Removing wheel cylinders-HELP
 

Alright, I have a 68 SWB stepper with 4 wheel manual drums. I am in the process of replacing all the hard brake lines, hoses, etc. as this truck as sat for past few years and the lines have holes all over the place. The problem is the wheel cylinders, I cant get them off. There are no bolts in the back and no clips anywhere either. I have cleaned to the metal all the way around and cant find anything. Do these attach to the bolt above the cylinder where the springs attach? any insight would be great. Thanks

Re: Removing wheel cylinders-HELP
 

Yep, that bolt/pin where the brake pads ride on at the top...thats the culprit. I believe its 1 1/16 or 1 1/8...and a deep socket if you can get one. I made it work without a deep socket but it was a pain. The pin part goes into where you put your ratchet. You can take your springs loose, slide the pads to the side, and then remove the bolt/pin. Your wheel cylinder should come right out then. Loosen your brake hose before you get to that point or you won't have enough leverage to break it loose. Then you can twist the cylinder to get the hose off.

Re: Removing wheel cylinders-HELP
 

Are you buying pre-bent lines or making your own? If you are making your own, I highly recommend getting the nickle/copper alloy brake line. I bends like butter and it will not rust. Double flaring is a breeze with the Ni/Cu line too. AutoZone carries the Ni/Cu in 25ft rolls. It costs more, but it is sooo worth it.

Re: Removing wheel cylinders-HELP
 

Hey thanks guys. Everyone round town keep telling me that there had to be bolts or a clip holding them in but I couldn't find any. I will try that, I already have the brake hardware off (only on one wheel) and have the hard lines disconnected and hoses are off. I was going to make my own hard lines.
The auto places here in town have different lengths of lines that already have the flares and connectors I just have to bend it, any thoughts on those?

Re: Removing wheel cylinders-HELP
 

i normally look at the new parts to see how they are attached

the parts store lines can b used but alot of times you'll need to cut and flair due to not being able to get exact lengths

Re: Removing wheel cylinders-HELP
 

If you do decide to bend and flare your own line, be sure to take your time and do it right, I did my own and didn't always do that. So now I'm reaping what I sowed, I actually ended up just buying prebent front lines cause I was tired of messing with it.

Re: Removing wheel cylinders-HELP
 

Like I said Nickle/Copper line. You will not be disappointed. Bending and flaring is a breeze. You can get the Ni/Cu line prefabbed or in a roll, either way, you will most likely need to do some flares.

Pre-bent, pre-fabbed line is nice, unless they send you the wrong part, or the parts are bent in shipping. Happens all the time. I just make my own.

Re: Removing wheel cylinders-HELP
 

I have really been debating the whole prebent or bending my own. What type of flaring tool would you recommend? Anything to watch for a stay away from?
Also, does anyone know if a new master cylinder has the residual valves in them? The guys at the parts places really cant tell me for sure. As I understand it I must have to residual valves, is that right? These are manual drums. I was going to replace the master but reuse the distribution block. the brakes used to work until I started taking them apart (I know because when I stepped on the brake pedal fluid shot out of so many holes in the hard lines it looked like it was raining). Anyways, thanks for the replies.

Re: Removing wheel cylinders-HELP
 

If the MC is a factory replacement, it should have residual valve in it. It would not go over too well to buy a standard MC that will not work when installed right? That is something you might expect if you are doing specialty parts and changing the system to non-stock. Stock replacement is suppose to be just that, stock.

I like the KD brand flare tools. The cheapest set is only about $30, but it is very cheap. The better kit is about $50ish, but worth it. Well, worth it if you plan on using it again. If this is your one and only job, rent the tool from AZ when you get the Ni/Cu brake line. They have the line nuts too. Even the cheap set will work well with the Ni/Cu line. Have I mentioned the Ni/Cu line? :lol: After doing a lot of steel brake line double flares and running new steel line over the years, this stuff is unbelievable! I will not go back to steel.

Re: Removing wheel cylinders-HELP
 

Exactly-I learned the hard way-Twist the cylinder to get the hose off. I broke the line trying to get the hose off the fixed cylinder. As for the size, I can't remember but the only two sockets I ever bought individually were 1 1/8 and 1 1/16 so it has to be one of these :lol:

I kept my four drums too. They work well and you get lots of practice working on the springs. Buy the spring tools from the autoparts store or that brake job can turn into a mini hurt-locker.

Re: Removing wheel cylinders-HELP
 

Thanks for the help guys, it is 1 1/8th size, I checked last night. I have all the hard line, master, and distribution block off now.
I guess it is time to start the rebuild. So, how do you handle fishing the hard lines back down? The front lines dont bother me but that line going to the back was a bear to get out and I had to bend it getting it out.
Is there a problem with putting the front to back connector near the same place the connector for the two front lines are? I was thinking of running a short piece down to the cross member and then the longer piece the rest of the way back. Does it matter where that connector is or if there are more than one on the line?