I just installed new SS hard lines on my 88 (fr-disc, rr-drum). Bench bled the m/c...fixed a couple of leaks (combo valve, and rear T-fitting), and then bled each wheel. The car now stops (which was a plus when I was pulling it out onto my 20 degree incline driveway).

What should I look for? I took the car for a drive and reached 30 MPH and braked...I stopped but not as well as my new truck. On a car that is 18 years old, should braking be as good as a new car? Is there anything I should look for? I just want to ask you guys before I take it on the highway. I'd prefer to ask the questions instead of taking the ditch.

How can I verify that each brake is working up to optimum performance?

 

Did you just also put new pads and turned rotors on it, or are they ones that have been on the car for some time untouched recently (Untouched meaning: they are bedded and heatcycled already, they have had many mailes of normal use on them already)?

 

Sorry...yes...pads, shoes, rotors, and drums were also replaced about 1k miles ago. I didn't replace the wheel cylinders...they looked in good shape....

 

Then just drive it carefully on slower streets until you get about 100 milews on it. No fast stops on purpose. Just keep the brake temps low and even. You need to properly bed everything before you can start really getting on them seeing if they are better than before. Patiences or you will harm the rotors if they are not properly heat cycled.

Heat cycleing is basically running the car enough to get some heat into the brakes but not spiking them with hard stops. Then the normal sequence of them cooling down and then warming again onethe next use of the car. JUST DRIVE LIKE AN OLD LADY NORMAL FOR ABOUT 100 MILES-I can't stress this enough.

Basically when I say 100 miles, I don't mean one long 100 mile trip. I mean use the car over the course of several days of heat and cool to condition the rotors to accept heat evenly.

After that, you can start to gradually introduce higher heat *slowdowns*(Note I did not say stops, you want to get on them hard to raise heat levels, fut want to keep the rotors spinning on the cooldown to normal running temp so the pads stopped on one spot of the rotors at a long stoplight do not hotspot the rotors). Onece you are gradually getting onto them harder and harder you will be able to tell if the car is stopping straight or if it is ppulling to one side with a caliper not functioning properly.