Glamour Shots.. '62 Valiant Wagon

10/13/25:

I got some small things done on the wagon that I have been meaning to get to. First, I removed the residual pressure valves that I installed on the front and rear brake lines. I tricked myself into thinking that I needed them when in reality I did not!!!??!
When I rebuilt the rotors and calipers a few years back, I took the old K-H 4 piston rotors to the local Parts store to get cut. Most places do not even have a brake lathe any longer, so I was happy to find a local place that does. THey cut rotrs for me before with no issues.
I got them cut and installed on the car. Then I had this mystery low pedal issue after I got the car all sorted and together... If I pumped the pedal, I got a good, hard pedal, but every time, no matter how much I bled the brake,s it was soft again.

I thought it was some master cylinder or residual pressure valve issue, so I replaced the MC... no good, same issue.. Then I added additional inline RPV's..... - no good, same issue - so then I measured runout on the Rotors I had cut.

WOW!! They were really @^*#&^ bad!
They gave me a little brake shimmy, but they were also knocking the front pads off the rotor surface so far that I had to give it a few pumps to knock the pads back out every time. This was a new one for me. I also think that brake shimmy with a non-flat rotor feels more pronounced with floating calipers vs fixed calipers?

Who knows, but I put new flat rotors on, and that solved my low/soft pedal. I just finally got around to getting rid of the valves in the lines. The pedal still feels good and has less shoe and pad drag when the car is being driven.

I also realized that it is time to change the oil, which I will do today.
We took the car to the Ligonier Days Festival and parked at my wife's aunt's house. It was a good day for a trip and a visit.
I am also still fine-tuning my Primary Jet / Rod and Spring Combination for best performance and MPG.

Getting ready for a fine western Maryland Mountain trip here at the end of the month to the Open House at Vintage Restorations LTD. in Union Bridge, MD.