Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

Greetings from the Commonwealth of Pa. I hope some of you experts can help me. I have a real nice 55 400 that had brake work done on last year. The shoes were of, did the front wheel cylinders and the BTV - master cylinder was replaced as well. I understand this is a part of the car which leaves much to be desired. The car stopped well after the work was done, tho the brakes grabbed some.

We had a nasty winter here and the parking brake froze. I waited till it got to be about 50 and tried again. No dice but some papping moved it about an inch forward. The service brake will not move at all.

I don't want to break anything but any advice would be much appreciated. I have read on the forum that the BTV does not do well when laid up and the car has been sitting since November in the garage though I've started it periodically.

If the BTV is bad would this be a good time for a safer upgrade?

Despite the fact I used plenty of anti-freeze the heater core is leaking. I've looked for a replacement no dice. Is it easier to rebuild the existing one? Thanks and regards MC

I can’t help with the problem but word of advice: don’t ever use the parking brake unless driving the car often! They can and will stick.

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Why were the rears not done? They are a mere $10 apiece in parts and 2 bolts hold them on. I know getting those tapered rear hubs off is a pain, but it's not that bad compared to brake problems.

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Not sure what you mean as the BTV system will provide plenty of brake pressure. Yes it's only a single master and they can fail if the brake fluid starts to crystallize after years of neglect, but other than that they are a perfectly fine unit and were used on countless cars in that era with very few issues.

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I'm a bit perplexed as to why the BTV would freeze up after 1 winter indoors. They can freeze, but usually only after a couple decades of storage. Where did you get the BTV from, or who rebuilt it?

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There are no drop-in aftermarket core replacements. You will need to get it re-cored, which is about $350 at most shops. Shop around for a good rate. Or, if you are familiar with soldering pipes, you can adapt a core off of Summit Racing to do the job.

it might be that heater control valve or what ever its called , in there that is leaking, ?? just unhook the heater core for now ,ur not going drive it in the winter anyways, why keep spending on antifreeze
as far as the brakes, i would try bleeding a wheel, see if that helps

Thanks for your responses. My mechanic did not do the rears because of the problem getting the drums off. I do drive the car often in good weather and like to keep the parking brake moving in case there is a brake failure.

What I mean is that when the motor is running the brake pedal is immovable. Maybe some tapping with a rubber mallet on the brake pedal and/or the parking brake. The car is in a municipal garage and I can't work on it where it is.


Thanks MC

I think the BTV came from Kanter

Interesting. You may want to find a different mechanic as if they can't pull brake drums then they likely don't work on anything else this old.

For the BTV, did you check that it's getting vacuum? It's possible the check valve on the carb is stuck. Just pull a vacuum line off the tee on the firewall while the engine is running. It should be obvious enough whether there is vacuum going through there. If not, then that is your problem.

If you have vacuum, then you may want to just send it off to Andy Mylin. Tiger Treadle Vac. He is the go-to guy on these.

The other options are to get it loosened up by force and just drive it (fearfully), or tear into it yourself.

How old is rear brake hose?

Not sure where you are in PA but I suggest you make a call to Ross Miller. I spent moths completely rebuilding the brake system on my 55 Caribbean in 2022. Even had Ross’s protege from State College rebuild the BYV. Hadthe work done by a guy who restores old cars for a living. With the efforts of both, the brakes still sucked.
Shipped the car to Ross and came back working well.
The system still sucks….single line is bad enough, typical of the period, but the unit is under the floorboards and difficult to access. There is no easy way to check the brake fluid level and adding fluid to bleed the brakes is hard on a painted frame.
I added a translucent container from a .Dodge Pickup and modified the cap of the BYV by drilling a hole and vending a section of pipe and neoprene hose.
Not a solution but better.
Good luck.

I'll be back in the country in another week if you wish to call.

When you say that the E- brake is frozen, do you mean that you can not push the handle back in or that you can not get the car to move?

If the former, the T-vac has nothing to do with it. If the latter, the pedal might be stuck down for any number of reasons ranging from the carpet bunching up to improper T-vac assembly. Try pulling it up with your foot.

Can guarantee you that sitting since November will not cause a T-vac to seize. Brake fluid is brake fluid and is pretty darned inert and it does not know if it is sitting in a T-vac or any other master cylinder.

Thanks for your reply. What I mean is that I can't get the e brake to release- it won't push in. Can't move the car either Good news that the BTV is ok- thanks MC