Disgust

Forget everything I wrote yesterday about brake bleeding, the nice new tool, etc. Let's pretend I didn't say any of that. Cuz what I thought was a decent pedal is just the end of the pedal travel. The damned thing doesn't seem to have enough travel and it barely engages the calipers. It doesn't engage the drums at all. Nada.

This seems to be a very common thread out there in cyberspace:

I have converted my car to disc brakes and now I can't get a pedal. It goes to the floor no matter how much I bleed it.

And a very common answer is this:

Check the bleeder screw orientation on the calipers. The bleeder screw must be on top in the 12:00 position. If it is not you will not be able to remove all the air from the system.

Well, that's not my problem, but I did do an ignorant thing. I failed to bench-bleed the master. I thought the reverse-flow bleeder would eliminate the need! Nope. After bench-bleeding, and resetting the "tripped" prop valve, I can now get the brakes to engage slightly at the extreme end of pedal travel if I really stand on it. Progress! But I still can't figure why I don't have enough pedal travel and whether or not my master and my calipers are compatible... seems there are these "metric low drag" calipers that require a higher volume of fluid. but it seems to me that the rears should be engaging better if that is the only issue. UGH!

Wheels

Transferred the tires over to the new wheels today with the help of Western Tire in Burbank.

Brake Fluid

Brake fluid is nasty stuff. So I was quite determined to bleed brakes a different way from my previous method. The old way was a system where you pressurize this tank that' basically one of those home bug sprayer things and the hose attaches to a plate you hook onto the master. Usually you blow a lot of fluid all over the place trying to get a seal on the master and then you go around to each wheel and crack the bleeder till the bubbles stop. But then you run out of pressure or fluid in the tank before the bubbles are gone.I have a helper who could pump the pedal for me if I wanted to do it the really old fashioned way, but then you have issues there too.

Now I have a new system that you attach to the bleeder at each wheel and push fluid in reverse up to the master. Bubbles want to go from the lowest point to the highest point anyway so you are working with them instead of against them, in theory. So today I got to try it out and at first, I was taken aback... all these tubes and attachments and fittings... OMG! But it's actually quite simple once you determine which pieces you need to use for your car... and there are very few.

But before bleeding, I had several things to do. I had to replace the radiator hoses I had ripped out while installing the right brake line, and I also had to get vacuum line run to the booster and tank. I kept the old hose from the engine to the check valve but I put in a fresh check valve. I used PCV valve hose and a tee to branch off from the boost to the tank.

So then I bled the system starting with the right, as it was the longest line in the front circuit. (I can't get to the back wheels til I can pull the car out of the garage.) Right away I realized I had some loose fittings in the system I had not tightened down enough. A quick turn of the wrench and all was well again. I did the left. Nice and smooth. Went back to check the right and... the flare fitting at the hard line where it joins the flex hose was seeping. Tightened, re-bled. Still seeped. Loosened, tightened, re-bled, better but no cigar. Unscrewed the fitting completely... this had been my very first flare ever, and it may not be quite perfect. I wanted to try to save it and avoid having to grind off the flare and re-do it. Thinking perhaps a bit of grit is contributing to the issue, I cleaned it with spray brake cleaner before screwing it back together. Used a bigger wrench to tighten down and gave it a last big grunt to get it tight. Re-bled... not seeping anymore!

Somewhere along the way while I was bleeding, the UPS man delivered the new front wheels... chrome smoothies... And with fingers crossed I opened one box and gingerly tried it on for size. It scrapes the caliper! DAMN! I compare the new smoothie to the OEM Buick wheel that does not scrape and I can not see any difference with the naked eye. Backspacing looks the same, width is the same. But the smoothie scrapes and the OEM does not. I look at the calipers and I can see what's going on. The caliper curves to fit inside the wheel except at the very outer ends where it sort of kicks back out. It doesn't look to me like there is any reason those "ears" need to be there. I did a little Googling on the subject and found another case where someone had to grind something similar off to get their wheels to fit. I decided to try a little re-engineering on the left caliper to see what I could do. Presto! I didn't have to do much and now there is no scraping. I will grind the right side tomorrow and then I can take the tires and wheels over to Western to get them swapped.

I did start the engine up and tried the pedal, even though only the front circuit has been bled. It feels like there is good assist from the booster and decent pedal... the travel should be less once the backs are bled but it's not too bad now. This whole expensive mess might actually work out well!

Lines Are Done

I think the lines are done anyway. We'll see once they get wet. Also fabbed up a bracket to mount the reservoir onto over at the left fenderwell. I need to get the vacuum line to the booster and tank now, then finish up the back brace for the master/prop valve. I have a pair of chrome smoothies on order to see if they'll fit. If they do I get a full set. Otherwise I'll have to figure out what to try next.

More Lines

Ugh... I got the the very last flare and the flaring tool broke! #%@&@*!

I had completed the right front line yesterday and today I got the line for the rear circuit completed with the 10 lb residual valve spliced in. I was just about done with the left front line; had it all formed and the master end flared. I just needed to flare the caliper end and then do a little tweaking. I need more clamps so I would not be able to completely check the lines off the list, but at least they'd be ready to get wet. A new flaring tool is on the way. Meanwhile I need to switch gears and work on mounting the master's reservoir and finishing off the firewall bracket/spacer. Then I have to figure out what to do about wheels...

Lines

The right front brake line is in place... that's not to say it went smoothly though. The first time I installed it, I had it routed wrong. Seems it needed to go between the motor mount and the engine block, but I put it on the other side. D'oh! Took it back out and re-routed it properly. Of course, the nice bend up job I did got a bit twisted out of shape through all of this, but easy enough to put back to rights as I was putting in clamps and tightening things down. Removing the radiator hoses helped a lot and I never liked those hoses anyway... time for new ones. (The radiator is looking pretty ratty too... may decide to get it re-cored soon.)

The line to tie into the rear system is nearly done. I put the residual valve in the new tubing from proportioning valve to where it unions into the old 1/4" line.

Finished off the right front line... I think. Will probably find all kinds of problems with it once I try to install. The second flare went easier.

Got the flaring tool and did my first flare on the right front wheel connection. I can see it is a slight bit off... wonder if it will seal. In any case, I now need some stiff wire to rough out the shape for the rest of the segment I'm doing.

The 3/16" stainless hard line arrived today and I bent up a new right front line with the stuff. I have the factory part duplicated but plan to take the line back to the firewall and up to the proportioning valve where the factory line stops at the distribution block on the frame. Now I just need my flaring tool.

More Disc-Oh!

The passenger side is now converted over to disc. This side went much easier since I had done all the pathfinding already on the driver's side.

I did have to remove some material from each lower A-arm to allow for the nut and lockwasher sticking out further than the head of the original bolt on the lower front of the Scarebird caliper plate. Since I had to put the bolt head on the side of the plate facing the rotor, there was not much choice or else I would loose a bit of turning radius.

Brake hose used on the driver/left side is Raybestos BH36845 (15"). Brake hose used on the passenger/right side is Raybestos BH36960 (17") The BH36960 is the right hand side for the '79~82 Eldo and it has a metal clamp which will bolt to the upper ball joint nut. But the tab that goes under the nut is a bit large on the side that points to the rear and the hole is a tad too small. So the hole has to be enlarged and the tab trimmed. Easy with a grinder and a Dremmel.

Both of the front wheel disc conversions are now complete, as far as I'm concerned. Everything is done except for running hard lines to the hoses. Once plumbed, I will need to check that the banjo bolt is tight enough not to leak, but that is all. Getting the new 3/16" stainless steel line next week so I can begin that fun process next weekend. I've been working at getting the old lines loosened and out. Finally got the line to the front right out by snaking out towards the rear of the car. The left front will be easy. I'm not sure I am going to replace the rear circuit hard lines right away. I'm thinking I will just tie that into the master with existing line and see how everything works.

 More work on the driver's side disc. The dust cap didn't fit well because the outer spindle washer is slightly too big and needed to be ground down a little. I also got a Ford-style cap and tried using it. Might have worked if I had gotten a clue about the washer first. Ended up making a hybrid cap with the GM seat and Ford dome. Maybe the passenger side will go easier.

I mounted the loaded Raybestos caliper after thoroughly cleaning the rotor. The inner pads were just a teeny bit wide and stuck in the caliper bracket. Ground about 1/8th inch off each edge and it fits fine.

Knowing that it probably wouldn't work, I tried to mount the original wheel back on the car and, as expected, it hits the caliper. I tried the wheels off of the '76 Electra and they fit fine. I tried the chrome smoothies I bought for the '49er and they scrape the caliper worse than the original wheels do. So, now I just hope my wheel covers will fit the Electra rims. I did try Bolo's old rims just for grins, they do fit but are too deep.

Disc-Oh!

Well I tried to finish up the upper brace for the master but all my drill bits are dull as a butter knife. So, moved along to the driver's side brake drum to begin the disc conversion. I had to improvise with the instructions a bit since following them about the lock washers made the rotor hit them. Also the lower front bolt has to be cut short or it will hit the lower control arm on sharp turns. But that's minor stuff. Another surprise is that the two lower bolts hold the upper and lower parts of the steering knuckle together so you must support the lower control arm to keep it from flying down under spring pressure. At this point I have the caliper bracket on, the bearings packed and the rotor attached. The dust caps are too small so I'll need to look for larger ones.

Bracket Engineering

The new booster and master are 1-1/2" longer than the original, and I deemed that too long to keep the mounting position as it was. So the bracket had to be cut down and re-engineered for the new booster. I ended up with a good fit. The new setup mounts on the firewall just fine and clears everything. I had ordered a rod extension kit but since I lowered the position of the booster, I didn't need to add any length. I had the forethought to lock the bellcrank in the at-rest position with the old booster before modifying anything. That made it easy to position the new rod and clevis to the locked bellcrank. Brains are amazing things when you use them. I still need to fab up the upper brace arms to the top of the booster or mounting studs for the master. I don't know what to expect from the rest of this job, but I am pretty happy with the results of this phase.

More Disassembly

Had to remove the inner fenderwell access cover to get the last bolt out of the bracket, but I have had that panel off many times before so I'm used to it. The new booster arrived today and I was able to eyeball how the bracket will have to be modded to work. I clipped the upper supports off of it to start. Naturally the bolts for the new master fall in all the wrong places. I'll make it work somehow. The old master and booster were about 11" tall and I could go 12" easily. The new booster is only about 5-1/2" alone so as long as the new master isn't more than 7" I should be OK. Otherwise, I will have to shorten the bracket so the booster mounts lower down. One way or the other...