single piston master and no power assist.