The Great Ms. American 3.14159 Chase Truck Renovation Caper

Originally Posted by galax-z

J.C. yes it exactly the same as the halibrand you remember.

Hey Mr. G-Z,
Whenever one saw one of the Hildebrand Quick Change Rear Ends on a rod, you immediately KNEW that either this was some SERIOUS machinery, or the guy who owned it had big bucks! As I recall, it was put in in place of the center section of a Ford or Mercury rear end. Occasionally one of those rear ends would start leaking where the bolts held the Axle Tubes to the Center Section. And the cheap fix for that was to loosen all the bolts, and wrap Dental Floss around and around the bolt pattern, and then tighten up the bolts again!

there is no syncronizing to it in-or out.

So you can't have the engine running and put it in gear, but you CAN take it out of gear with the engine running.

thats 6.97 to 1

I see what you mean. I was dividing 6 into 97, thinking one gear had six teeth, and the other gear had 97 teeth. What you meant was 6.97:1. That's still pretty LOW. BTW, Lorrie has a really low geared rear end also. Made for stop and go driving between mail boxes. She accelerates pretty good, but has a top end of 55 in still air. She'll go faster with a tail wind, but with a ten mph head wind won't go over 40 mph. Usually when traveling long distances, I'd draft someone.

if you want to idle slower you step on the brake. sometimes it will die- now you have to push it again.

I've seen that at the Sprint Races on the telly.

it also has only a magneto for electrical sys.

I have to confess that I don't understand a magneto.

a crows foot is basically a flair nut (line) wrench with no handle . instead it has a hole for an extension for your socket drive.

Hmmm. I've seen something LIKE that. YES, THAT's what would work.

after taking the r/c apart every year, and putting it back together--- same thing every time- LVH is more interesting

And probably HARDER to do because with YOUR Race Car, you make it to where it can be done easily. With Lorrie, it's as was mentioned earlier... They didn't mean for it to be easily maintained. Run it till it was no longer reliable, and then sell it to some poor, unsuspecting bloke like myself.

Well, I got the NEW Wheel Cylinder, and a supply of the Copper Washers. The NEW unit came with one. And while the other unit that is going to be rebuilt had one, but I'd rather put a new one on when it is re-installed.

Got a RED can of Brakleen. It is chlorinated. The GREEN can of Brakleen isn't chlorinated. Wonder what THAT is all about?

Also went to the Water/Sewer Headquarters... The threatening letter got sent to the WRONG James Allison! I didn't even know there WAS another James Allison in the county. None-the-less, I'm off the hook for the $2,455.55. WHEW! That was a close one! I don't have access to THAT kind of lump sum.

And while Ms. American and I were out, we had THREE different groups of people ask what year is she, and say that she sure is nice. Try THAT with a Honda! She sure is an attention getter.

Also, I went to the pharmacy and picked up the antibiotic script. Took one of them when I got home. I'm feeling really queasy now. And I've got to take two a day for ten days!

Anyway, I'm going to finish here and then go out and spend the rest of the day working on Lorrie.

Isn't this FUN?

JC

Hey All, and Mr. G-Z in particular,
Here is a JPG of the Flare Fitting on the inside of the Right Front Frame Rail. This fitting goes to the Flexible Hose that goes to the Right Front Wheel Cylinder. I had to light it with a lantern to get the picture. It is "almost", but not quite totally inaccessible. Hope this give you some idea of that which I am up against here.



This next JPG is the primary cleaning of the Right Front Back Plate.



This next JPG is of the finally cleaned Left Front Back Plate. The Right Front Back Plate will get this final cleaning, and then they both will be painted Gloss Black.



More progress and JPGs as they occur.

JC

Hey All,
Tuesday Update:

Have started the cleaning of the Brake Assembly Components.

And while carefully cleaning each part, there is a lot of contemplation that goes on.

The thought occurred to me that Lorrie has a two Reservoir Master Cylinder.

There are two Steel Brake Lines that connect to the ports that come out of the Master Cylinder. The front one, I assume, goes to the Front Brakes. The other goes to the Rear Brakes.

The question becomes: How does one of the two Brake Systems know how much pressure that the other System has?

For example: Say that I want to clean out the Front Brake Lines by hooking the Flare Fitting to the Front Reservoir. And then fill the Front Reservoir with Clean Brake Fluid, and pump on the Brake Pedal forcing the Brake Fluid through the Front Steel Brake Tubes and out the OLD Flexible Brake Hoses which are just going to empty into container to catch the Brake Fluid.

After the Front System is clean, then I want to clean out the Rear Brake Tubes.

So I hook up the Flare Fitting to the Rear Steel Brake Tubes. I then fill the Rear Reservoir in the Master Cylinder with Brake Fluid and pump on the Brake Pedal forcing the Brake Fluid through the Rear Steel Brake Tubes.

This will also continue pumping whatever Brake Fluid is in the Front Steel Brake Tubes out.

Alright... NOW we have clean Steel Brake Lines on the front AND the rear Systems.

So it is time to install the NEW Flexible Brake Hoses.

They are installed, and then the Wheel Cylinders are connected to them, and then the Wheel Cylinders fastened to all four Brake Plates.

It is NOW time to bleed the Front Brake System. So I bleed the Front Wheel Cylinders to where when the Brake Pedal is depressed, we now have solid Brakes on the Front.

It is NOW time to bleed the Rear Brake System.

But HOW do you do that when the Brake Pedal won't depress any further than to where the Front Brakes go solid?

Am I missing something here?

Anyone?

As you can see, I'm getting a pretty good education here!

JC

time for more edumacation. the tandem mastercyl. has two pistons seperated by a spring. with everything sealed in a normal situation, depressing the first pisto will push the second piston. when there is a leak- the first piston will bottom the spring and push the second piston. pedal will be low. one half of the m/c can work independantly. clear as mud.

Originally Posted by galax-z

time for more edumacation.

Hey Mr. G-Z,
It just NEVER ends, does it?

the tandem mastercyl. has two pistons separated by a spring.

You see, I didn't know that THIS was the arrangement, seeing as to how the Master Cylinder that came out of Lorrie was frozen together, and I couldn't take it apart to see how it was assembled. AND, I don't plan on taking the NEW Master Cylinder apart.

with everything sealed in a normal situation, depressing the first piston will push the second piston.

Alright. This means that I can STILL flush the Front Brakes (fed by the Second Piston). It will just mean that the Brake Pedal will have to travel further as it will initially compress the spring, and THEN push on the Second Cylinder. You see? There's an answer for EVERYTHING.

when there is a leak- the first piston will bottom the spring and push the second piston.

Check. I've just looked at the exploded view of the Master Cylinder in the Dodge Van Manual, and I can NOW see how it works.

That's something that I've noticed... The illustrations mean nothing if you don't know that for which you are looking. Once you understand how it all works, THEN the illustrations make sense.

pedal will be low. one half of the m/c can work independently.

Alright. We're still in good shape then.

clear as mud.

No, no, no... This was quite concise. Thanks for explaining it.

Am going to finish the cleaning of the Right Front Back Plate. There are some places that just can't be reached by the BIG Wire Brush Wheel in a 1/4" Drill, and have to be done with the Craftsman RotoTool and the SMALL Wire Brush Wheels.

Then will mask off some of the parts (Bolt Heads, machined parts such as the Spindle, Anchor Mechanism, and the little "Pads" that you recommended be smooth and lubricated) and then paint the Back Plates Gloss Black.

Then while they are drying, I'll begin the approximately two day job of cleaning all the rest of the Brake Assembly Parts.

I should be ready to Flush the Front Brake Line System by the weekend.

Once the Front Brake Line System is flushed, I can remove the OLD Flexible Brake Hoses, and take them to the place where they build Hydraulic Hoses, and have them duplicated, seeing as to how, no one seems to be carrying them as a "stock" item.

Once I have those Flexible Brake Hoses in hand, I can then reassemble both the Front Brake Assemblies.

Then it will be on to the Rear Brake System.

AND while I have the Rear Brakes off, there is a Seal on the Right Rear Axle that needs replacing as there is Differential Lubricant leaking from the Right side of the Rear Axle. Watching me do THAT "Ought to be a sight!" as one of my OTHER gurus here (Mr. DH) used to say!

Anyway, a BIG thanks for taking the time to explain this kind of stuff for me. I can pretty much DO the work once I understand what it is that I'm doing. And once I've done it, I know what I'm doing. It's just that I probably won't ever do very MUCH of it ever again.

BTW, there is a "rumor" going around that there is some "Big Tyme" Auto Restoration outfit putting in a BIG shop here in Onalaska! The guys over at Midnight Enterprises (who are a bunch of of Hell's Angels types) with whom I have a pretty good rapport, have been watching the stuff that I've been doing, and the "Leader of the Pack" (Mark) said that I ought to contact this Big Tyme Restorer about doing "piece-work" for him, seeing as to how I seem to be willing to take the time to "fix" original equipment like I've been doing with Ms. American, and Lorrie Van Haul. He said all I'd have to do is show them the stuff that I've done on the 3.14 and LVH, and the guy would probably have me do some stuff for him.

Anyway, thanks again for the edumacation.

JC

Hey All,
Wednesday Update:

Here are the JPGs of Lorrie's Left and Right Back Plates AFTER they were painted Gloss Black. Lightly oiled all the shiny parts. The is a little paint removal at the base of the Spindle that needs doing, as the masking tape wouldn't curve sharply enough in places.





Also got all the Brake Components for the Left Front Brake cleaned, and am going to do a Before&After JPG using the clean Left Front parts, and the uncleaned Right Front Parts.

Anyway, sat in Ms. American and did all the work on the Brake Components. It was GORGEOUS out there today, and it is joy just to sit in the 3.14.

Going to go to the Auto Parts Store tomorrow and see if an Air Valve that will hook up to the Air Tank is available. If there is, am going to use it to blow out the Front Steel Brake Lines.

Will get the Right Front Brake Components cleaned tomorrow, and then will come the quest for NEW Flexible Brake Hoses.

Hope you all are having as much enjoyable FUN as am I.

JC

Hey All,
Thursday Update:

Took the Compressed Air Tank (CAT) to the Hardware Store. Got the shortest Air Hose that would fit the CAT. Got an "Air Gun", which is a valve that fits the other end of the new Air Hose.

Also got a fitting that goes into the end of the Air Gun that has a 1/4" Hose Fitting on it. Have a piece of 1/4" hose that will go over the Hose Fitting AND then over the Flared End of the Steel Brake Line that goes into the Outlet of the Master Cylinder.

This makes it possible to hook it all up, pressurize the CAT, trigger the Air Gun, and blow air through the Front Steel Tube Brake System.

Also got a Brass Cap that will fit the threads of the OLD Flexible Brake Hoses that thread into the Wheel Cylinder so that one of the OLD Flexible Brake Hoses will be capped so that the air from the CAT will go out the other OLD Flexible Brake Hose. Once THAT branch of the Front Steel Tube Brake System is clear, the cap will be put on the other OLD Flexible Brake Hose and then the air from the CAT will clear the remaining branch of the Front Steel Tube Brake System.

In the meantime, went out and using "lung power" blew into one of the OLD Flexible Brake Hoses, and found that the DOT5 Silicone Brake Fluid in the line came out of the BACK Fitting that goes into the Master Cylinder.

Am planning on putting Brakleen into THAT fitting, and then blowing it out with the CAT system. This will completely clear the line with compressed air.

At least we now know that the Front Brake System is not clogged. It just needs to be CLEAN and Clear of Dot5 Silicone Brake Fluid.

Alright, with all that said, here is the QUESTION: It says on the instructions included with the Master Cylinder that it "HAS TO BE BLED ON THE BENCH BEFORE INSTALLATION". But, wouldn't that only apply if it were being put onto a system that already had brake fluid in the braking system.

Can't THIS Master Cylinder be put on DRY, since the system is going to be completely bled once it is all assembled?

The plan is to put the Master Cylinder on and then pump Dot3 Brake Fluid through the System BEFORE even removing the OLD Flexible Brake Hoses.

Then the OLD Flexible Brake Hoses will be removed, and NEW Flexible Brake Hoses installed, and THEN the Wheel Cylinders will be put on, and then the entire Brake Assembly installed, and THEN the whole System will be bled.

It will then be on to the Rear Brake System.

BTW, am having absolutely NO LUCK on finding NEW Flexible Brake Hoses for the Front of Lorrie. The NEW Flexible Brake Hoses for the Rear are available though.

Will let you know more when more is known.

JC

JC--THE MASTER NEED TO BE BENCH BLED-- AND YOU CANT PUMP FLUID THRU THE LINES WITH ANY OF THEM OPEN -THE REASON--AS YOU LET UP ON THE PEDAL YOU SUCK AIR BACK INTO THE LINES--
dam caps--sorry--

thats why to bleed the brakes you need some one to pump the pedal while you open and close the bleeders one at a time--

read a tutorial on brake bleeding --im sure you will find one on the net--

sorry again about the caps --

Originally Posted by Rich27028

JC--THE MASTER NEED TO BE BENCH BLED --

Hey Mr. DH,
Alright.

AND YOU CANT PUMP FLUID THRU THE LINES WITH ANY OF THEM OPEN -THE REASON--AS YOU LET UP ON THE PEDAL YOU SUCK AIR BACK INTO THE LINES--

You are, as usual, RIGHT! And I knew that. I just wasn't thinking.

dam caps--sorry--

It's alright. No apology necessary.

thats why to bleed the brakes you need some one to pump the pedal while you open and close the bleeders one at a time--

Alright. Well, THAT kind of puts a crimp in the idea of using the Master Cylinder to clear the Brake System, doesn't it?

read a tutorial on brake bleeding --im sure you will find one on the net--

I already knew how to bleed a Brake System. I've done it a number of times before. BUT, like I said, I was just hoping to be able to flush out the Brake System using the Master Cylinder.

sorry again about the caps --

Don't even mention it.

Anyway, thanks for the reminder.

JC

JC -something like a really small yard sprayer-bug sprayer--get one of those small plasic ones [quart size] at lowes or home depot-- ill have to think on this --