64 brakes

[jwhunter]

I puchased a 64 convertible in January this year. I am having brake problems. the left rear brake locks up. I have put new springs and adjusted the brakes. the brakes had been rebuilt before i got the car. that my be the problem. when i adjust the brakes and drive a few miles, the pedel becomes hard and the brakes tighten up. Does anyone have any sugestions. I have loosened the parking brake cables. should i take the master cylinder and wheel cylinders apart and see if any are bad. Thanks.

 

[cdr63corv]

Have you tried to bleed them? Seems I went through something similar with my 63.

 

[old-hot-rodder]

Brakes locking up

I have seen this a lot! Everytime I have seen this the car needs new brake flex hoses. What I have seen happen is the brake fluid goes to the brake wheel cylinder just fine when the pedal is depressed (swells hose). It can't return because the older lines have swelled inside. So some fluid stays in the lines and the heat expands the fluid and it starts to apply the brakes for you. let me know if this is your problem.
Al Whittier

 

[67HEAVEN]

jwhunter,

Welcome to the C1/C2 section of

 

[Brutus]

I hope I'm not hijacking this thread, but what are the options for upgrading a 64's drums to discs?

 

[jwhunter]

have not bleed the brakes but i will certainly do it . I'll let you know if it works.
Thanks

 

[jwhunter]

thanks, I will let you know if it works.

 

[jwhunter]

I have seen $1399 just to convert the front brakes.

 

[Charlie '64]

jwh, welcome to the forum, there's lots of help available here. I've been experiencing brake problems with my '64 and am finishing up doing a rebuild of my brakes. I had a problem with the front left locking up after driving for a while. Have you got a GM shop manual? If not, I would recomend getting one. You get a Shop Manual for a '63 and a supplement for a '64. They are available from Ecklers, Corvette Central and other catalog dealers. Great reference material, and you will have a lot of use for it in the future. I replaced the rubber hoses that connect to the wheel cylinders as well as the wheel cylinders, and everything on the backing plate except the self adjusters and springs for them. Seems to have at least greatly helped the problem. Just got the car back on the ground today and took my first drive this afternoon. Good luck and let us know how you come out!!

 

[WayneC]

Another possibility, which may be off-the-wall:

The brakes are self-adjusting (threaded rod in a threaded cylinder extending between the shoes... the one with the adjustment star wheel on it) which is activated when the car is driven in reverse gear; I think those adjusters appear the same but they are right and left threaded depending on the side they will be installed, so It's possible the wrong adjuster(s) was installed (or they are reversed side-to-side) so that perhaps they are being tightened while the car is driven forward? I'm not certain if that is really a possibility, using the wrong adjuster may simply loosen the brake shoes.... but you can check to see if the right and left adjusters in your car are threaded differently and not the same.

If you have a Corvette Central catalog, the adjuster is #192009 and is listed as "L or R", which seems a bit strange since I would expect there to be separate part numbers; Dr Rebuild's catalog shows them as separate part numbers for left and right (5000174 lh, 5000175 rh).

As a separate issue, a bad power brake booster can sometimes reult in the symptoms you mention; in this case, letting the car sit awhile allows the brakes to return to normal operation, until you've driven a ways, whereupon they tighten up again.

 

[JohnZ]

I'd bet on deteriorated flex hoses - they swell from the inside out, and should be replaced every ten years or so (they're dated on the outside, so you can tell how old they are).

 

[jwhunter]

64 brakes

I have seen this a lot! Everytime I have seen this the car needs new brake flex hoses. What I have seen happen is the brake fluid goes to the brake wheel cylinder just fine when the pedal is depressed (swells hose). It can't return because the older lines have swelled inside. So some fluid stays in the lines and the heat expands the fluid and it starts to apply the brakes for you. let me know if this is your problem.
Al Whittier

Thanks for the information. Just wanted to let you know I replaced the flex hoses and it appears to have solved the problem.

 

[jwhunter]

64 brakes

I'd bet on deteriorated flex hoses - they swell from the inside out, and should be replaced every ten years or so (they're dated on the outside, so you can tell how old they are).

Thanks, just replaced the flex hoses and it appears to have solved the problem.