Boys....brake "pads" are used in disc brakes, drums use brake "shoes".

Also remeber if your car(s) is equipped with front discs the bleed valve points up.

Tom

Thanks all.

I have the new cylinders, pads, springs, adjusters, and Superfin's on the car. No one told me what a pain the circlips on the back of the cylinders are.....

Doug - thanks for your posts. I have my pads on correctly, and have adjusted the brakes so that the wheel can make about 2/3 to 3/4 of a revolution.

Graeme - sorry, no pics yet. Still too dismantled to want to show anyone.

Getting late, so I didn't get to bleeding today. Maybe tomorrow.

Ken

Good looking out DKlawson, that pic was very informative.  That was a mistake I've made and none of the manuals I could find gave very clear pics of the pads and springs should look when installed.

Since you will be replacing the rear wheel cylinders it is appropriate to point out two things regarding the brakes that have excessive pedal travel and/or remain soft after bleeding.

Pay close attention to the direction of the shoes when putting the parts back together.  You will note that the friction material is "relieved" further back from one edge of the metal shoe than it is on the other end.  Refer to your manual and it will show you how this relieved area is supposed to be oriented relative to the direction of wheel rotation. 

Once the drum is assembled again, the rear brakes have to be adjusted.  When the rear brakes are properly adjusted an elevated wheel should only spin about 1 turn before stopping.  There should be a little bit of drag that you may even hear as you turn the wheel.  If the wheel is loose and able to freewheel for many revolutions when spun, there will be too much travel of the rear cylinder pistons when you first apply the brakes.  That means you will have a lot of pedal travel on the first application of the pedal and on the second pump the pedal will be firmer and higher. 

To the OP, You will likely have success bleeding the brakes once the new rear cylinders are in, weepy cylinders introduce air into the system.

To both posters, are all four wheels adjusted properly? The brake shoes don't need to be too far out of adjustment for the pedal to go to the floor. Ajust the brakes to that there is some"drag" on the drums, this will take up the "slack" and should give a hard pedal. 

 On a positive note - Here's my progress...  Note - the 4x6" brake!

Ken - Share a picture... we can at least focus all the positive work..

 

 

 

 

I wish I was posting to help you with your troubles.  I have completed a 12 month of shell/frame up rebuild of a 1979 Mini 1000 RHD.  I have replaced the master cylinder with the newer yellow band replacement model and have a front/rear split system.  All lines are new, all wheel cylinders are new - the only thing that is original is the pressure regulating valve below the master.  I bled the system multiple times and have no air coming out any wheel cyclinder bleed valve and have no leaks in the system. 

My brake pedal goes to the floor but generates pressure when pumped and does not bleed off when I get pressure.  Someone suggested that I should have bench bled the master and that is where I have air.  I attached clear lines to the two hard lines between the master and the pressure valve and looped them back up into the resevoir and I pumped the system until I had brake fluid with no air - there was air trapped in the master cylinder.  After hooking back up, I bled all four corner (LH front - RH front and LH rear and RH rear per the Haynes manual) and still the pedal goes to the floor.

I cracked the lines on the master to insure that I had only fluid and no air and did the same thing at the pressure regulating valve - no air.  I then pushed fluid through the system at each wheel both using a rapid pump - release pressure with brake pedal down - close bleeder - release pedal and repeat.  I also have tried long steady brake pedal strokes opening and closing the bleeder to push plenty of fluid through the system.

Last night I started using a vacuum unit to see if that helped.  No dice......

I too am frustrated.....

Months of work and here I am staring at my car unable to get the brakes working.  I don't even know where to take it even if I decided to try and limp to a shop and have it looked at.

Sorry for hijacking your thread Ken...  i am just hopeful for advice too!!!

Graeme

Hey guys - need some help/advice:

I've been doing a rolling resto of a 1972 Innocenti Cooper 1300, and I am having all kinds of problems with the brake hydraulic systems. Skipping all of the gory details, I've replaced the master cylinder, brake servo, and all of the steel lines/flexible lines except for the long line that runs from the front of the car to the proportioning valve in the back of the car, the line from the proportioning valve to the left rear wheel, and the 2 lines on the rear sub that go from the flexible lines to the drums. I am bleeding with a pressure bleeder, but I can't seem to get all of the air out of the system (have to pump the brakes at least once to get hard pedal). Last time I was bleeding, I had fluid coming out of the left rear cylinder (drum brakes in the rear) from inside the drum, so I am replacing both rear cylinders (and drums, springs, shoes, etc...).

Once I get this done, any other advice for getting air out of the system.

Very frustrated.

Ken