[ozhummer]

I have a weird brake problem after my restore ...

I have new master cyl, disks, pads
I have vaccum flushed the entire system

BUT - I still have crappy brakes, in fact I can push the pedal to the firewall and cannot lock up the front wheels. I have a lot of pedal travel and have no idea why as there is no air in the line.

I did remove the proportioning valve and refurbish it, I have put lift on the car so the proportioning valve may not be setup correctly, but should this affect pedal travel?

Any ideas anyone ??

[Scrawny]

Have you manually bled the system? Those vacuum bleeders aren't always the best for getting all air out of a completely empty system. If you clamp all brake hoses do you get a firm pedal?

[ozhummer]

Yes. Bleed manually and im pretty sure there is no air.
I dont really like clamping brake lines as it can break down the linings...

[JrZook]

By the caliber of your rebuilds I thought that you would have replaced all the rubber brake lines. Clamping the lines will definitely help locate the problem. Did you bleed the m/c before you connected all the lines to it?

[Matthew]

Could it be the plunger on the brake booster?

[royce]

A proper brake clamp wont hurt a hose, if it does the hose was about to fail anyway

Its going to be the fastest way to isolate the problem, are the rear brakes adjusted up tight?

[ozhummer]

Royce - you make an interesting point about the rear brakes being done up tight ! - I don't think they are... I have replaced the cylinders, shoes and drums but I also thought they are self adjusting ? Am I wrong and if so how are they adjusted ??

[royce]

I find sometimes they wont adjust up from nothing, but once they are good they will keep to that

To adjust, jam a screwdriver in the cam pivot and pry it out till you get a good drum fit, it should come up from there

[ozhummer]

Just an update to finish this - THe brakes are now great, I couldnt really ádjust up the rear brakes using the standard methods, however I did adjust the handbrake back as per the workshop manual and it has totally fixed the brake issue - I guess it pulled the shoes to a point where they are nearly touching the drum and that has in effect done the same thing as adjusting the shoe. I am just hoping the auto adjuster now has free play and will pull it self in. . thanks everyone for the help

[christover1]

Braking in reverse can help auto adjusters work, too.

[JrZook]

The issue with the auto adjusters is that the slot in the shoes for them tend to be too large therefore only allowing the auto adjuster to adjust only once the shoes have a ridiculous amount of clearance to the drum.

[shandy92]

good to hear thats its all sorted,

just need to clarify something for my self, to adjust the rear brakes you rotate a little wheel through a small hole in the cover. How do you know when to stop tho? if you go to far can you wind it backwards or would the brakes drag?

been a while since ive done drum brakes
cheers
mitch