Brakes: Mechanical Bozo III stoping not so good

[Dudeabaker]

The 62 hawk is running so well I decided to go on the maiden voyage ( 4 mi. to get my wife a coke). The hawk goes like crazy, stopping not so much.On the way home the left front seemed to lock up and had a very hard petal with Very little braking ability after that. Barely limped home,brakes smoking.Funny thing,the brakes seemed to work fine when backing into the garage.So I did a little more backup braking, worked fine, foreward not so much. I need professional help. Im looking for a fix enough to get me the 5 miles to mikes quality brake and exhaust. I plan on getting both brakes and new exhaust asap.Any suggestions on what to ask for/ watch for at the brakeshop would be appreciated. Thanks to all you experts

[junior]

I'm sure other's will disagree, but for me the only way to go is the Turner disc brake kits for the front, rebuit stock brakes in the rear, dual circuit master cylinder, and all new brake lines, both hard and rubber....your car, your life...why take a chance. Also don't be a CASO, get the car towed to the shop as it really sounds like your brakes are in serious need of a professional hand. Lotsa of forum guys will say that a complete rebuild of stock brakes will do, but in my city, the way people drive, stock brakes will not be good enough. No matter how much room I leave around me, others put me in the situation of having to constantly jump on the binders. New cars can still completely out-brake the Stude, but with my updated system, at least I have a better chance. The brake work is not going to be cheap, but I feel as a responsible Stude owner you need to pay if you want to drive the car on public road...nothing less will do. Just some thoughts. Junior

[Gunslinger]

I agree...get the Turner conversion kit. Brakes are simply too important to cheap out on. Even the best brakes are barely good enough when it comes to your safety. Upgrading your braking system...hoses, rebuilding wheel cylinders, etc., is far cheaper than having a collision and dealing with the aftermath...not even mentioning injuries and medical costs.

Do it right and you won't regret it.

[Dudeabaker]

OK I get it, discs are good...... and safe.Right now i am just trying to things functional enough to get it to a restorer i am considering to go thru the entire car.I took the hub thing off the left front, things looked pretty ok.There was some thick greasy stuff on one of pads, looks like it dripped down from axle center thing.Dont know if that would cause the lock up and hard petal. Any standard hydraulic brake fan out there?

[1954khardtop]

As Junior said, don't mess around, have the car towed to the brake shop. It sounds like you are new at this game. No shame in that, we all started somewhere, sometime. In my opinion the brakes are not the place to start learning.
I started out with simple maintanence procedures, and gradually tackled more as I gained knowledge, confidence, and tools.

[jg61hawk]

I agree brakes are not to be taken lightly but in an attempt to answer specifically what you asked I believe you may have rubber hose problems in the front. The barkes are smoking because they are locked up. One reason for that could be hoses that are not allowing fluid to return. When driving forward the front brakes do about 60% of the work, but when backing the weight shift is reversed so the rears do more work. You apparently have front brake issues. I would start by replacing the front and rear rubber hoses, and the return springs along with new wheel cylinders. One trick is to drive the car (where it is safe like an empty lot) and after several braking events shut it off and reach under and feel each drum. Braking creates friction and friction creates heat. If one is cool it is not working, if one is too hot it is hanging up. Often times brake problems are not confined to simply whats under the brake drum.

[whacker]

From your description, it sounds like your left front wheel cylinder is leaking. That would discolor the shoe, and cause it to drag. By all means, if you do not feel confident working on the brakes yourself, have it towed to the shop. You can still buy the brake cylinders new in most good sized towns, or you can order them from a Studebaker vender. Have the stock brakes rebuilt. Have them use all new rubber parts and new hoses. You will be good to go (within reason!) until a complete restoration can be scheduled.

[52-fan]

OK I get it, discs are good...... and safe.Right now i am just trying to things functional enough to get it to a restorer i am considering to go thru the entire car.I took the hub thing off the left front, things looked pretty ok.There was some thick greasy stuff on one of pads, looks like it dripped down from axle center thing.Dont know if that would cause the lock up and hard petal. Any standard hydraulic brake fan out there?

Bearing grease leaking onto the brakes will most certainly cause the brake to grab. I wonder though, if the brakes got hot because of not releasing and cooked the grease out. In any case, you need to go through the brakes to find the problem.

[Dudeabaker]

Thanks for the answer, i was beginning to feel like a lowlife schlub for not having the discos. I losened the left front adjuster and guess what. now the right front locks up. I looked at the rubber hoses and they are supple, tight and no leaks.Still works great in reverse, maybe i will get a huge mirror and drive backwards the 5 mi to the brake shop.Just kidding I'm not that big of a bozo.

[1962larksedan]

Thanks for the answer, i was beginning to feel like a lowlife schlub for not having the discos. I losened the left front adjuster and guess what. now the right front locks up. I looked at the rubber hoses and they are supple, tight and no leaks.Still works great in reverse, maybe i will get a huge mirror and drive backwards the 5 mi to the brake shop.Just kidding I'm not that big of a bozo.

Don't feel too bad; my 1962 Lark 8 loooves to lock up the R/F drum brake. I found that out taking it around the block. Note I already put on the Turner Brake approved 1968 Mustang disc brake master cylinder between the original dead single unit and my wanting to go with discs in the near future.

[jg61hawk]

Thanks for the answer, i was beginning to feel like a lowlife schlub for not having the discos. I losened the left front adjuster and guess what. now the right front locks up. I looked at the rubber hoses and they are supple, tight and no leaks.Still works great in reverse, maybe i will get a huge mirror and drive backwards the 5 mi to the brake shop.Just kidding I'm not that big of a bozo.

The adjuster has nothing to do with brake equalization. If you have a single chamber master cylinder the fluid has to reach a point of all wheel cylinders being filled before any one can actually begin to expand. Think about it. Fluid HAS TO go to the point of least resistance before it can force anything. One wheel CANNOT, I REPEAT CANNOT, grab under presure before another. How could one wheel cylinder grab before another? They have to fill at the same time, and then begin to expand. The hoses will always look great from the outside. Cut one open they are made of layers and layers. They crap out from the inside. PLEASE GET A PRO TO LOOK AT THE ENTIRE BRAKE SYSTEM.

[JohnM15]

It sounds like you have one of the pistons in a wheel cylinder that is not moving freely and when you release the brake the piston does not move back into the cylinder. I would do a complete brake job to be sure. Although I trust myself more than some mechanic down the road. On important things like brake I trust myself more... It's your own call, if you want to do it yourself and save lots of money I would get some experienced help. Do you know a friend that can come over and give advice?

[junior]

Thanks for the answer, i was beginning to feel like a lowlife schlub for not having the discos. .

Dudeabaker, no intention of making you feel like that. My point simply was it sounds like your car should have a complete overhaul of the brake system and you may be best to get a mechanic to look at it. If you're going to pay someone to rebuild your system, you may as well go with discs on the front, and the dual master cylinder. Why pay good money for a new stock 4 wheel drum system that just doesn't compete all that well being surrounded by modern cars driven in a typical 'I only care about me and screw you' fashion of many urban drivers. My car with stock drums in good working order could stop ONCE just as quick as it can with the Turner brakes, however it could never stop as straight and controlled, and fade-free as the Turner system can on a repeated basis. Bottom line, please don't drive your car on public roads until you get the brakes working properly, regardless of whether they are stock or modified. Good Luck and happy braking. Junior.

[rusty65]

Dudeabaker, PM (2) sent.