Just finished the radiator flush and want to take the truck out for a spin but now that it is "drivable" I thought I would check to see if the brake work I did last week was any good. I did new Master and front wheel cylinders, all new brake lines(hard and soft on the whole truck), front shoes relined and front drums turned, and whole system filled with fresh dot 4 and bled. Now the pedal is hard as a rock and the truck barely stops. What have I missed?

Thanks for any help,

 

Sounds to me like you may have the wrong master cylinder. If the piston were larger than it is supposed to be the pedal would be hard yet the piston would not convert your effor into enough pressure to apply the brakes hard.

 

I have the stock master cylinder and stock front brakes but I do have a later rear axle (dana 60) so that may be affecting the formula. That would explain the rock hard pedal but would it explain the lack of stopping?

 

You do not mention the rear wheel cylinders?

 

They did not look bad, they weren't frozen and they seemed to bleed out ok. They are drums on a dana 60 axle. Are you thinking they are bad? I would have thought that even if they were frozen the front brakes would do more of the work anyway but I am new to this.

 

Fixnair, I say I have the stock master. What I have is what the online and local places list add the stock matter and it is the same as what was in it when I got the truck. It is a 1.25" master which is huge. Perhaps if I switch to 1.125" I will get better Pedal feel. I'll have to see if there is such a cylinder with the right bolt pattern

 

I would rebuild/clean all 4 cylinders, adjust all 4 sets of brakes, you already have done the lines rubber and steel, then rebuild/clean master. There ain't nothing else
Ed

 

At this point the only thing I have not replaced are the rear cylinders but I will address them soon.

 

what happens when you STOMP on the brakes ?? not being power assist ..meen's you need a lot of force to haul it down..I am reminded every time I climb outa my 54 ans in the wife's chev ..will anything lock up ? have you bedded the shoes in ?it does take a while to get everything worked in together ..,,

 

I haven't stomped on them yet but I have pushed hard enough to lock up the brakes on my old beetle but all I did was drift to a lazy stop in the truck. I may need some clarification on what "bedding in" is but my guess is I didn't do it.

 

I wonder if you need the shoes arched? Why don't you look at your font shoes and try to figure out if they are making good contact. May be they aren't seating in the drum properly.