hmmm didn't think r e d n e c k was worse than cowboy....
Decided we'd go out for tea last night, nice night so we'd take the Trans Am. Gets going down the road in the village and the pedal feels spongy and getting worse. Pulls over as has a shufty under the car. Yep - rear wheel cylinder pissing fluid all over my wheel and arch!
Limps home and eventually gets the brake drum off. Only to find that the leading shoe doesn't have its retaining pin or spring!! Well I suppose I'd been getting more stopping power because the edge of the shoe had been in contact with the edge of the drum

May get the bits in time for weekend...

Mark.

 

Hey Mark,

I know it seems annoying, but at least you found out they weren't working whilst driving slowly. Imagine the mess if they had suddenly let go at high speeds.

This sort of thing seems to be part and parcel for american car ownership (well, older cars anyway). My dad has got a Corvette that's been off the road for nearly 4 years because of things breaking. But all part of the fun of it, if you ask me.

I'd advise you to give the rest of the brake system the once over seeing as you will already be working on it. If one is leaking, then the other might well be too.

Enjoy your weekend......

Allen

 

Its like vintage bikes, its par for the course.
Bloody annoying tho, and yep, a good job it was none motorway, ive just made new brake pipes for my new axle, and although i have 4 wheel cylinders now, not one of them looks that great.
At least i now have some spares, but i'm amazed how fast stuff comes through from the states, something that didnt happen years back i can tell you.

 

Awaiting parts from US Automotive as we speak. I did order two wheel cylinders and the hardware kit, seeing as shoes are sold in an axle set.
I checked the front pads out and there's plenty of meat left on them, dry as a bone too.

Mark.

 

Well the single piston calipers on the front are just under £25 exchange.
And seeing as the bleed nipples are donald ducked, those are on the list for next month.

 

ARRRGH UPDATE:-
Fecking brake pipe unions stuck onto pipe, so pipe knackered!! Local garage knocked me one up, but new union's threads fit the cylinders, but NOT the joint to the rubber pipe on the axle....

Mark.

 

Did they not re-use the old ends in case of that?
You can run a drill through the union to get it off the old pipe.
But thats weird as i made up new ones for my "new" axle, and all 4 unions are the same, i take it you have the original piece that has like a brass union on the end of the flexi-hose??
Cos on mine thats the same thread.

 

Yep the "splitter" on the end of the flexi pipe is original. The threads on the new unions are almost, not quite like the originals. Anyway, better still, the new cylinders don't have the little brass insert at the bottom of the hole to accept the 2 stage flange. Apparently 84/85 T/A's had a choice of metric or imp. fittings according to US Automotive. They've asked me to send the cylinders back along with the old one so that they can check it out.

When you made up your pipes R1, did you use a metric union? That's all the garages around here seem to stock.

Mark.

 

Well i must admit i cheated and used the unions that came with my 1987 z28 second hand axle, the pipes and the coil protectors were in real good nick, but i used the ends and they fitted the original 83 cylinders and the 83 split hose.
Yeh metrics the norm now, i used up most of my unf fittings over the years, its going to cause problems eventually, as you have found.

 

I've asked US Automotive to send me some unions which fit.
Damn I'm turning into a r e d neck; one car out of three on a stand outside my house! Need to find a gun rack next....

Mark.

 

Phew - One intact, working drum again. Cheers US Automotive!! And I've got the unions for the other brake pipe when I get around to sorting out the other drum (it still works, so I've left it for now.

It seems my car can have either imperial or metric brake fittings

Mark.