Not So Fast!!!!!!

Well, my post that the car was/is back on the road was premature.

Unfortunately, I found that the PDWA and the master cylinder both appear to be leaking. New parts are on the way to the house, so hopefully this weekend, I'll finally resolve this.

Rest in peace Carroll Shelby.

NYTimes Story on Carroll Shelby

Few people have had such an influence on the automotive industry. While his idea was not entirely a new one, he did it in such a devastating fashion, the effect has been known for 50 plus years on.

Shelby also did things with style, and with a marketing edge that few have matched. While his style with the car suggested that of using a bigger hammer, his style in marketing was somewhat more refined. In the end, the word 'Cobra' will never be associated with anyone else again.

May the road always be smooth and the wind at your back Carroll Shelby.

Back On The Road....

So, the green monster is back on the road.

Took too long, but I got it there. Yesterday, my buddy Matt came by and we took an hour or so to bleed the brakes and get the braking system running- or stopping I should say.

The first couple of rides and the rear brakes got pretty doggone hot. It seemed like the rear brakes were set too tight. I got out a wrench and re-adjusted the rears and took it for a spin. The result was much better than previously.

So, while the car sat on stands, I was able to complete the following....

- Reupolstered most of the trunk
- Rewired the coil
- Repainted the wheels and wheel centers
- Repainted and refinished the steering shaft
- Repainted and refinished the rear of the exhaust system - Tried to get it looking like a Monza exhaust tip
- Repainted and refinished the rear braking assemblies and drums
- Installed new rear wheel cylinders
- Installed Speed Bleeders in all cylinders.
- Repainted and refinished the brake booster
- Repainted and refinished as well as rebuilt the master cylinder
- Rebuilt the PDWA
- Installed new flexible lines in the rear brakes
- Installed new flexible lines in the front brakes
- Repainted and refinished the front brakes
- Installed new brake pads in the front brakes

The results are pretty doggone good!

Still not there....

So the PDWA was leaking. I ended up ordering the correct o-rings for it, and then waiting for them for a week. That put getting it back on the road off another week.

The o-rings came in and I quickly rebuilt the PDWA. While I was waiting for the o-rings, I ordered some speedy bleeders.

The Speedy Bleeders are a slick little piece of kit. Put a springloaded one way valve in a bleed nipple and you get the idea. A little expensive, but they work well.

So with the rebuilt PDWA and the Speedy Bleeders added to the brake rebuild, I set to re-bleeding the brakes. Something was very wrong however.

As I bled the brakes, the rears were very hard to work, but the fronts went extremely well. The rears were quite a problem. Despite many tries to bleed them, I eventually got not much of anything coming out of the lines. I continued to try bleeding them, but made little progress. Eventually, I checked the rear brakes for the umpteenth time and found puddles under the rear of the car.

The puddles however were not under the wheel cylinders, but instead under the frame.... A quick wave of the flashlight showed that the rear flexible lines were leaking profusely. I split the lines!!!!

So, new lines for front and rear are now on the way. With a little luck, I may get to drive the car to work next Friday.........

Not quite there yet.....

So, we're back from Disney. The kids had fun, but I've had enough of the crowds and the running around!

As soon as I was back, I convinced my wife to dive into the braked with me and bleed them. Unfortunately, I had a continual stream of bubbles in the system. This happened with the rear brakes and the front brakes as well. I dropped it off the stands, but the brakes were terribly soft. At that point it was time to figure out the cause of the bubbles.

I checked all the connections and found none loose. However, there was a little brake fluid under the PDWA. Not a good sign. I tightened the connections and wiped up the mess. Afterwards, I decided to check the bleed valves and the passenger side front valve stripped!!!! All of a sudden, I had fluid pouring out on the floor. In a moment of creativity, I plugged the bleed kit on it and just let it run.

After that, I called it a night.

The next morning, I came out and sure enough, the system emptied itself into the bleed canister. I did some research and found that the bleed screw for my car (16PB calipers) is a M10x1.0 bleed screw. I also found them available at Autozone, so this morning I picked one up. Its a good fit, and the caliper does not seem to be terribly stripped.

Next up, I topped up the resevoir and promply found more fluid under the PDWA. The source was in fact the PDWA itself. The seals on the piston have apparently given up. I don't have a PDWA repair kit, so I plugged the PDWA. This is an ok way of handling the problem in the short term (the brake warning light did not work anyway), but I will order a kit in my next parts order.

Hopefully, tomorrow, I'll get my wife back in the garage for a bit and get the brakes bled and my '73 back on the road!

Nearing Back On The Road

So, its nearly back on the road. Just one final step and she's ready to go.

So here is my list...

Rear drum brakes - stripped, repainted, new wheel cylinders
Rear Trailing Arms - Helicoils in all studs
Front Brakes - Stripped and Painted Calipers, new brake pads
Master Cylinder - Stripped, repainted, rebuilt
Wheels - Wheels and Centers stripped and repainted
PVDA - Stripped, polished and clearcoated
Steering Shaft - Stripped and Repainted

All that is left now is to bleed the brakes and she's back up and running.

More of the Good, Bad and Ugly

So there is good news in this story.... (see earlier post for the story)

The good news is that there is nothing wrong with the threads in the trailing arm. Not stripped, not even worn out. Everything threaded back together nicely.

However, I've decided to put steel inserts in the trailing arm to reinforce the holes. I did the driver's side years ago, and now its time to do the passenger side. To make the job easier, I'll be using the jig from Patton Machine. Sixpack member Poolboy offered to ship it to me to let me use it. Should make the job easier than when I did the driver's side.

I'm now waiting for the parts to install the wheel cylinders (one set was completely missing) so I'm going to pull a few other things off the car and work them over to get them right.

In the meantime, I've painted up the drums, stripped and painted the backing plates for the brakes, and have most of the car ready to go back together.