30-year-old brakes

Oldpappy said:
Several pages back (posts 269 and 279) I described how I bleed the brakes. The other methods work, but I usually am working alone, so don't have someone around to pump the pedal, and I just haven't had much luck with the vacuum bleeders I have tried. A one gallon sprayer cost me $9 at Lowes, the bleeder cap I provided a link to is also not very expensive. Makes this a very easy and fast job.

YES, you must close the valve while the system is pressurized.

If a valve is open when the helper lets off the pedal air will be sucked back into the system when the pedal goes back up.
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I have already ordered the M38 cap. I’m just waiting for it to arrive. I had assumed all bleeders had a check valve.
 
Assumptions often cost wasted time, but I am not sure what you are referring to. The bleeder valves in the wheel cylinders do not have "check valves". The vacuum pumps are just pumps, and I have never seen one with a check valve. The pressure bleeders, whether store bought or homemade don't have check valves.

The only "check valve" I am aware of is a wrench on the bleeder valve to tighten it between bleeds.
 
I always have some shady hose and bottle set up and wind up knocking it over or the hose is really too short or the brake fluid has made it hard as a rock.

I ran across the speed bleeders here on OWF a few years back. 99.6% of the time I'm working solo and making it work like all of us, but I did the Wagon brake system with these and it was a game changer with these little things. I have a vacuum pump and pressure pot now, did not at the time.

For me still did one wheel.at a time, furthest from the MC first and worked backwards, crack it open a little and was able to actuate the brake pedal from under the Wagon, don't let the MC go dry fill back up as you go. I choose normal DOT3 the bigger bottle and I forget how much I used because I eventually knocked the bottle over and spilt a bunch. :D:D

Would imagine CJ are tight and maybe not fully possible from under the rig.
 
My biggest problem is that I've never done this before. I watched some videos and received lots of advice on here. I had the bottle with the tube and I made a mess with it. I tried a vacuum pump and it didn't work as well as I thought. I didn't know I needed to close the bleeder at the bottom of every pedal push (the videos didn't mention this part).

I ordered the M38 cap that Andrew referenced previously and I picked up a pressure sprayer for $10. Hopefully that gets me on the road soon. I am really frustrated because when I stared this brake job I thought I would be done in a week or two. It's now dragged on for four months. Most of that time was spent waiting on parts to arrive or the budget to catch up but still. Now I see the light at the end of the tunnel and I'm ready to have it on the road for the summer.

Andrew,
Is there a reason I can't use the M38 cap as my everyday cap for the MC?
 
They used that cap full time on the military Jeeps. A vent hose connected to the barb was routed to the air cleaner. I don't leave mine on all the time because I might want to use it to bleed brakes on another Jeep, but you could probably set up something like the venting used on military Jeeps.
 
All good suggestions and information. I'd like to propose another option, front disc brake conversion and dual master cylinder. Yup, the disc brake kit/upgrade is pricey, but the stopping power is much better. I converted to front discs on my 1951 Chevy 3100 and am now doing the same on my wife's 1951 Willys pickup. With the dual master cylinder, I did survive a line failure with the single master cylinder causing total brake failure. I hit the parking brake pedal and the truck stopped, eventually. IMO brakes are the last place to cut corners to save money.
 
Oldpappy said:
He has spent months and a lot of effort on this brake job which turned out to be much more than he expected. At post number 327 it is a little late to suggest a complete brake system conversion in my opinion.
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Thanks Andrew!
 
BCB said:
All good suggestions and information. I'd like to propose another option, front disc brake conversion and dual master cylinder. Yup, the disc brake kit/upgrade is pricey, but the stopping power is much better. I converted to front discs on my 1951 Chevy 3100 and am now doing the same on my wife's 1951 Willys pickup. With the dual master cylinder, I did survive a line failure with the single master cylinder causing total brake failure. I hit the parking brake pedal and the truck stopped, eventually. IMO brakes are the last place to cut corners to save money.
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I would like to do the conversion but that is a project for down the road.
 
Fred46 said:
When COMPLETELY rebuilt and maintained to spec, the 9” brakes on the applicable Willys CJ work just fine.
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Everything downstream from the MC has been replaced except for the backing plates, drums, and hold down hardware. The drums measured within specs so I left them for later.
 
Oldpappy said:
Another advantage of this system is there is enough fluid in the sprayer tank that I don't have to worry about the MC going dry, so don't have to get up and down to go check it. At my age that is a very big advantage. I don't fill the gallon tank completely, just pour in a fresh quart bottle. Brake fluid, once opened will absorb moisture from the air so I discard the left over fluid, and use fresh the next time.
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Is your hose barb screwed in or pressed in? My local Ace didn't have a barb that would fit the threads. I'm going to try Home Depot after work today.
 
I don't know how you could possibly use it with the wand still on. I removed the wand, and used hose clamps on the tubing.
 
I can’t really remember exactly where the brake pedal firmed up before I started this process. I thought I had it pretty close. I took it for a test drive and came right back. Under load the pedal went to the floor. I found drops of fluid on the bottom of both rear backing plates. The right side drum had fluid in it and the pads are soaked. The left side had a dry drum and pads. I’m not sure if the drop was leftover from the bleeding process or what. I had replaced that WC earlier because of a leak.

So by I guess I’m pulling the hubs again and replacing the WC. Can the pads be cleaned or do I need to replace them?
 
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