Manual Brakes

[G.O. Stang]

Okay, so my truck has manual brakes. It's the first time I've ever dealt with non-power brakes. What are they supposed to feel like? I recently replaced a broken line on the rear diff and bled them back to front the way you're supposed to. And they feel good but seem to fade a bit. Is this normal?

 

[BuzzGun79]

First G.O. In manual brakes..your brake pedal should be full and on the hard side.with foot pressure on the pedal,the pedal should stay constant and not fade under pressure..meaning no spongyness or further movement in the pedal after applying..it also takes more leg pressure on the pedal to stop a manual system..you may experience some brake fade in these types of trucks..but it shouldnt be an excessive amount..common fading issues can be the following

1) glazed pads, Shoes, Rotors & drums

2) Sometimes a new set will fade till they seat in

3) replacing brake pads or shoes and NOT Turning the rotors or drums

4) Overheating the brake pads, shoes, will harden the linings and cause fade (glazing)

5) getting the brake linings wet

6) worn Brake pad, shoe linings...

7) worn drums and rotors

8) sticking calipers cause overheating of linings...same with a stuck emergency cable in the rear

9) Contamination of the linings... grease, oil,leaky wheel cylinders,ect.ect

10) worn brake hardware

 

[G.O. Stang]

Well I bled the brakes. There is a new master cylinder, new rear wheel cylinders, and new lines in the rear. I haven't really touched the front except to replace the flexible lines on both sides. There appears to be new pads on the front. But they were probably put on 20 years ago. The shoes on the back had meat on them too so I didn't replace them. My issue is with the pedal moving more after a second of being applied. If it possible I still have air in the system?

 

[SuperCab]

I would say it needs more bleeding if the master cylinder is good

Did you bench bleed the mc when you installed it?

 

[BuzzGun79]

x2 On Matts Sugestion..Re bleed thoughroughly....If it still persists you may have gotton hold of a defective unit...ive had it happen...

 

[G.O. Stang]

The guy before me installed it. It was dry when I got it.. So I guess it's safe to say more pumping required?

 

[SuperCab]

Probably so.

 

[G.O. Stang]

Also, does anyone know of any kits for the 3 speed manual that would make it more drivable on the highway?

 

[Alvin in AZ]

The guy before me installed it. It was dry when I got it..
So I guess it's safe to say more pumping required?

Yes! :/

IME they don't need "bench bleeding" the book shows it tho so,
I've got an uphill battle here. LOL

Park the sucker with the nose down and pump it, it will do the
same doggone thing while on the truck, it works.

To bleed the brakes it's a one man job if you want it to be.

Just loosen the bleeder, put a piece of flexible tubing on it,
put the end of the tube in a bottle with some brake fluid in it,
and pump away. Don't let the master cylinder run low tho.

Yes, it really -can- be that simple! LOL

Sometimes seems like guys want it complicated for some reason? :/

A power brake system is cheap to get if you want one someday.
I've got one on my parts truck I was saving for a Bump Side
someday but that's out of the question now. :/

Alvin in AZ

 

[Alvin in AZ]

Also, does anyone know of any kits for the 3 speed manual that
would make it more drivable on the highway?

Hurst and Mr.Gasket both make a floor shift kit.
Is that what you mean?

Do -not- buy the Mr.Gasket kit! LOL

Read over and over where guys bought Mr.Gasket's because it was
"cheaper" just to turn around and buy the Hurst too.

"Mr.Gasket should've stuck with making gaskets! " -shifter buyer

Alvin in AZ

 

[G.O. Stang]

Hurst and Mr.Gasket both make a floor shift kit.
Is that what you mean?

Do -not- buy the Mr.Gasket kit! LOL

Read over and over where guys bought Mr.Gasket's because it was
"cheaper" just to turn around and buy the Hurst too.

"Mr.Gasket should've stuck with making gaskets! " -shifter buyer

Alvin in AZ

No. Like a gearing kit or something. This thing is awful at speeds over 45mph. More or less I'd like more fuel mileage since I want this to be a cruiser.

 

[SuperCab]

Higher rear axle gears maybe... What is your current axle ratio ?

 

[Alvin in AZ]

Higher rear axle gears maybe... What is your current axle ratio ?

x2 and what tires you running?

A cheap way to test it is to swap tires and wheels. ...borrow 'em?

My Bronco's 351w is a bit of a dog with just 31.5" tires and 3.55 gears.
(265/75-16E's on 8" wheels)

Swap those out for stock 15" wheels and 29" tires (235/75-15's) and it
switches to the other way, peppy etc but goes through the gears so fast
I can hardly keep up using that clunky ZF. That sounds good to many
but any particular gear doesn't have enough range to be practical tho. :/

^That was how it was -before- advancing the cam timing 4 degrees tho,
it acted "pipey" like a 2 stroke, need to retest it with the 29" tires before
I go and buy 3.73 gears to fix it. Might need to go to ~3.90 gears?

Alvin in AZ

 

[G.O. Stang]

Axle code is 17, so I believe that to be 3.25?

 

[Alvin in AZ]

Axle code is 17, so I believe that to be 3.25?

Your guess is better than mine on that.

Top one's off the F100 parts truck, the second one that looks beat
to heck is off my '75 F150, it's got a lot of dirt road miles on it! LOL

F100 open differential = 3.25
The one I bought new has limited slip = 3L25

Got a tag on your axle by any chance?

Alvin in AZ

 

[G.O. Stang]

I have a tag on it. It's near illegible though.

 

[BuzzGun79]

Afirmative G.O. Code 17 = 3.25

 

[BuzzGun79]

G.O. If your after cruising and fuel mileage you might want to look into these options a 3.08 or a 3.00...some time ago i had a 76 stepside in short i blew the 3.50 had to go to a 3.08 because of time constraints and no 3.50 available. had to get the truck back on the road quickly..Now i didnt like it mind you, it killed my takeoff from a stand still for i pulled a large pop up camper at the time...But it did drop my rpms at highway speeds and fuel mileage did go up a bit..so keep in mind there is a tradeoff doing this...my trans was the Borg warner 4sp (actually 3sp with a 1rst granny gear ) After the swap i had to start in first instead of second which i nomaly did with the 3.50

 

[Alvin in AZ]

I have a tag on it. It's near illegible though.

x2!

Mine was too!

Right up until I crawled under there and cleaned it off with a rag and WD-40.

What size tires you running?

Alvin in AZ

 

[G.O. Stang]

P235/75r15