Originally Posted by
jessec96
If I clamp off front lines the pedal feels good. So I’ve bled almost a litre through the front also pressure bled with pump bottle.
As already mentioned, sounds like it's not air in the system.
From the above comment the problem lies with the fronts.
Remove the front drums, rub chalk over the linings, re-fit the drums, adjust the shoes till they rub, rotate the drum several times, back off the adjusters and remove the drums.
Now have a look at the linings and see where they make contact, you may need to remove & file the linings then repeat the above till you get good contact between shoes & drum. I mentioned this in another thread and someone suggested holding emery cloth in the drum & rotating the shoe against the emery to get the radius correct.
Pattern parts, worn drums etc. mean that you may have the lining only touching in one spot. When you press the pedal the pressure forces the shoes out and they flex. This procedure also means you get the best contact area between shoes & drums and therefore the best braking force.
This technique came from my Father-in-Law (no longer with us) who was in the brake business for years (co owner of Neville Pearce Brakes, Hallam). I had the same problem with my Series I, the rears OK but fronts spongy, filed until I got about 70% contact area on the linings and problem solved. Also learnt some bleeding tricks that got the air out of the system whereas everything else had failed.
Fitting the correct cylinders to the fronts will reduce the pedal travel but worth doing the above anyway.
Colin
'56 Series 1 with homemade welder
'65 Series IIa Dormobile
'70 SIIa GS
'76 SIII 88" (Isuzu C240)
'81 SIII FFR
'95 Defender Tanami
'58 Series II (sold)
Motorcycles :-
Vincent Rapide, Panther M100, Norton BIG4, Electra & Navigator, Matchless G80C
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