Re: Classic Disk Brakes

Posted by Bill Heptig On 2015/8/19 0:06:19

Just want to be clear on a couple points the car, I went and saw the car once all the drums were pulled and the following things were apparent
-Brake linings were cracked on the shoes, had not come apart yet but it was apparent they could do so I understand this is a normal form of inspection, so new shoes
-there was fluid behind the dust seals at every corner so all the wheel cylinders were replaced not rebuilt.
- the soft brake lines were cracked and looked questionable so those were replaced.
- one of the hard brake lines had been misrouted such that it was crushed so that was corrected.
- Shoes were arced to be sure they fit the drums properly.
-Drums were not turned I was mistaken on that point.
- Wheel bearings were checked, one replaced and repacked.

I feel pretty good about what was done I don't want to be driving around on old components that were on the edge so I'm pretty sure all that was ok.

The power brakes are listed as not functioning , pulls vacuum but internal diaphragm not functioning. So based on that I have a choice I guess. I'm in Minnesota and friends with Mike Dulinski which many of you may know, I was going to have him pull a core from his stock and send it to the gentlemen in Florida for a rebuild and then swap out the units so I could drive the car till that happened.

Having read the website and reviewed the fact that the rebuilt units are tricky to get correct and may not be rebuilt correctly in some cases, it seemed prudent to check other solutions. I don't normally like deviating from stock but where safety and reliability are concerned I rate those as more important that authenticity. The treadle vac rebuilt and installed is probably $500 the disk brakes are a $1000 plus the labor, but all of that is small potatoes compared to hospital bills and losing the car.

The car is to drive not show, I just don't want some under engineered solution and I'm not interested in the roll your own approach as that may or may not be adequate. When a company sells something it suggests they have spent some time testing it, although I'm sure some will sight exceptions to that as well, I just want the peace of mind that this car is not going to fail and crash.

If a treadle Vac rebuilt by a competent builder can be relied on that's the simplest solution and I would do that, just have to wonder if that's reasonable.

I appreciate the feedback, you guys have dealt with this as much as anyone a good choice seems a comprise which ever way you choose so just I'm trying to be as informed as I can be. Thanks