Brakes 64 1/2 Mustang

Clem Clement

Clem Clement

Well-known member
My son's Mustang has set in a dry garage for some time. He is now visiting so I cleaned the brake drums and visually inspected the cylinders for leaks. Manual brakes. Plenty of meat on the shoes, but a small oil leak on the rear axle seal. With the starter replaced and the auto ****** filled with fluid, It was time to test the brakes. Vehicle is on 4 stands. Test not so good. Hard petal, but poor rear braking. By pushing hard on the pedal, I heard a loud clank and the rear brakes grabbed. I hoped things were unstuck, but the clank happened again. I'm thinking I better reinspect the entire system?
 
yes, check the entire system. The pistons like to stick in the wheel cyl if not used on a regular basis. Check the U joints also while it's in the air.
 
U joints are OK. Car has sat so things are sluggish. It seems to take a few seconds for the brakes to release. I will clean the shoe pivots. When the engine is off and I remove and return the shifter to the Park mode, the ****** does not go into park. I'm again assuming sticky something.
I'm not happy with some of the brake lines. They seem original and covered with factory under coat. Under the rear floor the exposed line is rusty. No weeping showing . The axle housing near the left wheel has the undercoat pealing back and rust showing. Not so on the right side. The flex lines show rust on their fittings. Where I have scrapped the undercoat off, some light rust shows. This car lived in Atlantic City for some of its life. There is still salt in the carpets.
The brake cylinders are not weeping and the shoes are Ok.
 
Brake lines corrode from the inside as well as the outside and hoses can seperate blocking the passage of fluid in either or both directions. To be safe, I'd rebuild the entire hydraulic portion of the brakes, especially if you believe it's original. Nobody needs a preventable life-changing experience.
 
The entire system needs to be flushed out, exercised and flushed again. That old fluid and gunk will not fix itself....it needs to be washed out.
 
You guys are right. We inspected the left rear brake. The cable for the auto adj system is rusted thru. The brake shoes won't fully return to off position as the cylinder piston is sluggish. Turning back one edge of the cylinder dust boot reveals rust and goo. Hose fittings are rusty. Further inspection of the brake lines reveals rust under the undercoat. An axle grease seal needs replacing as well.

Oh boy, another chance to use four letter words that help change a brake system. I did my 39 pickup a few years back and mosty of the scars have healed by now.

Suggest pre bent lines or univeral lines with pre flaired ends?
 
You need to overhaul all the wheel cylinders and the master cylinder and if front rubber lines are original replace them as well as the rear rubber line. 1/2 a day work will keep you both safe
 
This car being a classic, I would attempt to keep it original looking if possible. Pre bent would do that fairly well or you can buy a roll and bend it yourself. The fewer the connections, the fewer places to leak. You might consider using the new bronzish looking brake line. Bends and flairs easily and doesn't corrode.

Check your park cables as well. They tend to freeze up also.
 
Invest in a good tubing bender and a good double flare tool. I redid all the lines on my 69 Torino and it wasn't that hard to do. You don't want to half *** a brake system. Please excuse my French.
 
My son and I fooled with the rear brake a bit. (We (With help of the Barn decided the entire brake system needs a change out. -Thanks all.) He had to return home and I got to it today. The front side of the rear cylinder behind the rubber dust cover was full of greenish white crystals. The piston would move with the help of a brass drift and a BFH. I'm betting that show hasn't moved in a long time! The entire brake area is rusty. As I may have said, we found this "Coke Contest" car in Atlantic City. The carpets are still saltly.
 
I had the same issues on my '68. Take a word of advice from someone who has been there and replace the wheel cylinders, don't rebuild. They are only about 10-12 dollars each and she'll be good for another 25 years.
If you decide to replace the shoes, go with a premium lining from Bendix. The cheap brand gave me Hell on my car, a rock hard pedal and no stopping power. The best costs more but the results are well worth it.
I have always used bulk brake line from the parts store. It comes in sticks double flared on both ends with fittings. I cut, bend, and re-flare as necessary. A good tubing bender can be bought most anywhere. As for the double flare tools, mine are Snap-On but I think you can order a set from most parts stores. OTC is a good brand and they can be ordered direct from the mfgr.

At least it's a '64 1/2 with a single master cylinder. That single line means a lot less cussin'.:D
 
Just a question but wouldn't this be the time to convert the car to a double master ? Not that much more expense with all you are doing. Gerry
 
Clem, When I redid the brakes on my 69 Torino, I replaced everything on the rear except for the drums and the backing plates. The car had sat for 8 years in a basement garage with a dirt floor before I got it. The pistons in the wheel cylinders were completly seized and everything else was rusted all to pieces. The self adjuster cables had rusted in half, and everything was a mess. The drums only needed to have .008 removed to clean them up. Please take the time and money to do the job right and you will feel better about it when you take your loved ones for a ride in your classic Ford.
 
Thanks all. I will do the full job. We should never cut corners on brakes or tires. I thinking NAPA for cylinders? I am thinking about pre-bent lines. I did my 39 myself and enjoyed the bending flun. I have duals on the Mustang so I suspect more fun.
 
When I got a 61 Unibody ready for a drive from CA to AL found the brakes needed much of everything! Believe it or not Auto Zone had everything I needed and it was the same day or next. Almost all wheel cylinders are now made in China, having said that the Zone price was 1/3 Carpenters and just under half the NAPA price.
 
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