The Steps to Complete Restoration
4. The Brakes

• Remove brake drums 7/3/99
  I pulled off the front drums and inspected them. The brakes were in quite good shape. The only problem is that there was rust on the drums. I used sand paper and steel wool to remove the rough spots. I hope it is good enough. The only way to tell is by testing the brakes. If braking is not smooth, I will have to pull the drums and have them turned. The bearings looked great, so I re-greased them and re-installed them.

• Inspect brake shoes 7/3/99
  The shoes look new! So I sanded them lightly to remove the glaze and dirt. The slave cylinders look fine, but must be tested. The rubber seals look new so we will see! It is always good to oil the star adjuster wheels opposite the slave cylinders. If you take the shoes off, you should coat the adjuster wheels with aluminum "never sieze" compound.

• Test slave cylinders
• Replace bad cylinders
• Replace old shoes
• Replace Master cylinder

I bought new master cylinder and brake lines. The master cylinder is the bus type and has the brake fluid reservoir built into the top (WRONG!). The Bus Master cylinder has a larger diameter and requires too much pedal pressure to stop your car. Use the master cylinder that matches your brakes!

You always need to look closley at your brake lines. If they are cracked or you can't blow through them easily, then replace them. Rubber brake lines are required in most states because their failure mode is to plug up rather than leak. The stainless steel brake lines are more durable, but when they fail, you lose your brakes!

• Bleed brakes

Last updated Sat July 3 20:15:00 PST 1999 .