WC 57 Brakes

[Ian Jamieson]

Well folks, I took the plunge and am about the be the proud owner of a WC 57. No serial number details just yet but will keep you posted. The vehicle had a ground up restoration 25 years ago and has done just 3500 miles since! The person who restored the vehicle died in a motor vehicle accident quite soon after completing the restro and it has sat in a garage since 1988!

Anyways, reason for the post. The brakes (yes I drove the vehicle) are not particularly brilliant in terms of pedal pressure, despite being in good general condition, and I am of a mind to install a remote vacuum booster. Has anyove done this? What booster did you use, any issues or challenges?

Thanks

Ian

[Kaegi]

Ian, if the truck has been sitting that long you need to do a couple things. first is chekc for leaks at the wheel cylinders and the back of the master cylinder and the hoses. If all is dry flush the system with DOT3 or DOT 4 brake fluid. Rust forms on drums when vehicles sit. The they get driven and rust imbeds itself into the shoes. This causes hard stopping and heat. If shoes and drums are in good condition but have rusted, take 80 grit sand papaer to the drums and sand a cross hatch pattern into the stoppiing surface. Then take 80 grit sand paper to the shoes and sand them a bit then wipe with brake clean, sand more wipe with brake clean again, do this at least 2 or 3 times to the shoes as to remove all rust particles that get imbedded in the shoe material. Then adjust brakes like the manual says to and you should be able to stop on a dime.
Depending on where the brake shoes came from will also make a difference in stopping power. Some shoes are made of materials that are too hard for this application. I have run into this before on a couple Power Wagons. they were NAPA premium shoes and the material was just way too hard to get any good stopping. I have all my shoes relined with a meterial called ABEX lining. Nice and grabby at any speed. Adjustment is 99% of the reason though that people have bad stopping power in these trucks. When adjusting you must take your time to do it right. STeve

[Andersun]

Also, check your master cylinder and make sure it is an angled WC type and not a M-37 flat type. Many people use the M-37 master cylinder which does not work well when mounted on an angle.

[Ian Jamieson]

Thanks guys, I do intend a full brake strip down and extensive clean up on shoes and drums etc. The master cylinder is indeed the angled type, so the basics are there for a fully functional brake system.

I drove a WC a couple of weeks back the owner has spent a lot of time and money in getting his brakes right, I believe he has finally used the ABEX hi friction material and this has made a marked difference in brake performance. My problem is that once the car is on the road again, I will be using it in some pretty steep country as well as city/highway driving. I really want to be sure I have the brakes there if I need them

I was thinking that by fitting a remote booster I could be sure of superior brake performance.

Many thanks for your valued responses.

Cheers Ian

[Ray Edsall]

G,day Ian .maybe you should try a VH40 or 44 booster .They are available in Australia and i suspect in NZ also . Try your local brake specialist ,he should be able to help you . They realy make a difference on old fx/fj,s etc Regards Ray

[Ugg]

Ian:

The Beast has a Hydrovac brand booster for it's brakes. It's kinda jerry rigged in, but man, what a BIG help. Although it was on the Beast when I bought it, and really can't compare to "How It Was", I DO remember how manual brakes feel, and this is so much better.

Later

[Bert]

Installing a brake booster will help, but it's much easier to adjust your brakes properly. With the same arguments to put in a brake booster you can also get rid of the brake drums and install disk brakes.

After two days of adjusting I am now able to leave four skid marks on the road when needed.

[Ugg]

Bert:

Oooooo, disk brakes, YUM! Might as well install ABS too.

Later

[Tony B]

Philistine

One tool I have found useful is a Vacum bleeder, after years of pressure bleeding, blow through, the vacum, suck through has a lot of advantages on the Old vehicles. It fits over the bleed nipple in the wheel cylinder any size.

Kagi, You forgot one important point. When using abrasive round brake shoes, do it in a well ventilated place and ALWAYS wear a good quality high standard dust mask It only takes one speck of asbestos material to cause Asbestosis. Belive me you DON'T want to catch it.

[Phil P]

Hey Ugg my WC51 had ABS brakes on it when I got it. Absolutely Bloody S***! It stops real good now though occasionally has a slight pull. A useful mod all part of improving the breed is a header tank to feed the master cylinder. Lifting the floor or scrawling underneath to check the fluid level seems to me 'El Stupido' I found a Lockheed reservoir approx 3" dia and 3" high with a vented cap and a spigot for a rubber hose on the bottom. This was mounted under the dashboard next to the supressor block. You can of course mount it on the bulkhead under the hood.The master cylinder reservoir plug was removed and a 1/2"BSP taper male x5/16" compression adaptor was screwed in. A length of 5/16" copper tube was then carefully bent to either go through the bulkhead if the reservoir is mounted under the dash or up the outside if the reservoir is on the bulkhead under the bonnet (Oops hood). A short length of rubber hose was then used to connect the copper tube to the reservoir. Easy job and makes life so much easier. Philastine.. yes and your point is? I put the Phil in philastine! Of course the extra capacity does not mean you can drive round longer with a fluid leak. You can but you would be a hypermoron to do so! As for a servo, I think the brakes are ok as standard.

[Phil P]

One thing I forgot to write is that brake fluid is hygroscopic. ie it absorbs water from the atmosphere. Our vehicles spend long periods standing and that bad is news for the fluid. That is why you get rusty cylinders. If that was not enough the water boils under prolonged heavy braking. When it boils it creates bubbles. Brake fluid with bubbles is an accident looking for somewhere to happen. So change it when you service the rest of the vehicle. When you look at all the things that need attention you will probably wonder why you are in this hobby.

[Ugg]

Phil:

Good one on the ABS! Hope ya don't mind if I steal it. I can't wait until I have to go explore the Hydrovac's plumbing. One of these days I'll get that damn tent off of it and start work on it again. Well, I finally got my Durango back from the shop. 48 days without it. Of course, the gas prices just shot thru the roof, and I'm lucky to get 8 MPG with it ever since Dodge "FIXED" it.

I'm real sorry to say that the D STILL looks like crap. Been fighting with the insurance company, the body shop and my wife because of it. I almost even ended up in jail last night over it. Do you folk across the pond have Allstate Insurance, or is that just for us US folk? They advertise as the "Good Hands People" meaning your in good hands when they cover you.

They even used to have ads showing a pair of hands with a house, car and people in them. Someone then came out with a poster to counter that. Pair of hands with a pile of poop in em. The saying was "Tired Of The Same Old S*it". That's actually more of the truth.

Later

Later

[Tony B]

We have companies over here that specilise in women only. They claim they are safer drivers, one company named after a certain jewel are saying that as one of thier insured overtook me at faster than the speed limit then cut in early hitting the front of the volvo the fault is 50% mine I shouldn't have been on the road perhaps Mind you the Volvo rocked slightly, the Fiat the silly *** was driving went off up the road like a billiard ball.

[Ugg]

Tony:

We have an old saying,, "LADY DRIVER, NO SURVIVOR".

Later

[Tony B]

Well 14 Royal Marines and 1 women. Who was doing the navigating