Brake Parts

[randroid]

Gents,

I have been having problems with my front brakes, too, and have been following your posts lately with great interest. I have learned more places to look for problems than I wanted to, but since these are the brakes I'm going to check-out everything. Thank you all very much for the input.

I do have a few questions about a few of the things mentioned:

1. Is it possible to clean the ports in the MC without removing it? I've pulled it twice in the last eighteen years and don't want to do it again, ever.

2. My brake return springs are not original but I'd like them to be. The OM stopped producing them during the Eisenhower administration and any I've found in the local boneyards are broken. Know of a source?

3. You've convinced me to replace all the lines and I know how to do it, but I'd rather not pay NAPA's prices. Again, know of a source?

I'll stop here to contemplate the 3' of snow we've gotten in the last two weeks. Thanks again.

-Randy

[Young Ed]

Granted I get a discount at Napa but the lines don't seem to be very high priced to me. The last ones I bought for my dakota were the more expensive plastic coated ones and it was under 10 bucks for 2 pieces to go across each side of the rear axle.

Roberts or Bernbaum should have those OEM springs. I bought some for my coupe.

[Norm's Coupe]

As Ed mentioned, steel brake lines are cheap at the parts stores. You should be able to replace them all for about $30 or less. As for the springs. If you asking for springs for your year and make car, they probably don't have them listed anymore. However, drum brakes are sill used a lot on rear wheels and also on trucks. You should be able to take one of your old springs into the parts store and match them with springs for a newer model car or truck of some kind. If that failed, take them to a parts house that deals only in commercial truck parts in your area and see if they can match them up with springs that would work. If you think about it, if Andy B and Roberts always has new springs, they are getting them somewhere because they don't make them. So those are just some spring for a later model car or truck that they found that works. If they can buy them someplace, you can too.

[randroid]

Andy B. has the springs @ $6 each and I just ordered them. I'll get the brake lines at NAPA as soon as enough snow melts for me to climb under and measure them (like, next May?).

Thanks again, Gents.

-Randy

[Tim Frank]

Making your own lines is also an option. Not all that cost-effective

'cause as a few have pointed out, they are not that costly. But I often do something myself so I can justify the cost of buying the specialty tool required.

You can get a decent flaring tool for about $40-....$60- will get you a good one. Someone like Tim Adams can probably quote a close $$ for a pro model.

All that is just to say that once you have the tool, and they are not hard to use, you just need to buy the tubing in lengths and cut/bend it to fit any routing you want. Flare the ends and you are home and dry.

Hoses are a different story.

[Young Ed]

You cant go wrong with the snapon flare set. Very reasonably priced. Works great.

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item.asp?P65=&tool=all&item_ID=75291&group_ID=1338&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog

[Tim Frank]

wow. $42- for a Snap-on. I paid $45- for an import and it's OK, but sure ain't no Snap-on!

[bob westphal]

Randy, You can just run a paper clip or small drill bit through the small ports in the cylinder reservior. You don't mention what your car is. It is possible to rebuild the M/C on old MoPars on the car but I wouldn't advise it. You will need to remove the large nut fitting at the back of the M/C that the brake lines go into. You won't be able to change the front seals and boot. Good luck!