>Even at best, the '55 brake system may disappoint. There is a reason for
the 9"-wide brake pedal-there is room to get both feet on the pedal.
Rich, if that was your experience, then your booster was not rebuilt
correctly. My brakes stop well, as they were designed.
Brake rebuild: There is a special tool required to properly set the
shoe-to-drum distance on the upper-middle-lower sections of each shoe. The
tool is an Ammco 1750. Many older brake shops have one, since it was used on
Fords as well. Some folks will 'wing it' and 'guesstimate' where the correct
setting is. But the tool is the most accurate way of going about this. Read
the shop manual beforehand.
Drum removal: If you are not familar with Chrysler brakes, you will need a
tapered axle puller to remove the rear drums. This tool is A MUST or you
won't get them off. The drums on my car had not been off in about 40 years
and were totally inoperable. It took no more than ten minutes to get the
drums off. As Rich says, leave the castle nut on for a couple of revolutions
so the drum doesn't fly off when released from the axle.
Ron
________________________________
From: Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of 'Rich Barber' c300@xxxxxxx [Chrysler300]
Sent: Wednesday, February 05, 2020 1:36 AM
To: 'Jim Jungwirth'; chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: RE: [Chrysler300] Brake and fuel system advice for my '55
Jim:
Power Brake Exchange rebuilt the MC and booster on my C-300 and it worked
fine. I recall they had to fabricate a part or two. www.pwrbrake.com
The large-diameter diaphragm in the booster may be susceptible to cracking.
This is a critical part. Even at best, the '55 brake system may disappoint..
There is a reason for the 9"-wide brake pedal-there is room to get both feet
on the pedal.
A very light cleanup pass on the brake drums may hopefully leave the
required remaining thickness. The shoes will adapt to any remaining gouges
and ridges. Then take the drums and new brake shoes to a shop that will
arc-grind the shoes to the individual drums. Continue to tighten/adjust the
shoes as per factory instructions to minimize clearance during the shoe
break-in period. Otherwise, the brake pedal will approach the floorboard
too closely.
Removing rear drums can be challenging. Normal wheel pullers may not work
as tension needs to be applied to all five bolt holes. Adding a couple of
arms to a three-arm puller can help. Be sure to keep a number of threads of
the castellated nut on the end of the rear axles while pulling the drum lest
the assembly leave you singing soprano when the drum pops off.
Making sure the sending unit gets a good ground is critical. I and others
have brazed a lug to the sender base plate and ran a wire from there to a
good chassis ground. Try and find a brass float. Corks can get partially
saturated to the point they no longer float. Be sure the sender
base-to-tank-top gasket is new and resistant to today's fuel. Create or
borrow a device to facilitate balanced tightening of the circular lock ring
that locks the sender base to the tank.
Just checking-is your car listed on the club registry?
Rich Barber
Brentwood, CA
From: Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of
Jim Jungwirth jk-jungw@xxxxxxxxxxx [Chrysler300]
Sent: Tuesday, February 4, 2020 7:27 PM
To: chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [Chrysler300] Brake and fuel system advice for my '55
My car has not run in many years, so I'm diving into my car's brake and fuel
systems, I pulled the fuel tank, going to have that checked over. The master
cylinder is out, I still need to remove the booster.
Wondering what is the best way to go for a fuel sender and brake master
cylinder replacement/rebuild and brake booster rebuild. Later on, I will be
rebuilding the rest of the brake system. I'm looking for advice, in part,
because I'm wary of the quality of new parts these days.
I've seen the prices vary quite a bit for the new fuel senders. Mine may be
relatively old because it has a cork float on it. Is 90-10 ohms the correct
resistance? Is rebuilding the way to go for these? Is there a preferred
vendor for new ones?
There seems to be no new master cylinders available. I know White Post
Restorations does master cylinder relining and booster rebuilds. Booster
Dewey also rebuilds boosters.
I appreciate any and all help.
Thanks,
Jim
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