Seals and DOT 5.....

[Grdpa's 50 Dodge]

I learned alot during this thread already.  That not all components are dot 5 ready anyway.  It seems dot 5 isnt going to last long as in decades.

 

Young Ed- YES I plan on driving this car when get it in shape.  Might even can my daily driver in favor of that but that would mean salt and snow, ice.  I realize you get more than we but some is still plenty. 

 

I found out something moving the car to my house garage this weekend.  Grandpa bought it new, sold it in about 64 or 5 when he bought another new car,,he was retired all that while and poeple didnt travel much back then.  They went places but didnt soccer mom like now days. He sold it to a guy who drove it 6-8 blocks to work,,,mostly.   What I am getting at is looked at the miles on odometer and its less than 56 K,,,which I am plumb sure is first time around original miles.  I did find more surface rust than I thought she had.  So YES, plan on driving it 15 miles to work if it can be reliable,,,given that happens at 4 AM,,,but might whimp out and make it March/April to November/Dec. times of year.

 

I want to sand/ soda blast and paint rusty underside and engine compartment and salt drives me nuts

 

Buying wheel Cly., hoses, lines, and master cyl is bad enough first time,,,would really suck if a new formula of dot6 comes along

[Plymouthy Adams]

oh..for the record, the Dot 5.1 reverts back to glycol due the fact that ABS valve systems need lubrication properties and that was not provided for in the Dot 5

[De Soto Frank]

oh..for the record, the Dot 5.1 reverts back to glycol due the fact that ABS valve systems need lubrication properties and that was not provided for in the Dot 5

 

Hah !   Good ol' ABS.

 

G'Pa's 50 Dodge:   Switching  to discs isn't going to improve corrosion resistance with DOT-3 or Dot 4...  this is fucntion of the fluid chemistry - not the type or design of the system.

 

The primary issue with DOT-3 and DOT-4 fluids is that the glycol mixture is hygroscopic - it tends to absorb moistuer from the atmosphere.   If a given vehicle lives its lilfe in dry places, like the high desert of Colorado,  it will take longer for the fluid to get moisture-laden ( "water-logged" ) than would an identical vehicle with identical fluid in say, soggy, (humid) coastal Washington state.

 

So, if you have the time and inclination to flush-out your brake system every 3 to 5 years,  it will probably last "forever".

 

If you rebuild the system, and use DOT-3 or DOT-4 fluid, and never touch the wet side, except to top-up the master cylinder, they'll probably be good for twenty years, maybe more.

 

My experience with rebuilding brake cylinders has been this: if theyr'e pitted,  they usually are not able  to be clenaed-up enough to re-use w/o leakage.

 

If replacements are less than $50 each,  I usually buy replacements.  If more than $50 each, I start thinking about sleeving.

 

 

I am about to rebuild the brake system in my '61 Rambler American convertible, which has the MC mounted on the firewall, and DOES have very nice paint, so I might go DOT-5 with that one.

 

De Soto Frank

[knuckleharley]

 

I am about to rebuild the brake system in my '61 Rambler American convertible,

VERY cool car! There is a guy on ebay parting out a tudor if you need any parts. What I can see of the body looks solid and straight. Send me a email if you need help finding it.

[TodFitch]

Been back on forth on this myself. I have DOT5 in my '33 and have had it there since the '90s when I was putting things back together. And I haven't had any particular issues with it.

 

But if I were to do it again, or if I ever have to redo the whole system in the future, I'd probaby go with DOT3/DOT4 and make a practice of flushing the system every few years.

 

. . . I was going ALL new components and going dot 5 for the water issue,,,now thinking dot 3 or 4 and trying to replace fluid every few years.

 

It would help tons to have a power bleeding /flushing tool like now days,,,also a hoist for this old goat to work under.!!!  Dont buy lottery tickets so those are out!!! . . .

 

 

Garden and plumbing sections of my friendly local hardware store had everything I needed to make a presure bleeder for less than $20. So the cost of that is minor.

[ptwothree]

Think I found the problem with the sticking r.f. brake.  After reassembly bleeding and adjusting, r.f. still locking up.  Cracked the bleeder brake released.  Took off the drum

 

and had my son push the pedal while I watch the shoes.  They would expand but not contract until I applied pressure with screw drivers.  So it looks like new springs all around are in order.  Burnbaum or Roberts or ???  At least I'm gaining on it.......

[Plymouthy Adams]

look like new rubber hose is in order in my opinion..the MC delivers fluid under high pressure and will flow a slightly collapsed hose...but the springs will not generate enough force for the fluid to return out of the cylinder to the master..this is a very common problem..

Edited September 26, 2013 by Plymouthy Adams

[ptwothree]

look like new rubber hose is in order in my opinion..the MC delivers fluid under high pressure and will flow a slightly collapsed hose...but the springs will not generate enough force for the fluid to return out of the cylinder to the master..this is a very common problem..

It's got new hoses...I was just wondering.....   Is it possible to tighten the cam bolts tight enough to cause this condition.  I did notice that after bleeding the system, all the brakes would release just fine.  I noticed that this "lock up" is occurring after the brake is adjusted and the cam bolt is lashed down....  ever heard of that?

[TodFitch]

Did you adjust or check the length of the master cylinder actuating rod? If too long it will block the relief port in the master cylinder which will lock up the brakes. If your one cylinder is adjusted tighter than the rest it might lock up first.

[ptwothree]

Yes, It's properly adjusted.  I use tip cleaners from my welding torch to check to make sure that the piston clears the hole.  I'm going out now to loosen the cam bolts and see if that changes anything.

[ptwothree]

Yes, It's properly adjusted.  I use tip cleaners from my welding torch to check to make sure that the piston clears the hole.  I'm going out now to loosen the cam bolts and see if that changes anything.

Here I am quoting myself...................anyway, I backed off on the cam bolts and backed off the heel adj to where no noise was heard when I spun the drum and tightened the cam bolt just tight enough so it would not move.  Right front does not lock now.  All this for that.  

 

This is truly a case of respecting torque values and sticking to them.