I just got sent a message

[Chevy Fleetside]

Jumped into the Green 65 today to move it for street cleaning and maybe drive it to my current job site. I jumped in started it and warmed it up a bit, put it in gear and took off. I was going to make a u turn and come down the the hill but I opted for going around the block. As I came to the next intersection (which is not busy at all) I put my foot on the brake pedal and BAM all the way to the floor, (talk about heart wrenching). I pulled the parking brake and that just slowed it down alittle and For some reason I turned left which was heading down hill (not very steep but still down hill), lucky for me the next street is not far away and is a steep uphill so I tured the corner and went up the hill slow in first gear. I went slow for two blocks as the next block is a slight up hill climb. I was able to get it into a parking spot using rev as a brake to park it.
Time for a brake upgrade. That was a message...
I can't edit the heading... it should say I was just sent a message... I am sure there are other errors...

[sigshooter]

How old is the master cylinder? How old is the rest of the braking system?

[Rich 5150 69]

Oh great John, no brakes in Frisco..... I would have been cleaning the seat as well...!

[Chevy Fleetside]

Originally Posted by sigshooter

How old is the master cylinder? How old is the rest of the braking system?

too old.. Still has the drum brakes and single master.. They will be gone for power front disc brakes. I was just waiting to do it but I really shouldn't wait to much longer...

[firemanjimtfd]

Glad you got it stopped without damage. Lucky you wasn't in heavy traffic or on the highway. Reminds us all update brakes.

[TJ's Chevy]

Least ya stopped with out issues.....If it was me I woulda left it in gear..floored it and slid sideways into a parkin spot while shoutin "YEEEEHAAAW!!!!".....but thats me...yeah I know..I am an idiot.

[Mike Wessinger]

Good to hear it all ended well.

I just did the dual master cylinder upgrade last weekend. Since getting the old truck back on the road late last year, this has been next on my to-do list. When I discovered a couple weeks ago that I apparently have not had functioning rear brakes for some time, I decided to accelerate my updrade plans.

No power, just the dual master, some new wheel cylinders on the rear, new rubber hoses, and a few new hard lines. Even with about $75 for some new tools in the mix, total cost was right around $200.

[NEWFISHER]

I have a nearly new single pot coffin killer stock oe one I just removed for my dual master upgrade. You are welcome to it as a temporary fix to keep you driving a classic truck or just to move it around until your other one arrives.

[KJSR]

Just because you have a dual master cylinder doesnt mean it cant fail completely as well. I bought one of theose frame mount kits for my 36' (dual Corvette master, 7" booster) that has front discs. I was getting off of the freeway and of course going a bit too fast I pressed the brake pedal and it went right to the floor. Shifted down to first and used the ebrake to be able to turn right on the street. Thank goodness there was no cars coming, no idea why there wasn't, SoCal at rush hour. Anyhow, sure the newer stuff is safer but don't think it can't fail in a bad way. Also try to buy quality stuff. The master that failed was a "high dollar" chinese unit that they produce in mass quanity as cheap as possible. I ended up buying a Raybestos, made in Mexico and haven't had an issue since.

[NEWFISHER]

It just reduces the failure 50% as it " may" only fail on one half of the Res.

+1 on Raybestos. Working at a GM dealer, if we have off brand cars/trucks come in for repairs and go with aftermarket , we use Raybestos with good results. Same as using Moog for suspension items. Failure/ return rates are much lower which reduce comebacks at the shop when using aftermarket parts.

[Chevy Fleetside]

it is the right rear wheel cyl that is leaking. I have new ones to put in and I guess now is a good time to do that. Also have new brake shoes... I am going to gather the rest of the parts I need for a swap. Might as well swap in Power steering too while I am at it.

[KJSR]

Originally Posted by NEWFISHER

It just reduces the failure 50% as it " may" only fail on one half of the Res.

In theory......

[NEWFISHER]

Originally Posted by KJSR

In theory......

Right!? Kinda like my wife likes the truck, in theory its hers lol

[Mikemelton]

I had that happen once when I was about 16 in my '65 GMC coming down hill to a set of train tracks and just my luck the train got there first. Still had the old three on the tree and managed to get it in reverse and leave one hell of a smoke cloud but got it stopped. Learned a valuable lesson that day be ready to stop long before you get there.

[par4tom]

I recently did my brakes as well, converting to front disk. When I inspected the rear brakes, they were still original (52 years old). Well, I replaced those too.

Be sure and look at the brake lines. Mine were all corroded and full of crud from the truck sitting so long. Maybe a good idea to just replace all the lines and all the other stuff at the same time and have a good braking system all around.

Good luck...
tom

[Chevy Fleetside]

I fixed the brakes today. Yay I am back on the road.
I will be doing all new lines when I do the disc brake swap.