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The Silver Buick's 1969 Firebird OHC six project.

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  • Just caught up reading events from Ely, indeed Big Goings-On! Congratulations Randal and congratulations to Mrs. Randal for choosing one of the best this USA has to offer.

    It hard to believe your trip was again interrupted by the lowly wheel bearing, but in true Randal fashion you made the best of it – 1st making the wife confortable with shade followed by a picnic in the high desert, clearly something for her to write home about. Morro Bay deserves another attempt.

    One thing maybe you can help me out with – I’m having trouble pronouncing the last word shown in your photo of the Russian wreaking yard, it may be just me but I always seem to have trouble with 13 character Russian words…your help is always appreciated.

    Hardy Handshakes, Swede
    DragWeek 07, 08, 09, 11, 12 & 2013 with 2nd place in DD

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    • Congratulations.
      Why dance when you can rock and roll?

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      • Is the disk brake setup a kit for the firebird or did you collect enough from this and that to get it done? I am going to switch to disk on my LeMans.
        Why dance when you can rock and roll?

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        • I probably saved a few pennies piecing it together, but getting a kit is the way to go. I bought the spindles, caliper brackets and backing plates as a set, the rotors, bearings, hoses, brakes, etc I bought individually and I re-built a spare set of calipers I had sitting on the shelf from the Skylark, and have a disc/drum master cylinder sitting on the shelf as well but didn't install it (as of yet..). Drove it out to the mine and back today and it does seem to stop with less effort now.
          Escaped on a technicality.

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          • I was looking at this thread and then went out and looked under my 68 for the first time. Nothing left of most bushings, a good bit of wobble in front bearings and I wouldn't even guess at Brakes. Shocks are downright hanging in the holders but no rubber to speak of that I saw.

            Been too many years to count since I did a major front end rebuild, let alone brakes. Wifey says buy the kit, do it yourself. She is good at directions, but if I get in trouble with it, I am all by myself. Going to utube to beat the band, buy a book or two and decide how I want to proceed.
            At least I have lots of air toolsl Thanks.
            Why dance when you can rock and roll?

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            • Patrick, I bought the kit to convert my 57 Sedan delivery to disc brakes using my stock spindles.. Only real pain was the spacers needed to move the arms out for disc clearance that I think you will not need to worry about and splitting my brake lines to front-rear... Yours is already split, already have 2 pot master cylinder.. Should not be any harder than a normal refresh.. I'm not running a prop valve...yet... Might not need it.. GO FOR IT!

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              • Originally posted by Deaf Bob View Post
                Patrick, I bought the kit to convert my 57 Sedan delivery to disc brakes using my stock spindles.. Only real pain was the spacers needed to move the arms out for disc clearance that I think you will not need to worry about and splitting my brake lines to front-rear... Yours is already split, already have 2 pot master cylinder.. Should not be any harder than a normal refresh.. I'm not running a prop valve...yet... Might not need it.. GO FOR IT!
                I went to PST web site last night, looks like everything in their kits I have done before on different 70-72 Monte Carlos over the years, just never all at one time. I guess if I just take it one item at a time it is doable. I will just start with brakes, shocks bushings and go from there.

                I will take further info to my thread on items in my shopping cart
                Last edited by patrickth; May 5, 2015, 06:08 AM. Reason: Edit to put last sentence in.
                Why dance when you can rock and roll?

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                • HAve you checked the front brakes for some drag? If still using the drum brake master there might be a residual pressure valve in there. Its easy enough to remove if you have brake drag.
                  1968 Plymouth Barracuda Formula S 340 with a 360
                  1997 Jeep Cherokee off road toy/driver. lifted, lockers, stroked 4.0

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                  • Originally posted by BlueCuda340 View Post
                    HAve you checked the front brakes for some drag? If still using the drum brake master there might be a residual pressure valve in there. Its easy enough to remove if you have brake drag.
                    It certainly on my list of concerns. I would have swapped the master but the fitting sizes appear to be different and will likely need new lines made up. I did not remove the lines from the master cylinder to check for a valve though. They certainly are not "sticking" though. The car at a lofty 550-600rpm idle will start rolling when my foot is lifted off the brake pedal.

                    Here is the best picture I have of the master cylinder. There is a porportioning valve it plumbs into right under it (and the warning brake light wire is just laying there in this picture, its not plugged into the master)
                    Escaped on a technicality.

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                    • [QUOTE=patrickth;n1028589 if I get in trouble with it, I am all by myself..[/QUOTE]

                      Patrick, you most certainly are NOT all by yourself! That's what we're here for. Lots of folks with tons of experience. They've helped me out on Mutt more than you can know - including coming up with his name.

                      Dan

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                      • I am learning some things, especially from Randal. Been watching his threads here ,on V8 Buick and on Overhead Cam six forum so I can try and build mine from knowledge he gained on the power train over the last few years.

                        My biggest problem, I have a pretty near worthless left arm, so everything is in slow motion with a lot of trial and error.
                        Why dance when you can rock and roll?

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                        • Hey, you're ahead of me! My BRAIN is pretty near worthless!

                          Still, I'll wager that does make everything twice as hard. But like I said, you're NOT alone. Randal is a pretty sharp Hombre` and so is Squirrel and a whole bunch of others. Even I know a little - so call on us. Be prepared to take pics and post them as most of us are semi-literate and need all the help we can get. (If I learned how so you can too).

                          Dan

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                          • Randal, I'm no brake expert just sharing my experience on the falcon.
                            Since I was starting off with disc / drum - I used a disc/drum master cylinder for manual brakes on a granada, no proportioning valve and the car stops fine....
                            your experience may vary.
                            I have the mustang 2 front end with mystery brakes, I think they're the S10 set up.... got the whole front end at a swap meet.
                            The rear is 8.8 drum, eventually I'd like to swap to 8.8 discs from a crown vic (thanks to Greg aka pintoboy I have a few of those laying around)

                            Changing your master to a disc/drum master and also swapping proportioning valves to match would be a good next step, I think there are valving differences in both components due to the fact that drums have the strong springs pulling against the wheel cylinders to retract the shoes, where calipers just have the piston seal to retract the brakes.
                            There's always something new to learn.

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                            • I have a single pot drum brake MC on both my 55 and 62. With front disk brakes. I removed the internal RPV from both of them, Works fine. YMMV. My guess is that since the car has a combination valve (the warning light switch), that the RPVs are built into that. But I could be wrong. I'd look for the RPVs in the ports of the master cylinder, and also in the combination valve. But apparently if it has them, they're not working very well? Might test it by jacking up the front of the car, and spin a front wheel. Then push and release the brake pedal, see if it still spins as easily. The RPV probably won't give enough pressure to make the car slow down noticeably, just enough to make it cook the brake pads when you drive a while.
                              My fabulous web page

                              "If it don't go, chrome it!" --Stroker McGurk

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                              • Put one of these on it:

                                Free Shipping - Summit Racing™ Adjustable Brake Proportioning Valves with qualifying orders of $99. Shop Brake Proportioning Valves and Distribution Blocks at Summit Racing.


                                The method of setting it is to:

                                Jack up the car with all four wheels off the ground.
                                Have someone step on the pedal and someone try to turn the front wheels.
                                When the front wheels can't be turned, keep steady pressure on the pedal.
                                Have the person turning the wheels go to the back and try to turn the rear...If it can't be turned, adjust the valve until they can just be turned.

                                Repeat a couple of times until you are satisfied.
                                I'm still learning

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