This is a good idea....

But this is not. You will never adjust them correctly with this method. Adjust them until you hear the shoes drag all the way around the drum. The one-revolution trick is a good one as well but do that as well as listen.

 

Good to know. I hit two auto parts stores and neither had the line clamps but a reman master cylinder was $36 so I'm going to give that a go. As old as the truck is it'll probably need replacing in my ownership if it's not currently the culprit.

The new MC however does not have a reservoir. They said normally you can just pull them off and push them into the new MC. I also don't have a workbench or vice but it comes with a set of plugs. They told me I'm supposed to mount the MC, put the plugs and reservoir in and pump the brake pedal until it builds pressure, then attach the brake lines and bleed the system. Does that sound about right? Never done one before.

 

Bench bleeding the master cylinder is required. If you skip this step you will never get good brakes. If you look at your existing MC, notice that it slopes such that the rear is lower than the front. Because of this slope air is trapped near the front of the cylinders and it will not exit through the brake lines. You can bleed and bleed and you'll still have a mushy pedal.

 

Well thanks guys. I pretty much gave up when I realized I wouldn't be able to do the MC. Got an appointment in half an hour to get the brakes checked by possibly the best, fastest, most expensive mechanic in town. I've been to him before with something else and he' been in the game longer than I've been alive and he really knows what he's doing.

 

Well my pickup was down at the mechanic for 30 minuets when he told me a check valve on the master cylinder was leaking so I told him to go ahead and swap it. Couple hours later he called back and said it made a huge improvement but it wasn't 100% but he thought they probably just hadn't bled it enough and it was going to take a bit longer than he told me originally so he was checking to see if I needed it right away. I hope I can find a shop where I'm moving that is as good.

 

Well the mechanic called and told me the new MC was in and bled but the brakes were still not up to par. He told me it needed new front hoses and calipers (something I should have noticed) but that I should do it myself because it's not hard and it would save almost $150 in labor. I had thought the hoses were Ok but when I went to replace the first one I noticed that the entire outter sheathing was gone and I was actually seeing the inner material. Odly all three parts stores in town only had the right brake hose so I put the other on order and I'll get the driver's side caliper and hose put in tomorrow and see how she does. If I weren't pressed for time and money I'd go ahead and just replace EVERYTHING and have an entirely brand new brake system, maybe even upgrade. But for now this will have to do.

I was reading a guy's build thread and he used a '99 or newer E350 rear axle in order to upgrade to rear disc brakes but he was doing a total frame-up build using an older frame and a '54 body so I don't know how easy this swap would be into an '80-97 F250/350. Or maybe he just stole the brakes and put them on his axle, I think he said they were dana 60's but I'm not sure. Anyway, something to consider.