Most people say they'd rather be lucky than good. Sorry, in the long haul I believe that being good is better than being lucky. However, with this brutal brake rebuild project on our "Rockin '77", I'll take all the help I can get.
To review, my wife and I bought this car for our twentieth wedding anniversary going on three years ago. It's a beautiful car but it's burly exhaust note sums up this car perfectly - all bark, no bite. It handles poorly, is uncomfortable, noisy and most importantly - and this is endemic to 1968-1982 Corvettes, it has terrible brakes. Terrible brakes made even worse by the fact that half of them weren't even working.
That half not working being the rear half. They weren't working because this "cross over" line was cracked. The cross overline carries brake fluid from the left side of the car over to the right rear brake caliper by crossing over a cross member (frame) on the frame. There's no fixing these things if they're broken, they have to be replaced.
Removing and replacing the broken line required a fair amount of dismantling. I had to remove the parking brake mechanism, lower the exhaust, disconnect some weird plumbing. Lots of stuck, rusty old bolts but it was nothing seismic.
The first major thing to go wrong, however, was when I broke this inside bleeder valve off the right rear caliper when I went to bleed the system the first time I thought I was almost done with this project. Make plans, The Corvette Laughs.
The first major thing to go wrong, however, was when I broke this inside bleeder valve off the right rear caliper when I went to bleed the system the first time I thought I was almost done with this project. Make plans, The Corvette Laughs.
A broken bleeder valve meant the caliper had to be replaced. After much PB Blaster, socket extensions and a make shift breaker bar, I was able to free bolts that hadn't been tampered with in almost forty years. Did I also mention that this has been one of the worst winters on record in Cleveland? That's saying a lot. The air temperature in my garage during this project has rarely been above freezing. Despite the insulated overalls my wife bought me for Christmas, my jaunts in the garage in this brutal weather have been short; 90 to 120 minutes at a time max. I've gained more respect than ever for those who have to brave the elements every day as part of what they do for a living.
The real heart breaker, though, was when I broke the fitting for the front to rear brake line behind that metal flange. It broke as I torqued the new cross over line's fitting into the brass block behind the flange. Just as well. If it broke just under the stress that I was putting on it, chances are that it was ready to go anyway. This, then, necessitated my removal of the entire brake line from the proportionating valve back to here.
A process that beat my ass every inch of the way from the back of the car here to the proportionating valve. Of course that bolt was stuck. What else did I expect?
My luck began to change when I was able to get the line through the transmission cross member. The cross member wouldn't move separate from the car even though I had removed the two bolts holding it to the left side of the car. So, again, I was lucky that line fit through a very narrow opening. These lines got installed on the car before the body met the chassis, there's no way the engineers thought these lines would ever have to be replaced.
Ultimately, I was able to get the new front to rear line in on my first try. What's more, my first "test" of the system was successful; I wasn't able to blow through the system meaning it was sealed. Wow. Not sure if this was luck, skill, or both but I was very happy this worked out as well as it did.
More good luck; I was able to get the brass block into position with the old clip holding in securely. Three for three. Does it get any better?
The only thing left to do now is to attach this to the proportionating valve and then secure it against the car. Hopefully, it's as simple as that. This is a braided, stainless steel line so it's not exactly easy to work with. I've had little luck working with that red handled pipe bender right there too. If I kink this thing I'm dead. I have no choice but to take my time. At least I have the experience of what to do should I mess this thing up. Wish me luck.
I see light at the end of the tunnel. And it looks like summer. Incidentally, I estimate this job would run me at least $1,500 if not $2,000 if I had a shop do it. All the parts that I've bought for this project, and this includes the busted caliper, will run me around $250. Not bad.
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