Packard Forum Index » Post-War (1946-54)

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I read Packard Info often for my enjoyment and education. I had 2 Packards that were equipped with the BTV and had no problems, however that was the early 60's so my experience is maybe not relevant today, but who knows, maybe one day I'll have the chance to own one again, so I'm still interested in the conversations. Jim

My quick and inexpensive solution was to convert to standard brakes and eliminate any risk and excessive cost for good.

Yeah but its not because they are standard brakes. Its because the master cylinder is of a conventional more common place design ( power or non power) rather than an odd or unusual design that is not commonplace nor widely used design.

I agree 100%.

So is there a place I can buy a repop or is having mine rebuilt the only soultion besides going mechaincal?

?

If you don't have your original you can buy one from Mike Dulinski for not much, send it to Ed Strain in Pinellas Park FL for a rebuild and call it good. OR Go though all of the power brake posts here and convert the whole thing over to a two-circuit disc brake system, I am now seeing outfits like Kanter Auto Parts offering kits. You could go that route, and some are very insistent that is the only way to go.

Here are some pics of the torn down MC. Most of it hasn't been cleaned up, so you can see about what the parts looked like.

I have included pics of wear parts that I would like to get some judgments on from you guys, including any insights into whether they might indicate reasons for brake failure.

Also, I'd like to get opinions on whether the piston bore needs any "re-boring." It looks pretty good to me, but what do I know? (See 3 pics). Ross also recommends bead blasting the bore. I'm wondering if this one needs it?

The piston itself looks practically new. The mechanic wanted to know if I wanted to re-use it or use the new one with the kit. My judgment was to put in the new one and keep the old one as a spare. I hope I never need it. Ross recommends putting a good finish on the new piston with 2000 grit sandpaper and light oil. I plan to recommend this be done.

Included is a pic of the hydraulic hose. The mechanic said he thought it had swollen due to brake fluid contamination. If this is not in the kit, should it be replaced? And, if so, is it regular vacuum hose? It's quite a bit bigger than most hoses I've seen.

There is a pic of the inside of the vacuum cylinder. Other than a few imperfections, and a noticeable ring where the piston seats in the upper position, I think it looks good enough to hold vacuum.

I know Ross recommends bead blasting the vacuum cylinder, and wonder what the recommendation with this would be. It seems to have some unevenness in places, but not a "rough" surface. Ross recommends a good scrub with Scotchbrite, and I wonder if that is all that's necessary in this case.

I'm especially interested in what people think about the scoring on the metal ring which, I believe, is the last pice to go into the bore. If there is anything that looks pitted to me, it is this. Any possibility that this could cause a failure? I don't see it named anywhere in the parts manual.

The business end of the compensator valve looks good, don't you think? I'm thinking it must have been debris that held it open.

One comment the mechanic had is that the screen that fits over the port in the vacuum valve You can see the screen after cleaning next to the valve in one of the pics. Could a plugged screen be one of the causes of failure?

Finally, a mystery pic, which I call vacuum filter? It's the underside of a cover and has two squares of very course threads.

This is by no means all the pics I've got, but I think they are the most helpful.

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Jim in Boone,

That's a new-looking Packard that the young man is standing next to in your avatar photo. Would that man, by chance, be you? If so, I don't believe that car is one of your Easamatic Packards. If I recall correctly, power brakes weren't available until '54, and that car is somewhere between a '48 and a '50. Are you perhaps from a "Packard Family?"

I was also wondering how many years you owned your two Packards and what models they were. The Easamatic on our '55 Clipper worked flawlessly from '55 until we sold it in the '80s. Our '55 400 had one complete meltdown incident around 1971 and after a rebuild of the MC, the brakes performed fine until that car, too, was sold in the '80s.

I think some of these troubles amount to "the luck of the draw."

If I recall correctly, power brakes weren't available until '54

The Bendix TreadleVac was introduced into Packards in 1952 with a retro kit available for installation on 1951 models. But Packard had power brakes long before that, starting in 1932 as I recall. The units used 32 thru the 1939 senior models were based on an original design by Bragg & Kliesrath and the rights were purchased by Bendix. the B-K system was applicable to both mechanical and hydraulic brakes and also used for the power clutch on the Twelves.