RFJohnston

I just finished replacing my entire brake system on my 67 - from pedal to the rotors. I noticed the assembly manual says to test the brake lines at up to 2,000 PSI for 10 seconds.

My question is: How do you do that? I figured standing on the brake pedal was sufficient...

After38Years

You probably can't. The factory had the equipment, not many of us do.
Bleed, test drive, check for leaks and you should be good to go.

Powershift

That is what almost all of us do.

When you get your confidence up and a few miles on the new brakes, try a few panic stops from 60-70-80 MPH to make sure all is well. That should do it.

Larry

MikeM

I don't know what the Corvette plant used in process to check brakes but in the Ford plant, we had a pedal pusher. It was an inline process with a fixture that clamped on to the steering colum and stroked the brake pedal several times and then held it down with pressure for probably ten seconds.

If the pedal was the correct height and didn't fall with pressure, you had a good brake system. If the brake pedal settled lower under pressure or the pedal was stroking too low, it was a reject and routed for repair.

RFJohnston

That's all kinda what I figured. I have no idea how much hydraulic pressure the master cylinder puts out during a panic stop, but I'd guess its probably right up there. Stopping a 3000 car with only foot pressure... must be a pretty good multiplier.

Thanks guys

Plasticman

I have a 3000 psi gauge I connected to a brake bleeder fitting. Made it to troubleshoot a Studebaker Avanti disc brake system, to determine why the brakes were not linearly increasing in stopping capability as foot pressure was increased (at higher foot pressure).

With it connected, I could see the caliper speading apart at anything above 1000 psi............case closed, and time for some different (stronger) calipers. Went to some optional 4 piston Kelsey-Hayes calipers from a late 60's Dodge with vented rotors. Original Avanti rotors were solid. May of been state of art in 63, but...............

Plasticman

SWCDuke

A design spec for the disk brake system without power assist was 120 pounds pedal effort for a 1g stop, and this generated about 1200 psi line pressure, so as you said you can test by "standing on the pedal" for several seconds. Pedal height should not drop and there should be no evidence of leakage.

Duke

Frankie the Fink

I'm pretty fanatical about brakes and seat belts and have rebuilt a lot of systems in various makes of cars from the "Big 3" and always found the "in car" checks by a human operator to be satisfactory...

The only thing that has thrown me on the Corvettes I've owned is that sickening amount of travel on a stock '63 original brake system. I changed the clevis out to raise the pedal some and I don't even think about it anymore..

John BX NY

Back when I worked in the plants GM tested brakes before body marriage using a probe type test system that clamped right to rear of the master cylinder. It would pump the master cylinder then go to a high pressure test looking for leaks or air in the system.
The old timers said there was a similar system back in the 60's and 70's....