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brake help

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barker_b49

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Miami Flroida
1961 c-10. It sat for a couple months as i have been too busy to play with it. no brake fluid leaked out anywhere that i can see. just my normal oil spots :) when i apply brake it easily goes to the floor and barely stops the vehicle. as far as i know lines and master cylinder are original. assuming i need to just bleed the lines, is there anything else i should need to know or worry about before i start the process. all i have is the shop manual to go off of. any help is greatly appreciated.
 
just remember to start at the farthest from the master cylinder and work your way toward it. RR,LR,RF,LF. thats how i have always been told to do it. and be easy on those bleeder valves if they are the originals then id say they will be a pain to get loose without roundin them off. id just take some vicegrips to em and get em out and just put new ones in the cylinders if the cylinders dont need replaced to begin with. o yea and one more thing, good luck
 
oops, guess i was thinkin wrong on that one, thanks for pointin that out for me dval, ill have to remember that
 
thanks for the great info - it is appreciated!

any tips on what hose works for you all. and any specific modern brake fluid that is acceptable or stick with what the shop manual lists?
 
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Short of doing a specific rear wheel first, look at the brake lines at the rear axle. Locate which side of the differential the "T" connector is located, and bleed the opposing rear wheel first.

As for the pedal going down and you have not seen any leaking (be sure to look at the backing plates on each wheel for signs of being wet), I would be suspect of the master cylinder. If the internal piston seals are leaking, the pedal will go to the floor, but you will not see a loss of fluid. Also check the interior firewall for signs of fluid as leakage will be evident there as well, depending on what seal has failed. Any leakage to the outside world, you'll see a drop in fluid in the reservoir. Any blow by leakage (only occurs in the master cylinder), you will not see a drop in reservoir level.

If the truck has power brakes (my '66 does, factory power brakes), then fluid can go into the reservoir and you'll never see it. Your only indication will be loss of fluid as seen in the reservoir.
 
One more thing !!! Rather than just "bleeding" REPLACE all the old fluid !! Keep bleeding and adding until clean brake fluid comes out of each bleeder.

Old brake fluid that has had a few years to accumulate moisture will become worthless and will help contribute to brake cylinder and master cylinder failure.

DV
 
http://www.specialtauto.com/delorean-parts/brakes-rotors.html scroll towards the bottom

http://www.specialtauto.com/delorean-parts/images/power-bleeder-pro.jpg

bought a kit like this a few years ago when i was a mechanic, comes with all the adaptors to fit every style of reservoir, put it on, pump it up, and start bleeding. Dont need the wife to tire out her leg with pumping the pedal. works excellent for bleeding out the old, adding all new fluid, and super great for when you rebuild a brake system and have no fluid in it at all!! it keeps constint pressure so youll know if theres leaks for sure, it frees you up to check every location.

ITS WORTH THE MONEY!!
 
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