Bleeding Brakes - 9" Drums

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TAQuickness

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Oct 16, 2011
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Location
Houston
65 Dart
Manual brakes
Dual pot MC
9"drums at all four corners (our first 4-wheel drum brake vehicle)


I replaced the drums, shoes, cylinders, and hardware on all 4 wheels. Used a mighty vac for initial bleeding, and wife on the pedal me on the bleeder for the next two rounds (three pumps and a bleed). RR, LR, RF, LF on all efforts. MC never ran dry. Clean bubble free fluid at all 4 corners. Despite this, the pedal is spongy and does not begin to offer stopping power until about an inch off the floor. Pumping brakes builds negligible pressure.

So after reading 20 or so theads, a few folks have mentioned "adjusting the drums" - what does this mean?
 
Adjusting the drums is actually adjusting the star key at the bottom of the shoe set up. Adjust the star key by rotating them to expand the shoes until the drums just slip over the shoes.

Did you bleed the master cylinder before hand?
 
Did not bleed the master - it was not removed and the reservoirs did not run dry.

When properly adjusted, should the wheels spin freely?

As currently set, if I grab my wheel at 12 o'clock and pull down to 3 o'clock with moderate force the wheel will turn about 1 revolution before stopping.
 
The wheels should spin freely, but not round and round like a bike wheel. It sounds like there is still air in the lines. Your going to have to be real patient while bleeding the brakes .

I normaly do not pump 3 times and crack open the bleeder valve. 1 pump, crack the line.
 
What kind/how much patience are we talking about? Should we pack a lunch and a case of beer and plan to make a day out of it? Or is it more a half hour or so with a good pump bleed team?
 
Is the dual port master cyl. for 4-wheel drum brake's? On a 4 wheel drum brake master cylinder, both of the fluid resevior's will be of equal capacity. What I'm saying is both resevoir's will hold the same amount of fluid.
If you have large/small resevoir master cylinder, that would be a disc brake/ drum brake master cyl. And last but not least, make sure your splitter block, down on frame rail, is for 4 wheel drum's. Hope this help's.
 
how are your rubber lines? they have been know to cause problems. also why 3 pumps-- pump up till firm--- crack wheel cylinder, repeat, thanks Lawrence
 
You are not using the original 65 Dart split block are you? If you are somehow, I don't know how because there is only 1 port in the top of it for a single master cylinder line. You need a split block from a 67 and up with 4 wheel manual brake's, could be from an A or B body car with 4 wheel drum's, as you need 2 incoming port's to screw each master cylinder line into. Then there should be 3 out going ports, the rear main line going to the rearend, and 1 to left front brake, and the other 1 for right front brake. I'm sure we have a split block here at the shop, if you need one.
 
Is that the equipment it came with when you got the car?

To all, they car never came with dual res. master cylinder?

If not, then the upgraded parts must have been used together and done right, assuming it worked before hand. All needed parts must have been installed prior.
 
"As currently set, if I grab my wheel at 12 o'clock and pull down to 3 o'clock with moderate force the wheel will turn about 1 revolution before stopping."
Click to expand...

my wheels dont turn that far. You should be able to hear the shoes just touching the drums, after replacing all the components on my 65 dart i could not get a firm pedal. i readjusted the brakes, a little tighter, and the pedal was fine.
 
Fwiw - I took delivery of the car 1 week ago. The guy I bought it from acquired it as part of a trade, but otherwise knew little about the car and had little overall interest in it. Good deal for me, rust free straight body and it runs. So the last week I've been in discovery mode.

Back to the brakes, the MC is not original to the car. From this thread and others I've read it's from a 67 or later. I haven't seen the splitter block y'all are talking about, but I haven't looked for it yet either.

To rumble fishes question - the brakes were nice and firm before the overhaul. Although I'm not accustomed to manual brakes, the pedal pressure felt linear to stopping ability.

I've bled a lot of hydraulic systems, but haven't had one kick my *** like this.
 
Yeaaaaaaaaa, they get me once in awhile too. Damn mechanical things!
 
Mikes270dart said:
my wheels dont turn that far. You should be able to hear the shoes just touching the drums, after replacing all the components on my 65 dart i could not get a firm pedal. i readjusted the brakes, a little tighter, and the pedal was fine.
Click to expand...

I'll try this. Going from 12 to 3, does your wheel move freely at all?
 
And thanks for all yall's help. I'm digging this Dart - much easier to work on than late model stuff.
 
Mikes270dart said:
my wheels dont turn that far. You should be able to hear the shoes just touching the drums, after replacing all the components on my 65 dart i could not get a firm pedal. i readjusted the brakes, a little tighter, and the pedal was fine.
Click to expand...

Winner. I had to adjust the drums to where I could just barely turn the hub, wheels off, by hand.


:wav:
 
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