Wrong Turns

It was a beautiful fall day yesterday, perfect for crawling under the car and continuing the re-plumb of the brake lines. The right front line was already replaced, and I wanted to see what the rear brakes looked like. So, I jacked up the right rear and set to work.

Right Rear Brakes, Reassembled. Correctly.

With the rear drum off, I found what I had seen in the front: brakes that were almost, but not quite, assembled correctly. In this case the parking brake link was in backwards and the helper springs were the wrong size. The springs were so loose, in fact, that I could remove them with my fingers.

Since I’ve had the car, I’ve experienced an odd “dragging” sensation when the car is cruising at speed. I blamed the carburetor for a while, thinking it must be a surge of some sort, then the transmission–who knows what ills are hidden in there? But I never had a satisfactory answer. Weak springs and dragging rear brakes could be it. Could also explain those frequent trips to the gas station.

Old vs. New Wheel Cylinders

I replaced the wheel cylinder (It seemed fine, but this is a complete brake restoration.) and reassembled the brakes, correctly this time. Like the front wheel brakes, the fittings for the brake lines were completely frozen. Since I had new lines waiting in the wings, I took a single stab at taking it apart and when that failed, just cut the lines.

The brake line distributer sits to the right of the differential, making one short and one long run to each wheel. Disturbingly the replacement short line was labeled “left” when it should have been “right.” Even worse, the long line was labeled “right” and for an earlier model year Thunderbird. (I didn’t catch that when I took them out of the box.)

Old vs. New, right brake line. Uh, not quite.

Dang.

I was working on the right side, needing the short line. Sure enough, the length was right, but the line was bent as if it were feeding into the distributor from the left side. The longer line, when I tried to match it up, was completely wrong. It bent down where it should have gone up, and there’s no bend at all where it should turn into the distributer.

I ordered these lines on-line over the summer and waited over three weeks for delivery. Returning the lines and waiting for replacements left me with disturbing visions of the car up on ramps through October. Then again, I’d hate to ruin these line trying to straighten and re-bend them, then wait additional 3 weeks for lines that I would have to pay for twice.

Left brake line wants to go under the differential. Pretty sure that’s not right.

Ug.

Today’s goal is to fix up the left rear brakes (I’m pretty sure they are in the same shape as the right.) and pull out the line on that side. After that, I’m not so sure yet.

Life with an Old Car

I had the unusual experience of using the Thunderbird to retrieve parts for another car yesterday. We were just doing regular maintenance, but for the moment at least, the Tbird was the only running car in the household.

For the past few weeks, the ‘Bird has been running so well that I have been loathe to tear it apart, even though there are projects ready to go–the parts are even sitting on the workbench.

“Running well” doesn’t mean that the Thunderbird has been problem free. I learned the hard way that an erratic gas gauge is sometimes worse than no gas gauge at all: I ran out of gas at the local supermarket last week. The gauge showed just under a quarter tank–a place it sometimes rests even when the tank is full.

After shopping, I was able to start the engine, but it stopped right away. I was lucky that the car was parked and I was close enough to home that I could walk there with the perishables. By the time I came back with a gas can, the place was packed, people were circling the lot looking for spaces and a restaurant right by the car had a long line of waiting customers outside the door. So, I had quite an audience while filling and starting the ‘Bird. By the time I backed out, there was a very impatient person waiting for my spot.

It wasn’t more than a day or two later that we had a brief freak rain shower while I was out driving. I was dismayed to see the wipers struggle half way up the windshield, then completely give up the task. By the time I got home, the rain had stopped. I took the wiper arms off, put them back on and they worked perfectly. Perhaps they only work in dry weather? It doesn’t usually rain here until October, so I’ll have to wait and see.

I have noticed that except for the initial purchase price, the cost of ownership is about the same monthly outlay as a car payment. There have been moments, most recently at the supermarket, when I’ve been sorely tempted to make loan payments instead of parts purchases. But, last Friday a guy walked by my house, stopped by the Thunderbird and said, “What a beautiful car! Can I walk around it and take a look?”

Yeah, it’s worth it.

Shift, Signal and Stop

Before I tackled the shifter yesterday afternoon, I plugged in a new flasher and fuse for the turn signals. All four indicators–shocking!–all started working. After a brief delay, the fender indicators sprang to life as well.

With that success, I found a nylon pinch nut, worked my hands past the brace with a couple of wrenches and connected the shifter to the transmission linkage. Slow process, since the shifter is in there deep and there’s little room to swing a wrench.

That nut had probably been working its way off for some time. With it nice and tight, the shifter was firmer and the swing away mechanism released more precisely.

Plugged in the brake lights, too, of course. With the car off, we couldn’t get the lights to illuminate. Running, there was enough pressure in the system for them to come on, at least after a short delay.

Drove down to the auto parts store, but at the chains, that switch is special order. I’ll hit up Bob’s Auto Supply later this week–I bet they have it in stock!

Suddenly Shiftless

A summer Friday afternoon–perfect time to run some errands in the car. I hopped in with a grocery list and packages for the post office. The parking lot at the post office was packed; I took a spot way in the back, threw the car into park and realized instantly that it was no longer connected to the transmission.

Shift linkage
Those dohickeys need to be connected, probably with that bolt.

It took a few seconds for the rest of my brain cells to spring into action. I was head-in with a bush in front of me, no reverse and no park. I sent my son in with our drop-offs while I thought.

Fortunately, I was on a very slight slope. I shut the car off and it slid back out of the spot. Incredible how heavy the brakes and steering are with the power off. The previous owner jumped the wire across the neutral safety switch–I can start the car in gear. When it got far enough back, I turned the key and the car leaped back to life–still in drive. In retrospect, I could still have thrown the car in park to restart it; the safety switch on the ’64 is on the column, not at the transmission (and that was still working).

Of all the gears to be stuck in, drive is probably the best. We motored on home, bypassing the rest of the errands. Chocks under the back wheels are keeping the car in the driveway until we get the parking gear back.

Brake Lights
Been a while since I was under the hood. Wonder how long the brake lights have been disconnected?

A quick look under the hood revealed the problem: the nut and bolt connecting the shifter on the column to the transmission linkage had come undone. No one to blame but myself–I put that on when I replaced the shift detente mechanism.

 

Out of the Driveway

Out of the driveway at last
Out of the driveway at last

After a month stuck in place, a longish crank, and a squeal of complaint from the fan belt and we were back in business this afternoon. I performed a cautious circuit of the neighborhood, then a more robust tour of the city streets. The brake pedal was firm and the car ran strong.

It had been too long. But just a few minutes behind the wheel reminded me of the less critical things I’d like to to–turn signals would be a plus, as would a fix for that flapping vent window.

For now, though, you’ll find me on the road.

Suspiciously Simple

On the face of it, replacing a brake line sounds ridiculously easy. There are only two fittings–one at each end–and there are generally only a couple of clamps holding the line in place.

New Brake Lines
Snaking the old brake line out of the car.

Looking at the line for the right front wheel, nestled back on the firewall, though, confidence dims. It’s deep down in there and the line has a complex, convoluted shape. I began by unscrewing the fitting at the master cylinder. (The other end, loyal readers already know, had to be cut off a few weeks ago.)

I had a helper at the right wheel well to guide the line out while I kept it from getting snagged in the engine compartment. My goal was to remove the existing line without bending it so I could judge the obstacles we would need to overcome when installing the new unit. I was also interested in comparing the old line with the new, to make sure the shipping bends in the new line were identified and straightened before we started the installation process.

Old brake line
Old brake line, out of the car.

I had to guide the old line around the brake booster. I also unhooked a few vacuum lines to make the removal process easier. Once past those obstacles, there was little to stop our progress. We were able to remove it in about 10 minutes, only having to slightly bend one section to clear the suspension in the wheel well. Once out, we compared it to the new line and used a tubing bender to remove the shipping bends from the new piece.

I was a little shocked at how easy the new line went in. We snaked it in the way the old one had come out. The “U” shaped bend in the wheel well needed to be tightened up a bit, but the fitting went on with little trouble. We used a little teflon paste on the threads as extra insurance against leaks.

New line, in place
New line, in place.

With that on, we tackled the other end, which looked at first glance to be about a foot too long. With some gentle bending by hand, the fitting lined right up with the master cylinder. After that, we were able to clamp the new line to the firewall with little trouble.

We bled out and adjusted both front brakes just in time for cocktail hour. A test drive is slated for tomorrow afternoon.

Stainless Steel

SS Brake Lines
Not a tangles mess, but gorgeous stainless steel lines.

Yep, a big box of stainless steel brake lines showed up today. Took a (long) while for them to ship–about three weeks!–but actual delivery was only 4 working days.

Looking forward to Saturday, when I’ll have a chance to play with these toys. When I parked the ‘Bird in the middle of the driveway a month ago, I had no idea it would be taking up all that space for so long.

Things I Wish I’d Known . . .

. . . before I bought a T-Bird.

  1. A “California rust-free car” isn’t always rust free.
  2. A 22 gallon fuel tanks may only mean a 220 mile range.
  3. A full set of stainless steel, pre-bent, ready-to-install brake lines are only $180, delivered.

A kind soul on the Vintage Thunderbird Club International forum pointed out that last fact to me after I aired my brake line woes. I ordered them immediately, of course, from ClassicTube.com.

“I wish I didn’t know now what I didn’t know then.” –Bob Seger

 

Break Failure

I bent up a nice looking replacement line for my brakes this morning. I had gotten a decent flare on a test piece earlier, so I set up the flaring tool to finish the real thing. For whatever reason, the final flares both had minute cracks in the sealing surface–guaranteed to leak.

I had extra length to work with (planning ahead for this eventuality), so I cut the tube and started again. As I clamped the tub in the flaring tool, a pin in the clamp failed and the tool fell apart.

NAPA offered me a replacement, but I got my $80 back instead. This job will be finished by a mechanic.

 

The Right Tools . . .

A friend a while back use to remark to me that a man’s work was no better than his tools, a saying he picked up from his father. While that is not always the case, there are some jobs that definitely require the proper tool.

Double Flare
A look down at the double flare. This was my fourth or fifth attempt.

For the brake lines, I bought a few specialized tools: a brake line bender, a tubing cutter and a flaring tool, which is used to form the end of the line into a tight sealing surface. There are many, many options for all these, ranging from the super-cheap to the ultra-expensive. With the mid-range tools I bought, I can cobble together a working brake system, but I fear it will not have the professional look I want.

The line bender I have won’t handle the tight radii found in the original lines, so I’ll need to modify the original installation to accommodate that limitation. The flaring tool I’m using is a little clumsy and seems to work more by brute force than through superior engineering.

Break Fix
The prototype replacement, and some of the tools used to put it together. The radius on the replacement is too large, requiring the kinks to meet the old line in place.

I have enough materials on hand to replace the entire line for the right front wheel, but my plan is to splice in a new piece at the end to get back on the road, then work on a better approach for a clean replacement of all the lines. I played around with the tools I have this afternoon and built up a prototype splice–the J shaped piece in the photo. I’ll build up the actual replacement tomorrow afternoon to get the bird back on the road.

What was the corollary to Murphy’s Law? “There’s never time to do it right, but there’s always time to do it again.” In this case that’s the truth. I’d like the brakes to be done right, so I’ll need to do them again. I’m pretty sure the ultimate solution will include this awesome brake line and somehow getting a hold of this professional flaring tool, at least for a few hours.