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Thread: Brake Rebuild Lessons Learned

  1. #1
    Noob
    Join Date
    Jun 2020
    Location
    Azle, TX
    Posts
    16

    Brake Rebuild Lessons Learned

    The brakes on my 86 had gotten soft, and as a result I hadn't driven it in a few years (life...). So I started the brake rebuild, and now it's apart for paint...mission creep (more on that in a different thread). The car has 63k miles, and has been a dry climate car it's whole life.

    I planned on rebuilding everything myself, but in the end got a screaming deal on a new master cylinder, so the original goes in my old parts box. The caliper seals were actually in great shape (very supple), so I left them alone, but put in new bushings. When the master cylinder came off, I discovered it had leaked onto the booster, so that came out of the car and got cleaned up and painted. I wasn't thinking and so no pictures of that, but it looks great now.

    Of course, all of the rubber hoses had to go. I had ordered them from Rock Auto a while back. The fronts went on with no issues.

    The center hose was just flat out wrong (a Wagner part). After much wailing and gnashing of teeth (our hose is made of unobtainium, I believe), I eventually discovered that the hose from an 85 GT will work. It is about 1/2in longer, but otherwise the same. It bolted right in and I don't expect any issues.

    Then came the rear hoses...
    IMG_3318.jpg
    Doh. I tried several sources, and I determined I just wasn't going to get the right ones. The SVO brackets are 1/2in shorter than what all of the parts houses are calling the correct hose.
    IMG_3317.jpg
    So, I ended up grinding the tabs off of the new and old hoses (they are pressed and crimped into rectangular slots), cleaned up and painted the old brackets, and then used JBWeld to hold the new hoses to the old brackets.
    IMG_3319.jpgIMG_3320.jpgIMG_3323.jpg
    Again, no picture of everything hooked up, but I'll try to attach one later. I don't expect any issues, as the steel brake line is going to ensure rigidity.

    Hopefully this helps someone getting ready to tackle the project. Everything is bled (although I expect I'll be rebleeding for a while, having evacuated the whole system) and working great.

  2. #2
    Half Boost
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Oconomowoc, WI
    Posts
    972
    Been a while since I did mine but I found one back then. Thanks for the write up. Did you get an aluminum master cylinder?

  3. #3
    Noob
    Join Date
    Jun 2020
    Location
    Azle, TX
    Posts
    16
    I didn't even think to check, I'll need to take a magnet to it. It is a Duralast NM1897. The Autozone site says OEM spec, then Aluminum or Cast.

    I got it for $35 with a lifetime warranty, so it was hard to pass that one up.

  4. #4
    Noob
    Join Date
    Jun 2020
    Location
    Azle, TX
    Posts
    16
    It is cast. Does that make any practical difference?

  5. #5
    Red Captain MikeFleming's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Location
    Tucson, AZ. USA, Earth
    Posts
    5,081
    Quote Originally Posted by bksvo View Post
    It is cast. Does that make any practical difference?
    Only in weight. Otherwise same functionality.
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  6. #6
    Some Boost Laredo's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Stillwater, MN
    Posts
    410
    Quote Originally Posted by bksvo View Post
    It is cast. Does that make any practical difference?
    You might want to stick with the cast iron if weight or originality are not concerns.
    I went through 2 in row of bad "remanufactured" aluminum master cylinders. The last one failed during the final elimination of the Sturgis Mustang Rally Autocross. That sucked!
    Have had the cast iron one in ever since with no problems. A local rebuilder in town says they can re-sleeve the aluminum one. It'll be costly but I might do that eventually.
    Bad choices make great stories....!

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