Awesome project! I had a 76 several years ago, they are cool trucks.
Awesome project! I had a 76 several years ago, they are cool trucks.
got it on the road! Still have stuff to iron out.
it was making a horrible noise on decel and I thought it was the newly rebuilt transmission but it was a wasted pinion gear.
last biggie is rebuilding the front calipers and swapping out the 7/8 master for a 1 1/8. I just don't have enough brakes.
I'll update as I fix it.
Not sure about the comment not enough brakes- A 1 1/8 MC will require more effort to achieve same braking force as the 7/8. Didn't see a booster in any of the pictures
Are you running out of pedal, or is pedal effort too high?
1. Awesome Bronco. The cage looks great.
2. The article in GRM was a most enjoyable read. Insightful and well written.
twentyover said:Not sure about the comment not enough brakes- A 1 1/8 MC will require more effort to achieve same braking force as the 7/8. Didn't see a booster in any of the pictures
Are you running out of pedal, or is pedal effort too high?
Until we get more info, I agree. My 57 T-bird has non-power brakes with a 1" MC and it takes all the pedal effort in the world to stop it. I'm replacing it with a 7/8 MC to try to fix it.
It's a 7/8 master with vacuum assist. Pedal will go to the floor with a bit much more than medium effort. It stops and is just starting to lock up the rear drums (I need to dial in the prop valve that i ran)
I capped off the lines at a junction on the frame and the pedal was rock hard. So the problem is downstream of that which is only the rear drums and front calipers. I think they're just using up all the fluid the master can supply.
and thanks for the kind words! It's a fun job but I'm loving working in the garage and hanging with the family more!
In reply to jfryjfry (Forum Supporter) :
rear drums will consume a E36 M3-ton of fluid (hence, pedal travel) when they are not properly adjusted. i typically adjust them until i can hear and feel them drag as i turn the drum with my hand. try adjusting them tight, then back off a couple teeth (there should be an access hole either in the drum or the backing plate) before changing the master.
Great note and I made sure they were adjusted exactly as you described. I also bled the bejeezus out of them. It could still be operator error but everyone says they run a larger master with the power setup.
about to dig in right now
Well that was interesting. The calipers were great. Didn't even replace anything. Took the piston out of one and everything was perfect so I just reassembled it and left the other one.
then turned to the new master. Bench bled the crap out of it and put it on.
one thing that has always puzzled me is that after bench bleeding, when you remove the tubes and attach everything, you now have air right at the master that you have to try and push through the entire system. Seems to negate some of the bench bleed.
regardless, I bled the system thoroughly and the pedal feels perfect, finally! But I still can't lock the fronts. Under hard braking I can lock the rears and dialed in some of the rear prop valve to help but still can't seem to lock the fronts.
it was kind of late and in a residential area so I only did it three times and at 25 mph but it's still not where I want it. I can only think that I somehow still have air in the system.
In reply to jfryjfry (Forum Supporter) :
quick brake system lesson:
the correct procedure to dial in your prop valve is:
if pedal feels good, you probably don't have air in the system.
Let me know your thoughts on the Wilwood master!
Angry I sent you a PM
I didn't see that you figured out the decel noise. Glad you got it sorted.
In reply to Mr_Asa :
Oh you figured it out well before I did! It is such a load off of my mind with it. The brakes aren't bad now but I just wonder if they could be better.
Am I asking too much or does it seem like there is an issue??
Glad to help, man.
Hell no, brakes should always be good.
Your symptoms make me think of an episode of Roadkill or Engine Masters or some other show with those weirdos where their MC pushrod was either too long or too short. I may be thinking of a different brake problem, though
Have you checked in with Wilwood? I would think they would have a good customer service/tech support section.
I took your suggestion and called wilwood. Nice kid but I got boilerplate lessons he probably repeats on every call.
takeaway is that he thinks master is correct and thatcalipers are sufficient. He thinks I just stopped pushing the brake pedal when the rears locked. I was cognizant of that when I was testing so I tend to think not but it's possible.
he suggested properly adjusting the proportioning valve (which I do need to do) and bedding the brakes (which I think is a bit unnecessary on a casual daily driver).
I do have a set of new pads I'll toss on as maybe the ones in there got brake fluid or something on them at one point???
and I'll bleed them some more.
in other news I have the front axle off to replace the radius arm-to axle bushings with offset ones. The bummer was they actually were 4* offset already. I have 7* to put in. One of the four was installed backwards so I have a little hope that this will help get more caster.
right now it seems to have zero. The steering does not self-center at all.
JFry -
Rad Bronco! I love the turning radius of those.
really enjoyed the article on you in the newest GRM. I did MTB ride with EJ Misisco today, He worked with you on Baby Driver. He told me to say "what up" to you.
In reply to OjaiM5 :
Good old EJ! I miss that guy. I just spent 6 months with his partner in crime and he was missed.
man's thanks for the kind words on the article. Always cool when you see that other people like and appreciate the things that you do!
so I replaced the c bushings and that definitely helped. I am hesitant to call that problem solved but the next step (for me - there are other arguably better solutions that are waaaaay more involved) is dropping the rear of the radius arm which is a project I'm not scared of but would rather spend a day or two doing other things.
cleaning and painting as I go... painted the springs a charcoal to match engine block and painted the radius arms black. At least it looks better!
brakes still suck. Must be air in the lines.
still locking rears?
Technically no but only because I dialed in less rear through the prop valve.
I'm thinking I still have air in the system but not sure how or how to get it out. I'll keep bleeding.
it also has a pull to one side when moderate-heavy braking at higher speeds like 50. New pads shoes hardware....
I had a strange issue that is fixed but I can't figure out.... maybe someone can tell me what happened!
i saw that the left brake light was dimmer than the right.
the running lights were both operational and the same brightness. But when hitting the brake the left light went out.
turn signal worked fine but flashed dim on the left
pulling the lens cover, I found that the brake filament never illuminated. Brake, turn and running lights all illuminated the dimmer filament.
I figured I had a wiring issue, especially because I have a newer (78?) column in it and I rewired the turn signal switch to make it work. The switch has individual brake light connections going through it.
but the running lights are not part of that circuit.
so I started troubleshooting and found that with the bulb out I was getting 12v to the proper wire when hitting the brake and 12v to the other when lights were turned on.
i confirmed that the bulb was oriented correctly
ground seemed spotty so I took the housing off and cleaned everything, including the connector for the taillight bulb really well.
and groove city, she now works great! I just can't figure out how hitting the brake somehow illuminated the running light.
in other news, the brakes feel great but in spite of more bleeding (and no air coming out), I can't lock the fronts under full force. I believe that I'm at the floor or the bottom of the stroke.
in other other news, it started running crappy. It was definitely fuel so I cleaned out the carb (edlebrock) again. Found some sediment. There was much rejoicing over the gunk. 1 hour from opening to closing the hood and runs great.
It is a fun vehicle to drive. Many smiles per gallon.
Re: brakelight. The ground you fixed was it. the signal was grounding through the running light. Path of least resistance (most, because electricity?) I had the exact same problem on my old Dodge.
In reply to jfryjfry (Forum Supporter) :
I would try and measure the stroke of the MC. Get a helper and push the pedal all the way down. Measure or mark the remaining rod stroke.
Disconnect the pedal, figure some way to push the MC all the way in (itll be difficult) and compare to previous. If you have more travel without the pedal, then you need a longer rod.
I'll check stroke length. It shouldn't be hard as I have the figure from wilwood and can measure at the bell crank.
I will say that they feel wrong when approaching the upper end of braking force which is a subjective observation but based on driving many cars in anger and locking up many sets of tires.
I haven't given up but I would love to know that this combination (master, calipers and tire size) has successfully locked up before.
jfryjfry (Forum Supporter) said:
takeaway is that he thinks master is correct and thatcalipers are sufficient. He thinks I just stopped pushing the brake pedal when the rears locked. I was cognizant of that when I was testing so I tend to think not but it's possible.
Did you say to him "do you know who I am ? I know a little bit about driving" lol
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