my first project

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no1newb

no1newb

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this is my first car, i plan on fixing it up with some people i know. i got a 65 barracuda, the guy before me did most of the hard work, but there are still some things to do, it has a 73 cuda 318(i think) engine.

i have 2 questions. one, the speedometer is real bouncey, the other owner said somthing about moistue, but i dont remember and i didnt write it down. what would be the best way of fixing that.

also, it has 4 power drum brakes, apparently after last winter, the brakes are real tough to push. the fluid in the master cylinder are all full, and the vaccum doesnt seem to have any evidence of holes or leaks. what would be the best way of goin about that?


heres a pic, twards teh end of my project, im probobly guna get it painted its original color (gold) but leave the black stripes down the side.

 
Good looking Cuda. The speedo bounce probably means you need to either oil or replace the speedometer cable. Pull it out and have a look then you'll know for sure.
Even though they are tough to push, do the brakes still seem to be stopping the car correctly? Could be any one of a number of problems.
 
i can still drive it around the block, they stop at stop signs, but i needs a real long stopping distance, and thats with puting all my weight on the brake.
 
Pull the vacuum hose from the brake booster to see if it makes any difference.
Check the front brake calipers to see that the brake pads are moving.
 
how would i know if i needed to get a new speedo cable or oil, i could barely get to the cable, the dash barely comes out and i dont know how to get this aftermarket steering wheel off. i could unscrew the speedo cable pretty easily though, if that means anything.

OldVart said:
Good looking Cuda. The speedo bounce probably means you need to either oil or replace the speedometer cable. Pull it out and have a look then you'll know for sure.
Even though they are tough to push, do the brakes still seem to be stopping the car correctly? Could be any one of a number of problems.
Click to expand...


if i remove the vaccum hose, should the brakes still work as they are now, or make them worse?
 
If it gets worse the booster is ok.
If not there´s a chance that it´s the booster that is giving you the problem.
 
i havent disconected the break booster yet, but i just realized that the brakes are impossible to push down when the car is off, does that mean anything?
 
yeah, unless theres some special trick to getting the hoses off, me nor my dad could get the hoses off the brake booster.
 
no1newb said:
yeah, unless theres some special trick to getting the hoses off, me nor my dad could get the hoses off the brake booster.
Click to expand...

The hose is pretty tight on my brake booster too, I usually pull it on the intake so that I don´t ruin the valve on the booster. Don´t forget to plug it on the engine side.
But as bayyum states, it´s probably okay when you feel a difference when the engine is not running.
If you jack the car at the front ( use jackstands) then try to rotate the wheels while braking to see that the front brakes activates.
If not, remove the wheel and have a look at the calipers, to see that the pistons in the calipers aren´t stuck (check that the brake pads are moving when braking). Then do the same at the rear wheels.
 
oh yeah, i dont have a parking brake and its a manual. so should the car be on when its jacked up? if so, what do you suggest i do?
 
no1newb said:
oh yeah, i dont have a parking brake and its a manual. so should the car be on when its jacked up? if so, what do you suggest i do?
Click to expand...

Be sure of that the tranny is in the neutral, have the car on flat ground.
After you jacked the car up put some bricks in front and back of the wheels.
Make sure that the car is steady. When putting the car back to the ground make sure to remove the bricks, otherwise the car will slip from the jackstand.
(don´t ask me how I know).
It is not necessary to have the engine running when checking the brake calipers, you just have to step on the pedal a bit harder.
 
It could if there was a leak but you would notice a problem in the idle. From what you describe in your original post there could be a number of things that could cause your problems.

If you are not familiar with the workings of brakes, check out a Chiltons manual from the library or hunt up a FSM for your car (and one for the donor car if necessary).

Things you can do by yourself -

First, check the booster - With the engine NOT RUNNING pump the brakes several times to purge any vacuum that the check valve has kept in the booster. Place your foot lightly on the brake and while your foot is pressing lightly on the pedal, start the car. If the booster is working properly then your foot should go down a little bit as the vacuum assist comes in. If not then check the hoses from the manifold to the vacuum reserve cannister and from the cannister to the booster. If it seems brittle or cracked replace it then do te test again to see if any difference.

Second - Visually inspect all the brakes lines from the master cylinder to EACH wheel. Look for crushed, bent, flattened, kinked, or otherwise damaged hard lines. Look for kinked cracked, or frayed flex lines. While you are looking, check for fluid leaks along the way.

Third - Pull each wheel and visually inspect the caliper (front) and wheel cylinder (rear). Look at the brakes lining and the condition of the rotor (front) and inside of drum (rear). Look for leaks, extremely or irregularly worn linings. Without removing the caliper, use a large C-clamp and compress the cup back into the cylinder then try the brakes again.

Now you need a competent helper! -

with the car running, turn the wheels all the way to the right. Get a 3/8" box wrench. Have your helper press firmly on the brakes. Tell then that if the pedal falls to KEEP THEIR FOOT ON IT SND DO NOT LET UP UNTIL YOU TELL THEM!!!!! While they are pressing, open the bleeder valve on the right front caliper. Fluid should come out under a moderate amount of pressure. Note whether or not it does. repeat at each wheel (left front, right rear, left rear). If fluid comes out under pressure then the inside of the flex lines has not collapsed.

Best of all though is, IF YOU ARE NOT SURE about the condition of the brakes on ANY car you buy. replace all the components and flush and refill the fluid. Don't take any chances. Only takes one moron to back out of a driveway in front of you to cause you loads of grief!!

Larry
 
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