Series 2 brakes issue (surprise)...

[reg of the overflow]

I have a 1961 SWB which has a Holden engine in it. When I bought it some 15 years back, it had a Holden donk in as well. As such I have no idea what engine it had in it when she was put together in Sydney all those years ago.


Now the brakes have never been good from the word go and I have always had to pump them. When I first got it, it had the small "CV" type master cylinder which I replaced with the bigger "CB" type, hoping to get more fluid moving through the system. Seemed to work a bit better.


The problem has always been having to pump the brakes, no matter what I do - or the brake bloke does - doesn't seem to get all the air out. Now, the rear brakes are 10" with a single slave cylinder while the front brakes are 11" with upper and lower slave cylinders BUT the fluid goes into the top cylinder then a pipe goes from there to the lower cylinder where the bleeder valve is. To me, that doesn't make sense...


Is this the correct system or should the bleeder valve be on the upper cylinder?

[reg of the overflow]

tried to add a pic but couldn't get it to work :(

[Dinty]

How you have described it, is how it is meant to be, sounds silly but that's it, cheers Dennis

[Phil B]

Hi
Suggest you try reverse bleeding the system
Lift the car onto stands and take all the wheels off, leave the drums on.
Make sure all your adjusters are backed off fully (shoes away from the drums),
Get yourself a large syringe (from a vet), start at the furthest point from the mc (usually rear left) then rear right, front left and then front right
Join a short (250mm) piece of rubber hose onto the syringe and make sure it doesn't leak, fill the syringe with brake fluid, attach it to the first bleed nipple, open it and force fluid (and air) out to the mc. Retighten the nipple, remove the syringe/tube and move on to the next wheel.
Remove excess fluid from the mc before it overflows.
Readjust the shoe adjusters so that you can feel the shoes just touching the drums, put the wheels back on and try it
This has worked for me several times but the two most important things are the sequence and the final adjustment
Good luck!
Phil B

[gromit]

If you clamp off the flexible hoses and release one at a time and press the brake pedal you can determine which part of the circuit the problem is in.

You mentioned changing master cylinder and the fact that it has 10" brakes on the rear and 11" brakes on the front. Is the master cylinder for a SWB or LWB ?


Colin

[JDNSW]

The 88 1961 2a should have the same brakes front and rear. Yours would seem to have the 109 front brakes (11"). These need more fluid moved than the standard brakes, which are the same front and back, same as your back. So you are working six wheel cylinders instead of four and need to have the 1" master cylinder, not the 3/4".

If this is what you have, then you need to look at where the problem is. If the brakes come hard when you pump, then it is not air. Find where the the problem is by clamping off all three hoses and release them one at a time. Sort of thing to look for is problems with the adjusters (don't stay put), oversize drums, shoes not sitting straight etc.

Hope this helps,

John

[Ozdunc]

What these fellas say, but I'd also be looking at the hoses themselves. Older hoses tend to bulge under load, despite looking OK

[reg of the overflow]

thanks guys for all your input, I will take all advice on board. She has 11" brakes on the front to comply with engineering and VicRoads because of the Holden engine.


I wasn't aware that that there were a LWB and a SWB master cylinder, just the small (CV) and the big (CB) cylinders. I changed the smaller one for a bigger one previously. The hoses have been replaced in the past and will be again while she is in dry dock.


I like the syringe and hose idea, apparently they reverse bled them in the factory.


cheers