Need help with brakes

[64c10HotRodder]

Last night I was driving uptown about to go initiate freshman and I lost my brakes . It was raining out but my brakes were working previously before but not the best. They never reallyw worked the best but now they don't at all .I can pump the brakes and gain some pressure but that doesn't last long at all .So where should I start at to figure out what the problem is. When I first got it running I didn't have brakes .Bleed the front and had brakes. Not the best but enoughf or me. Never did the back .What should I start with?

[uber cool]

is it brake shoes front and rear? or discs up front? either way ensure the brake shoes are correctly adjusted. Adjust the shoes until the drum locks up then back off until it rotates freely.

is it single or twin master cylinder?

[64c10HotRodder]

Single cylinder .Original brakes. I know absolutely nothing about brakes so I don't know what a shoe is

[morethanstock66]

Originally Posted by uber cool

is it brake shoes front and rear? or discs up front? either way ensure the brake shoes are correctly adjusted. Adjust the shoes until the drum locks up then back off until it rotates freely.

is it single or twin master cylinder?

x2. Pull the wheel off first though. I always used have the brakes tight enough to where I can spin the drum just one full rotation and you should be good. If you keep tightening and it spins 2+ rotations you will want to replace the shoes.. just my own personal rule of thumb...

[morethanstock66]

Originally Posted by 64c10HotRodder

Single cylinder .Original brakes. I know absolutely nothing about brakes so I don't know what a shoe is

Brake shoes are the predecessor to pads and push out on the interior of the drum to stop, just as brake pad pinch the disc in disc brakes to stop.

[64c10HotRodder]

Alright I'll do that when I get a chance. I went out and messed with it .I barely had any brake fluid in it. So I put some in and pumped the brakes and I have pressurea again. But if I keep my foot on the brake it slowly loses pressure until it's to the floor. Or else I have brake pressure and then I push again and there's none

[morethanstock66]

Originally Posted by 64c10HotRodder

Alright I'll do that when I get a chance. I went out and messed with it .I barely had any brake fluid in it. So I put some in and pumped the brakes and I have pressurea again. But if I keep my foot on the brake it slowly loses pressure until it's to the floor. Or else I have brake pressure and then I push again and there's none

Sounds like you have air in the line, if it is squishy/intermittent. You will have to bleed the brakes again. You just want to clear the lines of all air and just have fluid. This time, go all the way around the truck. If you do not, the brake fluid will push the air in the line around to another wheel and it will resurface eventually and can be dangerous. As you bleed them, just keep adding fluid to the master cylinder after you do each wheel to keep from sucking air in. Best to go around 2-3 times.

[PGSigns]

If your system is the original single pot master cylinder I would look into splitting the system and updating it. Brakes are the most important safety item on the truck. When you say " Not the best but enoughf or me." that scares me some when you don't know what a brake shoe is. Please find some qualified help to get this truck a good set of brakes. Some will say the single pot is good enough but they have never wrecked one when it wasn't. I had a line split on my 64 many years ago and hit a van in the back. I think you will find a bad wheel cylinder on the truck and that where the fluid went and why you never had back brakes. Spend the time and money to rebuild it all and split the system.
Jimmy

[64c10HotRodder]

Originally Posted by PGSigns

If your system is the original single pot master cylinder I would look into splitting the system and updating it. Brakes are the most important safety item on the truck. When you say " Not the best but enoughf or me." that scares me some when you don't know what a brake shoe is. Please find some qualified help to get this truck a good set of brakes. Some will say the single pot is good enough but they have never wrecked one when it wasn't. I had a line split on my 64 many years ago and hit a van in the back. I think you will find a bad wheel cylinder on the truck and that where the fluid went and why you never had back brakes. Spend the time and money to rebuild it all and split the system.
Jimmy

Planned on doing it right .That why I never started working on them to begin with .I have a part time job for 2 hours a day . I have a engine to build for senior venture. It's just not that easy to get it done when I don't have the money

[OldChevy61]

What are you gonna put that motor in after you tear your truck up because you have no brakes? Brakes are priority if you gonna drive it. You have to think of other people on the road, not just yourself.

[64c10HotRodder]

No brakes will be coming soon .I'll definitely have the brakes done by the time I have the motor done without a doubt. I won't be driving it at all without brakes . Before it wasn't bad. But past few weeks it's been getting worse . That's why I haven't been driving it in awhile . Yesterday was first time I've drove her in weeks .

[PGSigns]

Looks like you are in an automotive program if you are doing an engine for your senior project. Ask for help from someone who knows brakes. Splitting the system is not to hard and several threads in the FAQ section above on brakes and upgrades for them. First step is to get it up on stands and pull the wheels. take a look at the condition of all the hoses and lines. Look for rusted metal brakes lines and dry rotted hoses. Pull the drums and look at the condition of everything in there. The shoes and wheel cylinders. On a wheel cylinder pull the rubber boot back and look for brake fluid and corrosion. This will let you make a plan for what you need to make it safe. Step two. PM me your address. I have a complete set of wheel cylinders, hoses and brake shoes for the front that were on one of my trucks less than 6 months before I went to disc brakes. I'll send you a care package. For how all this stuff works youtube is a good resource.
Jimmy

[64c10HotRodder]

Thanks I pmed you. No I am not in a automotive program. Engine displacment and racingi s a family thing. And in a small town like this there's nothing more to do than drive around andthe town trend is classic trucks .Most of the "cool kids" have classic trucks .That is what I plan to do this weekend is get it on Jack stands and see how it all looks.

[61K10]

don't worry about up-grading now. Pull all the wheels and drums and check for leaks from the wheel cylinders and all line connections. No leaks bleed all the wheels cyl. still no brakes probably need a new master cylinder. if you need to know something ask here or goggle is at you finger tips--- maybe ask one of the tk guy's in town to give you a hand.----------good luck

[oem4me]

Brakes are a cheap fix considering what they do for you. Losing pedal pressure could mean a few things, and might be solved with a cheap $25 master cylinder, but if you are actually losing fluid somewhere, catastrophic failure is imminent. NO JOKE - when your brakes fail, you hit whatever is in front of you at whatever speed you are going. You or someone else might die the next time out.
A split hose, a leaking wheel cylinder, a loose fitting, or whatever... all are simple and inexpensive repairs.
Stop driving the truck until you can trace the fluid loss. It should be easy enough to spot, as it will be wet with fluid around the source.

[Chevy Fleetside]

First. Look at the back of each wheel to see if they are wet with brake fluid. If they are dry, try looking under the dash where the brake rod goes into the master cylinder. If you see fluid inside then your master is bad. Time to get a two pot master and split it up.

[slepysal]

I agree with all that's been said ,remember it does you no good to have a truck that can go if it cant stop ! The life you save may be mine .

[64c10HotRodder]

Thanks for all the help .Like I said I haven't been driving it .It doesn't go out of town either it's just my drive around truck. I knew the brakes were needing work so I parked it.

[PGSigns]

So far I have front brake shoes and hardware, wheel cylinders an hoses for the front. Still digging through stuff.
Jimmy

[64c10HotRodder]

Thank you very very much .If all goes well I'll pull it up to the garage this weekend and start looking into everything and see how it looks