I used a venturi style vacuum pump designed for A/C to rapidly bleed the brake system.

You need to use a rather large jar with a good seal to catch all the brake fluid.

No hand pumping involved, and there are no mods to the MC cover. You just have to keeping adding fluid to te MC.

I do regularly use a hand pump to one-man bleed my brakes in my other cars. The scenario described above was for a special project whereby I was completley replacing the whole brake system in the vette.

 

Motive pressure bleeder is probably best.

Being a cheapskate, I went with Speed Bleeders for my 'O' ring calipers. They work well.

 

I used speed bleeders and a vacuum pump like the one pictured. I pulled air in through the calipers at first too; the trick is to use only enough vacuum to get the flow started (like one squeeze of the pump handles). Try a few slow pumps of the pedal if you're pulling air, this seemed to make a difference for me. You have to be patient, and make sure you have lots of brake fluid on hand, but it's a one-man job this way. The proportioning valve warning light was on when I finished, but I pumped the pedal hard a few times and it went off. Rock hard pedal now

 

I purchased Russell Speed Bleeders for my 1980. I believe this is the only way to go. I bleed my rear brakes within 30min, no problems at all.

 

I tried a vacume bleeder and sucked air into the system, I guessing throught the calipers. I then gravity bled each caliper and finished with the standard two person technique and the now work great.

 

I tried gravity and a vac pump neither seemed to work well. I brought the pressure bleeder and it was a snap.

 

I want to thank everyone for the great thoughts and ideas posted to my question!

Here's how my foray in to bleeding the brakes went:

Preface: I've bled brakes and clutches on cars and bikes of all sorts, foreign and domestic. The operating principle of the Proportioning Switch makes the Corvette brake bleeding an interesting experience.

Got my little hoses and my slick vacuum pump, I read all the sticky stuff here about bleeding the brakes, and I'm feeling pretty clever.

2 hours later, after watch more bubbles than a school of flatulent fish, I'm not feeling so clever anymore.

Return to thread. Read about the shop vac. Walk out to shop feeling clever again.

1 hour later, come in to take Tylenol (the doc says I can't motrin anymore), console myself with a cold one and consult the thread again.

Read about gravity bleeding. I believe in gravity, so I decide to give it a whirl.....



welp, apparently my car does NOT believe in gravity.

A couple more consolation beverages, a cheeseburger, couple more tylenols, and I'm starting to think very creatively. I feel like genius by now (not).

Eventually, I put about 30" of clear tubing on the front right and rear left bleed screws, placed the ends in jars placed above on the fenders (on fender mats of course).

Now I pumped the pedal slowly until fluid started to fill the tubing. stopped here and ensured the m/c was topped off.

back to the pedal, I pushed it to the floor sloooowly and held it there while the bubbles traveled to the top and the fluid settled at the bottom. let the pedal out slowly and repeated this 3 more times.

Changed sides and did the process again.
Note:
Having a cold one nearby really helps make waiting for the bubbles seem like less of a wait.

So That was all that was needed to fill and purge a dry system. The brakes are very firm and the car stops straight. Since this is a resto, I will wait a couple of days and re-bleed, because I know there has to be some air in there still and I want to spend a little more time on the inside rear bleeders.

 

You are brilliant! I had to think about that one for a while but if the proportioning switch is centered and you bleed both the front and rear at the same time the PS stays centered. There have been so many threads about bleeding and you are the first to come up with a better way. Well done! PG.

 

Crazy question: If you replace only one caliper (including lines), do you have to bleed all 4 calipers? Or just the one you replace?

 

You can bleed only the caliper that you replaced, but while the car is in the air that would be a good time the flush the system and get some new brake fluid in there. PG.

 

Thanks petes74. Good stuff.

 

Bummer.
my setup is like the hand system you first showed.
except I used a hard plastic 1/2gallon clear juice jug.
used a 5 foot piece of compressed air hose in the cap and other end
run up the vacuums hose.
long piece of clear tubing run through the cap to bottom of jug
and connected to bleeder.
the trick is opening the bleeder, looking for clean clear fluid, and the
careful closing of bleeder. air will leak past the bleeder threads and
give false info about where it is coming from.
I feel bad about your experience.