New owner with a million questions. Hydraulic brake Followup

[Mitch//pa]

tom alot of the gm cars and trucks are rotting steel lines... it should be a recall ..
we replace them with stainless steel pre made kits... its a big labor job for sure to fix them all frt to back

[hardtimes]

Originally Posted by Arlyn Bieber

It has been my experience Hydraulic brakes are better than worn out mechanical brakes. However properly restored mechanical brakes with new cast iron drums and properly adjusted are equal to hydraulic brakes and cheaper also. Another plus is you don't have to drill holes in the frame, find a place for the master cylinder, chop up a crossmenber etc. I have seen more shoddy hydraulic brake jobs than you can shake a stick at. Also changed some back to mechanical brakes.

Well, I see/read that you've made your mind up, eh !
Just a note on some of your comments (erroneous IMO). I just took off and donated a completely rebuilt set of mechanical brakes , from my '30 roadster. I also just installed a complete Lincoln hydraulic brake system on same roadster, with DOT 5 fluid.
NO drilling holes in frame, NO chop up of crossmenber(sic) and NO shoddy brake job to shake stick at. Master cylinder clean attachment to battery box for perfect alignment/attachment to original brake pedal ! Oh, and NO rods , million cotter pins to hit/stick in body when under car. NO daily/weekly adjustments of system and/or oiling/greasing of numerous friction areas. Emergency brake in same location and actually works now! Also, more time for driving/enjoying ! And , VERY clean tidy appearance. Yup, it stops very well AND anyone ,with a driver license, can drive it safely without brake instruction beforehand

[Mike V. Florida]

Originally Posted by bbrocksr

Tom, I wonder why all modern cars went to hydraulic brakes? Does that mean modern cars aren't safe? Are all the manufacturers wrong or could you be wrong? Bill

Please note satirical smiley face after his statement.

[Tom Wesenberg]

Originally Posted by Mitch//pa

tom alot of the gm cars and trucks are rotting steel lines... it should be a recall ..
we replace them with stainless steel pre made kits... its a big labor job for sure to fix them all frt to back

I'm glad you mentioned that Mitch, because I was going to ask you if you'd seen a lot of that problem. I really like both my 91 and 99 Olds with the 3.8 engines, but two of the most important safety factors are fuel lines, and brake lines, and that's been the only real problems with these two cars that can be blamed on the factory. I agree that they should have been recalled.

BTW, I found a real good brake shop in town that carries the correct length of bubble flare lines, and they also have the best prices by far. It turns out to be the same shop where I had my Model A brake studs swaged years ago. For those in the Twin Cities area, it's on Central Ave. by the rail yard, next to the long blue building that houses the 261 Steam engine. Twin City Brake and Equipment

[Willie Krash]

As a wild guess the rationale for juice brakes may be due to cars and their bigger engines becoming heavier. Perhaps more women drivers too.
Mine work fine but requires a little foot power. Now growing up everything I owned had juice brakes and no power brakes (or PS). It seems to me w/o power assist they too required a bit of foot power. So it's hard in a power brake world to remember what it did take to stop a car.

[Mitch//pa]

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Originally Posted by Tom Wesenberg

I'm glad you mentioned that Mitch, because I was going to ask you if you'd seen a lot of that problem. I really like both my 91 and 99 Olds with the 3.8 engines, but two of the most important safety factors are fuel lines, and brake lines, and that's been the only real problems with these two cars that can be blamed on the factory. I agree that they should have been recalled.

BTW, I found a real good brake shop in town that carries the correct length of bubble flare lines, and they also have the best prices by far. It turns out to be the same shop where I had my Model A brake studs swaged years ago. For those in the Twin Cities area, it's on Central Ave. by the rail yard, next to the long blue building that houses the 261 Steam engine. Twin City Brake and Equipment

i make my own bubble flares
oh yes fuel lines also

[hardtimes]

Hey Mitch,
NICE kit ! A Fordbarn bud had such nice kit and it made a seldom done job, on my A, come out ...seemingly easy. In your business that would be a good investment.

Hm, not sure his kit had a bubble flair attachment tho...

[klawockvet]

Does anyone make a kit to replace the dangerous brakes on my wife's BMW with mechanical brakes? I'm afraid to ride with her anymore.