Speed bleeders
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,838
Likes: 13
From: Kingman AZ
Speed bleeders
Boy did I get lucky. The previous owner did the brakes 3 years ago. Complete. The other day, bam foot to the floor. Still stopped but scary. Pulled the wheels off and did a visual on the brakes. Just like new as the car has not hardly been driven since the new brakes. Well gets me to thinking the master cylinder has finally seen its last days. I open it up and its full of a brown mud like substance that used to be brake fluid. Bought a turkey baster and sucked up the muck. Put clean fluid in the master cylinder. Used speed bleeders to flush the lines. Then step 2 would be to rebuild master cylinder. After bleeding took it out for a quick ride thinking hey what the heck...bad fluid coulda been the problem. Now I gotta wash the face imprint off the inside of the windshield. Should had my seatbelt on! Look like I wont be needing a rebuild after all
Last edited by rayluka; Dec 30, 2007 at 01:20 AM. Reason: sp
Instructor
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 248
Likes: 0
From: Taylor Ridge Illinois
I'm next!
Thats my next project...BRAKES! Listen guys, especially all of you who may have just purchaced your dream Vette that happens to be 30 + yrs old, get the brakes right before you decide if she can really go 165mph like the speedo says!
Right before I decided to put my '71 away in the garage for this winter, I just had to stretch her legs a little and wound up barely stopping in time to prevent an embarassing call to my insurance agent! (If I would have survived the impact that is...)
My brakes were only grabbing on the left front wheel when I tried to slow down from over 100mph!
I was very stupid for driving so fast and also for not making sure my car was in perfect mechanical order first! Thankfully, I had plenty of straight road ahead and was on a clean dry surface or it would have been bad!
Someone once said "Mechanicals first THEN cosmetics" and boy were they right!
Drive Safe!
MK
Right before I decided to put my '71 away in the garage for this winter, I just had to stretch her legs a little and wound up barely stopping in time to prevent an embarassing call to my insurance agent! (If I would have survived the impact that is...)
My brakes were only grabbing on the left front wheel when I tried to slow down from over 100mph!
I was very stupid for driving so fast and also for not making sure my car was in perfect mechanical order first! Thankfully, I had plenty of straight road ahead and was on a clean dry surface or it would have been bad!
Someone once said "Mechanicals first THEN cosmetics" and boy were they right!
Drive Safe!
MK
Instructor
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 163
Likes: 0
From: Sugarland Texas
Thats my next project...BRAKES! Listen guys, especially all of you who may have just purchaced your dream Vette that happens to be 30 + yrs old, get the brakes right before you decide if she can really go 165mph like the speedo says!
Right before I decided to put my '71 away in the garage for this winter, I just had to stretch her legs a little and wound up barely stopping in time to prevent an embarassing call to my insurance agent! (If I would have survived the impact that is...)
My brakes were only grabbing on the left front wheel when I tried to slow down from over 100mph!
I was very stupid for driving so fast and also for not making sure my car was in perfect mechanical order first! Thankfully, I had plenty of straight road ahead and was on a clean dry surface or it would have been bad!
Someone once said "Mechanicals first THEN cosmetics" and boy were they right!
Drive Safe!
MK
Right before I decided to put my '71 away in the garage for this winter, I just had to stretch her legs a little and wound up barely stopping in time to prevent an embarassing call to my insurance agent! (If I would have survived the impact that is...)
My brakes were only grabbing on the left front wheel when I tried to slow down from over 100mph!
I was very stupid for driving so fast and also for not making sure my car was in perfect mechanical order first! Thankfully, I had plenty of straight road ahead and was on a clean dry surface or it would have been bad!
Someone once said "Mechanicals first THEN cosmetics" and boy were they right!
Drive Safe!
MK
Racer
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 383
Likes: 0
From: Roseville CA
St. Jude Donor '09
did'nt need calipers but I figured for the cost of the kit it was worth doing.
I now know everything is in tip top shape & I don't have to worry about what the last owner might have done or not done.
P.S: The last guy did the brakes pads recently as the were still at 80% left off all the brake hose to bracket hold down clips & the flex hose was rubbing in the bracket, A accident waiting to happen!
CHECK YOUR BRAKES ON YOUR NEWLY PURCHASED CAR!!
Drifting
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 1,404
Likes: 1
From: Ansonia/NYC CT
First thing I did, when I got mine, lol. New brake lines, new master cylinder, and 4 brand new calipers. She stops on a dime. Now, if only she was geared for a bit more than just 120 mph........I hate riding on the interstate, doing 70 mph, at 3,000 rpms on a 5,ooo rpm motor, lol.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 2,429
Likes: 0
From: Tucson AZ
When I started washing race car parts (at 10) for my neighbor, in NC, he told me that before you can go fast, you gotta stop fast. He always went thru the brakes before he ever went under the hood (so to speak). Taught me alot. Eat your veggies, drink your milk, do your damn brakes first.
I'm glad everone is still alive and OK, cars can be fixed. Hard to fix us sometimes!!!!
I'm glad everone is still alive and OK, cars can be fixed. Hard to fix us sometimes!!!!
Burning Brakes
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 1,100
Likes: 3
From: belle plaine ks
first vette I had was a 1968 years ago. Went on a trip to my home town one night in it. [150 miles away]. Decided to stop at a rest stop along the way. Went down the ramp off the interstate into the rest area hit the brakes, nothing. Went right back up the outgoing ramp just about as fast. Drove another 75 miles with no brakes until I parked it and put fluid in it. Didn't have a drop in the master cylinder. Must have had a wobbling rotor as it pumped all the fluid out of the master cylinder. Found a leaking rear piston and replaced the rotor and the wheel cylinder. Any way this did this while I was driving the car, as I had brakes when I started out. So you can't be too careful and keep an eye on the master cylinder as it can come with no warning. It was probably leaking over a long period, but slowly leaking.
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Drifting
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 1,526
Likes: 2
From: Oak Ridge NC
first vette I had was a 1968 years ago. Went on a trip to my home town one night in it. [150 miles away]. Decided to stop at a rest stop along the way. Went down the ramp off the interstate into the rest area hit the brakes, nothing. Went right back up the outgoing ramp just about as fast. Drove another 75 miles with no brakes until I parked it and put fluid in it. Didn't have a drop in the master cylinder. Must have had a wobbling rotor as it pumped all the fluid out of the master cylinder. Found a leaking rear piston and replaced the rotor and the wheel cylinder. Any way this did this while I was driving the car, as I had brakes when I started out. So you can't be too careful and keep an eye on the master cylinder as it can come with no warning. It was probably leaking over a long period, but slowly leaking.
That would've scared the sheet outta me!