I am a little irritated and concerned with the position of my brake pedal in my 56 victoria with manual brakes . All brake components including lines were replace at a rebuild about 10 years 40,000 miles ago. At the time I had a friend help me bleed the system with him pumping the pedal and me opening the bleeder fittings. At the time I settled for about 2 inches of travel on the pedal no matter how much we bled the system. I have always compensated by pumping the pedal 3 times quickly and got a taller pedal as a result. Master cylinder seems ok as the pedal does not sink to the floor with constant pressure. I see no leaks at the master or wheel cylinders and the car stops fine without pulling to one side or squealing. A couple weeks ago I bought a self bleeding tool that sucks the fluid from each cylinder one at a time and saw no improvement if I didn,t make it a little worse. I also raised the car on all fours and adjusted the shoes to drag on each drum perhaps more than I think they should and I still have to give the pedal 3 quick pumps to get the pedal height that feels safe. Any advice will be appreciated .   George  

The bolt that attaches the rod to the brake pedal arm is an eccentric. Loosen it and see if you can move the pedal higher by adjusting it.

Y's guys rule!
Looking for McCullouch VS57 brackets and parts. Also looking for 28 Chrysler series 72 parts. And early Hemi parts.

MoonShadow, 292 w/McCulloch, 28 Chrysler Roadster, 354 Hemi)
Manchester, New Hampshire

Do you have the stock single chamber master or did you or a PO convert to a dual chamber cylinder? If it was converted your brake pedal push rod is likely a tad too short. If that's the case adjustable push rods are available. You want 1/8" to 1/4" pedal free travel before the push rod contacts the M/C piston.

I have the stock single chamber master cylinder and have turned the eccentric at the end of the push rod to lengthen it some. 

pumping the brakes to get a better pedal indicates (1) there is too much space between the shoe and the drum or (2) The master cylinder bore is too small. You said you replaced all components. Including the master cylinder? Given that you have adjusted the brakes, if it were me I would verify that the master cylinder bore is at least as large as original or that the wheel cylinders are not larger than original. You can never tell what you get with rebuilt or reproduction parts these days. 

All parts were ordered from Concours at the same time: new master cylinder, wheel cylinders and brake shoes. After 10 years it might be a good idea to replace all again with original equipment if I can get it.

The only thing that hasn’t been mentioned is the fit of the shoes. Since it’s been this way since the rebuild, did the shoes properly fit the drums? If the shoes are standard and the drums turned oversize the contact patch will be off. I’d think this would be more of a braking problem than a pedal travel problem, but it’s been some years since I used drum brakes. When I did, the local supplier asked for the drums, and properly fit the shoes.

I’ve had good luck with Concours and since nothing is leaking I’d be looking for something in the original set up. Could be bore sizes in master or wheel cylinders, but that doesn’t sound like them.

miker
55 bird, 32 cabrio F code
Kent, WA
Tucson, AZ

geo56 Posted -

"I am a little irritated and concerned with the position of my brake pedal in my 56 victoria with manual brakes . All brake components including lines were replace at a rebuild about 10 years 40,000 miles ago. At the time I had a friend help me bleed the system with him pumping the pedal and me opening the bleeder fittings. At the time I settled for about 2 inches of travel on the pedal no matter how much we bled the system. I have always compensated by pumping the pedal 3 times quickly and got a taller pedal as a result. Master cylinder seems ok as the pedal does not sink to the floor with constant pressure. I see no leaks at the master or wheel cylinders and the car stops fine without pulling to one side or squealing. A couple weeks ago I bought a self bleeding tool that sucks the fluid from each cylinder one at a time and saw no improvement if I didn,t make it a little worse. I also raised the car on all fours and adjusted the shoes to drag on each drum perhaps more than I think they should and I still have to give the pedal 3 quick pumps to get the pedal height that feels safe."

Try this ...

Put the car on stands and do not allow the rear axle to hang (partial rear brake application - cables). Run the shoes out until firm contact is made with drum. Back off until you can spin wheel by hand 1/2 to 3/4 of a revolution. Apply brakes (to center brake assy). Spin wheel again and adjust to arrive at same revolution count.

When replacing shoes (your first concern is quality) they may not make full contact with the drum unless the were arc ground. It may take a few hundred miles before they "seat in". They will require re-adjusting at that point and on a regular basis as there are no self-adjusters.

Also- There is a RESIDUAL PRESSURE VALVE in the MC that maintains a pressure of 10lbs. on the wheel cylinders/shoes to allow a quicker reaction to the MC application. If you adjust the shoes as above and are satisfied with correct pedal adjustment, I would look here. This is considering all components are good.

Brake fluid is hydroscopic so a yearly or bi-yearly change is a good idea, especially for one that sits.

____________________________

Did you bench bleed the Master Cylinder before it was installed?

  Ron Lane,  Meridian, ID

I did not bench beeld the master cylinder. I assumed It would bleed itself as the wheel cylinders were being bled.Other members who have submitted responses to my problem have also suggested having the shoes modified to fit the drums. I just installed mine out of the box and didn't know that having the shoes arched was an option in this day and age was an option.