Brake rebuilding time. Lots o' questions!

[LeonV]

Why wait for a bleeder tool when you can just bleed them manually? You can start off by yourself, put the bleed hose into a jar of good brake fluid and pump away. Once you have fluid coming out of the hose, close the bleeder and step on the pedal a few times. Check for leaks.

I've used this procedure for making sure everything in the braking system is good and finished up utilizing a helper to get those last few bubbles out, which didn't take very long.

[FastWoman]

I figured with a MityVac I wouldn't be running the master cylinder past its usual travel points and wouldn't risk damaging the seals. (I don't know that I don't have rust in the thing.) That said, I've always bled my brakes manually, and I just checked the ETA on the MityVac -- TUESDAY! That's quite a long time. I might just do the rears manually. The MityVac should be here by the time I'm ready to bleed my fronts.

[FastWoman]

Captain, I didn't have any instructions, and it wasn't a great flaring tool. I just concentrated on CAREFULLY centering all the parts, checking that the mandrel didn't tilt during the compression. My first attempt was off center. The second was much closer. The third was spot on, and so was the real thing. I've got my fingers crossed that it doesn't leak. If it does, I'll fiddle with it, and my plan B can be to have a brake shop make the tube for me.

[FastWoman]

DONE -- on the rears, anyway.

I solved the mystery of the star wheel. It turns out the e-brake mechanism on both sides was partially rusted up, so that it wouldn't articulate. It beats me how the e-brake had worked like that, although it did. Anyway, the adjuster was frozen in two slightly different positions on each side, hence the catching of the star wheel on one side only. I guess I should use my emergency brake more often. I prefer to park my car in gear with the e-brake off, unless I'm perched atop a cliff or something.

Tomorrow I turn the car around and start on the fronts. That should be a much better job by comparison. I had forgotten just how much I hate drum brakes.

[Captain Obvious]

Wow. Three test parts and you're getting good doubles. I know who I'm callin' next time I need a hardline replaced!

Glad you got the adjusters figured out. Lube em up and, keep them dry (backing plate boots in good shape) and use the parking brake frequently enough to keep everything mobile. Doesn't have to be every time, but more than once a month. I've been inside lots of drums over the years, and I gotta say that the late 280's are one of the better ones. It's the simplicity, and the room to work.

Don't hate the drums... As a matter of fact, I've had other cars with rear disks that I was actually afraid to use the parking brake because it would intermittently get stuck engaged. It was a bad combination... Steep driveway, manual transmission, parking brake that would stick ON, and a very worn engine with barely any compression left.

Do the math.:paranoid: It was like Christine.

[LeonV]

I've been inside lots of drums over the years, and I gotta say that the late 280's are one of the better ones. It's the simplicity, and the room to work.

I second that. From all the drum brakes I've worked on (mostly old domestic cars), S30 drum brakes are the easiest to work with. Doing the rear drums on a Z is an easy job, the only thing that can make it difficult is rust and that's what gratuitous use of penetrating oil is for!

[robftw]

I wasn't so lucky D:

[FastWoman]

I got the fronts done. I had assumed the pads could use replacing, as the guy who inspected the car said they were maybe half worn. However, I found them only maybe a quarter worn. I just sanded the glaze off of them, hosed them with brake cleaner, and reinstalled with the new calipers.

The right caliper had been replaced (by itself) shortly before I bought the car. Strangely, it was dragging the brakes just a bit, while the older left caliper was not. Also the left front brake hose didn't match the other three. More piecemeal work. I didn't really know how old anything was. The PO said he had just done the brakes before I bought the car. I asked him if that included the hydraulics, and he said it didn't. The hydraulics definitely needed an overhaul.

Captain, I still don't know how good my flare is. I might be missing a tiny bit of fluid, but it might be my imagination. I'll have to watch the reservoir. I also have a TINY bit of brake pedal sag, so I might have messed up the master a bit by running the seals over rust. Dunno. It's not bad, though.

The pedal feels fairly firm. I got a very good bleed on the fronts, but perhaps could have done better on the rears. I'll touch it up when I get the MityVac in. The parking brakes are much better. Still haven't gone for a test drive. It was getting dark.

I'll try not to be too down on rear drums. Yes, I can see how rear disc parking brakes could be difficult. I wonder why they're inside tiny drums and not clamped across the disc too.

[madkaw]

I am like Captain, 3 practice trys and making doubles-wow. Seriously though, I would suspect that area first for any problems. I tried doing my own flaring with two different tools and finally gave up because I didn't want my brakes left to 'chance'.Plus some of my lines ran inside the car and didn't want any leaks there.

As always Sarah you impress me with your mechanical ability

[FastWoman]

Thanks, Steve! Yeah, wait a while longer before you decide to be impressed. That fitting might end up having a slow leak. If it does, I can always just buy another 30" line with fittings and leave it long-ish (by about 5"). I suppose I can make a loop in it to take up the extra length. Or maybe I can find a 25" brake line somewhere.

Fingers crossed!

[Jetaway]

Jetaway,

There is a tool for this job.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/WMR-W158C/

But I'm surprised it took that much force. I'm not that beefy but I usually just grip with a large pair of pliers and push in to compress. Then while holding the spring in, I can reach to the back and rotate the post with my free hand to engage the slotted washer.

I do these first before hooking up the return springs. The retainer helps to hold the shoes while I force the returns back on. Those are the ones that usually give more of a headache.

I guess I shouldn't rule out general physical decrepitness.

I'll have an opportunity to try your tip of putting the anti-rattle springs on before the return springs. After 400 or so miles of driving, apparently my rebuilding failed on one of the cylinders. I don't understand why.The bore and piston were clean, no rust, and no scoring. I had the rebuild kit(s) for the early 240Zs (built before 7/72 -- maybe a month off on that, mine is from 10/71). How it managed to fail while backing out of my garage rather than at speed, I will never know.

One possible thing, though it is a longshot. The Factory Manual, Chilton's and my primary reference, Autobook, shows the return spring inside the cylinder as having its larger end against the piston, smaller against the cylinder. But I know, on both of my cylinders, it was installed the other way because I had to jimmy it off the bolt-head like thing on the piston. The large end easily fits over this bolt-head like thing. But I'm not sure how it would make a whit of difference which way it is installed and that if it does matter,why did the cylinders work with the springs installed the "wrong" way?

Chris

[Captain Obvious]

I'll try not to be too down on rear drums. Yes, I can see how rear disc parking brakes could be difficult. I wonder why they're inside tiny drums and not clamped across the disc too.

Actually the rear disks with the parking brake that would stick on was not the "mini-drums inside the rotor" style. They had the parking brake function built directly into the caliper. The concept was sound, but they used some stupid roller bearing on the parking brake pivot shaft that would rust in place to the shaft.

Hope it turns out that your flare isn't leaking.

Out of curiosity, you originally started this because you were chasing a low fluid level in your master cylinder. Did you ever find the smoking gun for that?