Basic brake overhaul on '59

[jopizz]

Those are the rubber hoses for the front brakes that I mentioned earlier. You should order two of them for the fronts and one rear one for the back. Rock Auto has them listed as front and back. They are different.

John

[Rock&Roll Firebird]

Those are the rubber hoses for the front brakes that I mentioned earlier. You should order two of them for the fronts and one rear one for the back. Rock Auto has them listed as front and back. They are different.

John

There seems to be two types of brake hoses for the front John - if you check this list, you'll see it. That's why I'm not sure which one to pick. And the 'front Wheel Cylinder To Connector' type is not even available on RockAuto'. ...?

[KULTULZ]

Dave,

When I was just learning how to do brakes my father would say the same thing. "Just sand them down and they'll be fine". It was only after doing two or three and having them leak anyway that I came to the conclusion that it wasn't worth it. Also the new cylinders only cost a few bucks more than the rebuild kits so to me it doesn't pay. There are lots of other places on the car that I can use my elbow grease. Nothing wrong with trying to rebuild your old parts. To some mechanics it's a sacrilege to buy a new part. It's just that most of the cylinders I see after 50+ years have the pistons frozen in the bore and the brake fluid turned to powder. Also after rebuilding my entire brake system with new parts my '59 stops on a dime and has absolutely no fade with drum brakes. Just my point of view.

John

I agree. If the cylinder is corrosion damaged (water in brake fluid causing pitting), the cylinder has to be honed OS and OS piston/kits (if still available) need to be used. On the other hand, today's parts quality is lacking (off-shore and poor design) make replacement iffy.

If the wheel cylinder has OEM markings and you are as anal as I am, they will be re-sleeved with stainless. Changing the brake fluid on a regular basis will prevent most corrosion and brake failure problem(s).

Now this is on an older and/or classic car. Modern cars call for cylinder replacement as it is quicker and cheaper.

[KULTULZ]

There seems to be two types of brake hoses for the front John - if you check this list, you'll see it. That's why I'm not sure which one to pick. And the 'front Wheel Cylinder To Connector' type is not even available on RockAuto'. ...?

Either style is used. You will have to visually verify and match what is on the car now.

[jopizz]

There seems to be two types of brake hoses for the front John - if you check this list, you'll see it. That's why I'm not sure which one to pick. And the 'front Wheel Cylinder To Connector' type is not even available on RockAuto'. ...?

The ones on my '59 are the 14" ones. The only time I've seen those shorter 9" ones are on '58's. They are way too short to go from the brake cylinder to the bracket. The '58's have an inner hose and an outer hose. If you order the hoses that Rock Auto has listed you should be fine. That's what I used on my '59.

John

[Rock&Roll Firebird]

Just checked the front brakes hardware today - the HW needs to be replaced indeed. Suppose the rears will look more/less the same. Did not find a way how to remove the rear drums though. Is there an easy way without the need of a special tools?

[simplyconnected]

What part of this brake looks bad?

[KULTULZ]

The dust seals are dry rotted-



You need to pull these slightly back (at the bottom) to see if any brake fluid leaks out).

Make sure the rear shoes are adjusted all the way back so the shoes are not contacting the drums. It may be that you have a frozen brake cable(s) preventing pulling the drum. There also forms a rust ridge on the axle shaft where the drum rides. This has to be removed (penetrant - crocus cloth) so the drum will slide off.

[Rock&Roll Firebird]

What part of this brake looks bad?

The dust seals rotten (don't know if that says anything about the age/functionality of the cylinders), the shoe on the left has the braking surface partialy crumbled off. Othervise not sure, never done this before. But there was a discussion about this earlier - the springs might be loosened by heat, cylinders partially stuck, etc.

For some reason, I feel the cooling and braking ability of the car to be the two of the most important at the very beginning. Thought it would be a good idea to make a fresh start with the brakes by exchanging all these parts as they are not that expensive. What do you think?

[Dakota Boy]

if your brake lines and hoses are originals, I would replace those too.

My car had new brake drum parts (wheel cylinders, shoes, springs) when I got it, but the lines running to the four corners were the originals, and they were nasty.

[KULTULZ]

Thought it would be a good idea to make a fresh start with the brakes by exchanging all these parts as they are not that expensive. What do you think?

I think you are right.

[simplyconnected]

The dust seals rotten (don't know if that says anything about the age/functionality of the cylinders), the shoe on the left has the braking surface partialy crumbled off. Othervise not sure, never done this before. But there was a discussion about this earlier - the springs might be loosened by heat, cylinders partially stuck, etc.

For some reason, I feel the cooling and braking ability of the car to be the two of the most important at the very beginning. Thought it would be a good idea to make a fresh start with the brakes by exchanging all these parts as they are not that expensive. What do you think?

It's always better to be safe than sorry.

There are a few areas I would like to see. One, is the inside of your drums. Are they scored? Tapered? Out of round?

Pull some of the dust covers off without tearing them. What condition is the rubber in? Can you show pictures of your shoes? Clean off the rivets with a wire brush so we can see the depth of wear.

How rusty is your brake fluid and your steel lines? Order three hoses because they always go bad IF they have never been changed or if you don't know how old they are.

You may need to bend and install brake line if your tubing is too rusty. Many of us have already replaced our brake line, especially if you live in an area that uses salt on icy roads, or if you live by salt water.

When heat tempers the spring out of steel, it looses its memory. Pull on the springs and see if they return. If not, change them. I have done many cars without the need for changing springs. Brakes normally get hot from everyday use. 'Riding the brake pedal' or adjusting them too tight will overheat your brakes. Overheating is not common, but it happens.

The only way shoe material 'crumbles' is if something hits the corner (like a hammer). They make shoe material hard enough to last for years.

By the way, do you have a machine shop that will turn drums? If your drums are too big in diameter or they are too far gone, you may need to buy drums. They are VERY important.

When you clean your parts, DO NOT use petroleum products anywhere near brake fluid. DOT3 brake fluid is recommended. I would stay with it and NEVER mix different types of brake fluid. All brake fluid is clear when new. What color is yours? - Dave

[Rock&Roll Firebird]

I will make the brake check today and get back here with the results.

Just a basic market orientation question - is there a quality difference among the following brands? Is there a brand that should be left out and one to recommend when choosing (brake) parts?

Centric
Bendix
Dorman
Wagner
Raybestos

[jopizz]

I've used all these brands and haven't had a problem with any of them. Centric is at the lower end of the price scale. Bendix, Wagner and Raybestos have been around for a long time but that doesn't necessarily mean they are better than the others. If you are buying all new brake cylinders I would stick with one brand.

John

[Rock&Roll Firebird]

Today I checked the rest of the brakes. They actually seem pretty well. They must have been partially worked on previously as the brake shoes seem pretty new... Anyway, I will exchange the brake parts - I want to be sure on this.