Replacing brakes - need some help

[sgr60]

So the first problem that I'm tacking on this truck is the breaks. The pedal was soft and went to the floor when I got it, so my first plan was to see if I could bleed the system - that wasn't going to happen. The bleeder nuts on both front and rear were far too rusted to be serviceable.

So, I went out and got replacement wheel cylinders, shoes, and a hardware kit for the rear. And new calipers, rotors, and pads (and also bearings) for the front. I also bought new soft brake lines for the front and rear.

I haven't started on the rear yet, but the front has already given me some problems.

I've got the auto hubs out, and started on removing the calipers. I managed to get one bolt out, but the other three (between both sides) were completely frozen. I tried penetrating oil and heat - no go. I wound up stripping out the remaining caliper bolts. Now I'm wondering, can I cut them? Do I need to drill them out? With it so rusted down there, I'm really not surprised that it happened, I'm just hoping that someone else has been down this road.

Also, I was able to get the hard brake line disconnected from the mount on the frame, but now I can seem to figure out how to get the soft brake line off. Is it welded on there? The new line has a snap ring, but I don't see one on the old one.

This is turning into quite the first project.

[TexasJeff]

I know my soft brake lines had a nut on the inside of the frame, my truck is a 1980 3/4 ton GMC. They were a pain to get broke loose.

[sgr60]

Well, I've watched some videos and done some research. I've been hitting the caliper bolts (and also the rear cylinder bolts which I haven't tried yet) with liquid wrench for the last two days. I also went out today and bought a set of bolt extractors - which look pretty good. I'm going to give it another shot tomorrow. Hopefully with some more heat, a few days worth of liquid wrench, and some good old fashioned leverage I will be able to break them loose.

[jfw432]

Do yourself a favor and don't use a bolt extractor!! If the bolt is seized, all your going to do is break the extractor in the bolt and now you're drilling hardened steel instead of regular steel. If you can't cut it off, drill it out, and install a heli-coil...or just throw in the towel and take it to a shop. BTW sharp drill bits are worth their weight in gold when trying to drill steel.

[sgr60]

A little update - I managed to get those caliper bolts off - the extractor sockets worked like a charm - combined with a bunch of heat.

At this point I have all the new hardware on - both front and rear I replaced everything. I worked today on replacing the two rear hard brake lines, which went well - no leaks. I only replaced drivers side hard line up front, because the passenger side line seemed to be OK. Well, I was wrong. When I went to bleed the system, it turned out that the connection between the passenger's side hard line and the new rubber hose was leaking. I was all set to put a new hard line in on that side after I found the problem, but the die on my flaring tool broke. So I'm going to have to replace that tomorrow. Hopefully once I get that last line installed I'll be able to bleed the system and have brakes!

[crazeetxn]

Sounds like things are getting there. Just a little slower than you want. Welcome to the "always something to work on" club

[sgr60]

Out of curiosity - should I have been able to bleed the rear brakes with the leak in the front? I thought I read that the systems operated independently, but I can remember. I used a vacuum bleeder for about 15 minutes on each rear wheel was still pulling in a ton of air. Didn't find any leaks in the rear, just that one up at the front right wheel.

If the front and rear are in fact separate, what might cause the problem bleeding? Bad Master Cylinder? This is a new one for me...

[Oregoon]

For the future--try mixing equal parts acetone and atf, and using that in place of Liquid Wrench. I was really surprised. Worked better than diesel, especially with heat.

Good luck and look on the bright side: It'll be a lot easier next time you do the brakes.

[sgr60]

Well, brakes are done. Got everything back together and took it down the road for the first time today. The pedal may need some adjustment, it takes a pretty good amount of pressure to get it down to where it actually engages the brakes - but they work - and that's more than they used to.