Re: 51Packards....52 Packard 200 Deluxe!

Posted by Charles On 2016/7/11 18:03:15

7-11-16

Thanks again JW...those wrenches are the ones I have been using. Without them, I round off the fittings easily.

Lots of progress today. I used JW's advice and kept everything loose. First I started a few threads of the front driver's side line into the master cylinder. I was then able to wiggle the master cylinder around and got the mounting bolts started. Went back to the hard line and snugged it in. Finally tightened the mounting bolt then attached the other 2 hard lines.

One area of concern is the drivers side line appears to have been bent a little tighter than I intended. It is not crimped, but a sharp bend that might have narrowed the diameter a little. Hard to tell as I don't have a good light. When I put the 3 way port on the front of the master cylinder it turned way to the left instead of straight. That adds to the difficulty. The prongs for the brake light switch is about 1/8" from the frame so I may add some rubber to keep it insulated.

Next I began to bleed the brakes. I started at the passenger side rear wheel cylinder. The bleeder looked dirty so I took it out and cleaned it. Put it back in loose and added a clear hose to a plastic bottle to catch the excess fluid. Pumped and pumped the brakes. Kept topping off the master cylinder but it would overflow quickly. Made a big mess in the driveway.

I took the bleeder out all the way and fluid started coming out. I had my wife pump the brakes while I tightened the bleeder. Hopefully that will be good enough to get the air out.

Moved on to the rear driver's side. That was uneventful. The bleeder worked fine on that one.

Noticed a leak where the rear rubber hose meets the center hard line. A 1/2 turn seems to have taken care of the leak.

Finally did the front wheels. That was also uneventful, but not easy to get a wrench on the bleeders.

Screwed the lid back on the master cylinder using adjustable pliers (is there a better tool?)

Tried the brakes and it felt firm. I couldn't really stand on them because I was pretty dirty and didn't want to sit in the car like that. It went about a quarter of the way down before feeling firm.

That's enough for today!