Master Cyl. help

[Donnie]

How complex is the hill holder set up on a 51 Champion? When I got mine it had been setting for a while. The brake pedal was stuck. When I pushed it hard enough ( or maybe too hard ) it felt like something broke. I finaly got under it Sunday, and this is like nothing I have ever worked on before.
Once again, Help
Thank You

[whacker]

The hill holder system is very simple really. If you are just trying to get the car going, I suggest you just disable it by turning the adjustment nut all the way in. This will cause the hill holder to be held in the open position and it will not work. You can the operate the car like a car without a hill holder. After you have rebuilt and adjusted the brakes (first thing to do on any old car - don't forget to replace ALL the brake lines), you can adjust the hill holder. Turn the adjusting nut out until the hill holder "flips off" just as the clutch engages. At that point you are good to go. There is no better way to drive in hills than a Stude with a properly adjusted hill holder!

[Donnie]

Thanks for the info.
There is a small rod fastened to a bracket by a clevis. The other end is not fastened to anything. It looks like it may hook to the E- Brake cable. Is this correct or is this something else? I didn't know if this was part of this system or not.

[Sonny]

Like Whacker says, the hill holder isn't complex at all Donnie. That "breaking" feeling you had could be anything, but a stuck piston popping loose in the system was probably the culprit. Although it looks like one big piece, that hill holder is just connected to the master cylinder and is rebuildable too. You can put in a master cylinder that doesn't have hill holder if you don't want it easily enough though. The thing to remember, (if you decide to keep the hill holder in the system), is that you have to keep the hill holder adjusted. It's simple, but it needs to be done right the first time and at least checked at regular intervals.

Probably the easiest place find your brake rebuild parts is Studebaker International. They have all the parts and kits you need, did you get their catalog yet? There's a LOT of other places to find your parts, and the Reedsville, PA Studebaker swap meet this weekend would be like a gold mine for ya!

Sonny

http://RacingStudebakers.com

[Roscomacaw]

What Sonny forgot to tell you is that that rod from the hill holder attaches to the clutch linkage. Anytime you come to a stop on an upward incline and push the clutch in, the brakes are held until you start to release the clutch. That way you don't need three feet to manage an uphill takeoff!

Miscreant at large.

[whacker]

Donnie, I don't think the rod and clevis you found are part of the e-brake system. The e-brake is just a cable between the rear brakes and another cable going to the dashboard handle. If the clevis is attached to the clutch pedal under the floorboard, you have probably got the hill holder disengagement linkage. If it is just hanging loose, you do have a problem with your hill holder! If this is the case, the rod should go to the lever on the top of the hill holder, a little cylinder on the back of the master cylinder. This is where the brake lines going to the front and back are attached. This linkage rod should go thru the lever on the top of the hill holder and have a spring (I forget if there are washers) and an adjusting nut, and a jam nut. This is the adjustment I spoke of earlier. If you don't have a shop manual yet, you need to buy one. I recommend a reprint or the CD version for one you will actually use. Save the originals for posterity!