VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1937-1945 1941 Master Cylinder Removal

I'm having to go through the brakes on the 41 coupe. I'm having a hard time getting the master cylinder it off. I'm sure feeling the years now.

Things just don't come as easy for me as they seem to do for the "Jayhawker." No surprise there, I suppose. Seems that everything is in the way of reaching where I need to get to in order to remove it. Not much fun anymore. Mercy!

About time I started thinking of getting shed of the cars and stuff. Oh, well.

Best,

Charlie

Hi Charlie,

I appreciate your insights into the relation between this classic car hobby and the aging of the human body!

While I fortunately am still fairly flexible and have reasonable body strength, I do notice that I cannot go after projects like I did 5 years ago.

I still enjoy these classic cars and want to do the work. In the last couple of years I have done 2 things to help me continue this work.

One is that I finally broke down and installed a 2 post hoist in the shop. I know that not everyone can do that but it made a world of difference for me.

The other and perhaps most important is that I adjusted my attitude when approaching a given project. The biggest change is that I no longer push myself timewise. I work at a pace that I enjoy and admire my progress!

Thanks for your response, Rusty.

After a day and a half I completed the wheel cylinders and got the MC off. The MC was a bear. I don't know if I can get it back on or not but I'll try. Got a new kit coming for it.

Come July I'll hit 88. Needless to say; I ain't what I used to be. While I still enjoy the work, I just can't quite do the work without moaning and groaning and aching.

Best,

Charlie

BTW: Rather than just slid in and out under the car I now use a creeper. Now that shows I'm really getting old. Does too!

Charlie
You have 22 years head start but what I did while young and invincable have turned around and bit me, what I used to do in 5 minutes now takes 15 minutes on a good day.
I would like a lift in the workshop but space is not available any more.
Tony

Charlie,

Please enjoy what you can do as long as you can do!

Studies by people way smarter than me have shown that doing and STRUGGLING with physical and mental activities will indeed keep you alive and USEFUL much, much longer.

Thanks, I keep reminding myself that I not near as stupid and old as I appear and perform.

I hope to get too the MC this coming week. Mike's encouraging post will no doubt come in handy as I struggle with the d--n thing.

Talk about confidence in working on this ole 41, I can't seem to get the tools I need at the time and when they are located they are not where I can reach them. The creeper won't cooperate either. When I go to toss my body on the dang thing it scoots away and I land on the concrete. Creeper. Just one more thing that seems to hate me. You know.

Best,

Charlie

Getting everything back together again and wanted to pass along a tip for reinstalling the rear drums. Over the years I have had difficulty getting the rear drum(s) back on. It seems that every time the shoes prevent sliding the drums on even though they are at their least point of expansion. Well, yesterday it finally dawned on me that the problem is caused by travel of the parking brake mechanism after the drums are removed. As if there is "stored" force that expresses itself after the drums are off.

That sure enough is what happens. If that happens to you then force the link/lever in the brake assembly back to its least effect of shoe expansion,

Just passing this tip along for any of you that have been scratching your heads when faced with this problem.

This mysterious exercise of the shoes' area of expansion may be limited to Huck brake systems.

Best,

Charlie

Good tip, Charlie! Thanks for sharing it.

Cheers, Dean

Thanks for sharing your tip Charlie.

It can happen with self energizing brakes also. Both designs use the same mechanism to activate the parking brake. That is also the reason that the shop manual for these older Chevy's states that you need to disconnect the parking brake linkage when adjusting the brakes. Any tension in those cables tends to spread the shoes. The compression spring around the cable inside the brake drum is supposed to expand to release the lever. Except we all know how those get so gummed up with crud over time.

Dean,

I order three (3) more vacuum adjusting tools from CoftF yesterday. I lost the one you loaned me a long time ago and have lost an additional two (2) more. I think they may have been used a washers in some application or another. Who knows?

Anyway, I hope to tie these new ones to a cinder block each so they don't walk off as the other ones apparently have.

If you ever need me to replace the one you sent, then let me know and I hope I can place my hand on one. The sooner you need one the better for satisfying your request. You know.

Best regards,

Charlie

BTW: If you weren't such a dyed-in-the-wool Fleetliner, you'd probably be a right down to earth swell guy. As is: barely tolerable. You know.

BTW2: You plan on going to BG? If so, let me know where you're staying so I can cancel my reservation if it's at the same place. I doubt it will be because all you snooty Fleetliners probably have all the rooms there taken well in advance. I wouldn't be able to enjoy a scintilla of comfort being in the same place as you elite folks with your lawn games, tea parties, airs, trophy wives, et al. Just saying.

Charlie,

I think you are thinking about a different Dean. I'm not into much of anything from the 40's.

I enjoy seeing that stuff (especially with an outside sun visor), but just not my thing.

Just sayin'.

;-) Dean

Sorry, wrong person. I mistook the CA for GA.

The one I thought I responding to is from GA and has a grey 47 or 48 four door Fleetline.

I hope he will see my post for he certainly is a great guy. Is too!

Best,

Charlie