RE: [Chrysler300] SILiCONE BRAKE FLUID & popping out a flattened gas tank

[christopher beilby <thelastbestgenius@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

1) Sucked in gas tank 'how to suggestion' first:
 1) as other suggest, do it in the car - as the top of tank is weakest, and it being bolted in car will usually see the bottom pop back out more easily. 2) use say vice grips to close up/off the rubber gas hose part that comes out of tank and then usually as steel line then continues up to engine 3) get some clean rag, poke tip of a trigger type blower on the end of an airline end into the tank as you pack/press the rag around it to make a seal. 4) pull trigger so air goes into tank - BUT BE CAREFULL - DO NOT GIVE IT 50-100+ lbs - just try a few secs first, and listen/look for what happens. Likely it will only take way less pressure than you think - as I suggest, do it by time, a few secs longer each time if not much happens. TOO MUCH PRESSURE WILL RUIN TANK IF IT OVERBLOWN. Obviously you need the gas cap on the tank.
 
2) Silicone versus old type brake fluid. Rather than blame old type 'non silicone' fluids too easily, it sounds like people (a) with brakes sucking in water so much that they rust up in a year, and (b) boil their brake fluid while driving not too harshly ?
COULD MAYBE CHECK THEIR BRAKE SHOES ARE NOT ADJUSTED UP/OUT TOO TIGHT?! 
Many times I have found people having had their brakes rebuilt, the shoes are then set/adjusted, so they touch the drums all the time, drag not enough to hold car, but enough to create great heat - so in a local drive they heat everything up so much, that then obviously the cooling hot brake fluid will suck in moisture - cause rust and other problems that otherwise should take years to start??!! 
 
Just a thought, many brake places today do not know how to set/adjust drum brakes. You should be able to spin the wheel so no drag, only faintest contact/sound of shoes with drum when spinning a wheel jacked up. Plus always hit brake pedal to centre shoes after doing any adjustment - not doing this will often give false reading/adjustment.
 
Christopher Australia - snow over weekend in some southern cities/places where it rare even in mid winter, yet it supposed to be nearly summer now - plus more record rains. Global warming looking a bit wrong here based on last 4 months un-ending cold/wet  weather/rain - with some winter grain crops now at risk of total loss due to too much rain 
 
ps have now found/organised and will send scans of '57 Mopar seat belts in next day or so - they are not Hicock as I thought earlier, but made by "Brown" - I also will forward shots of 'non Mopar tagged' 1962 date "Brown" brand belts that look they night be dead ringers for '61/62 300 issue, in that they bolt to floor via factory nuts on underside for 2 of 4 belts, but the other two use round flat washers with loose bolts - they are black webbing versus the '57 which are grey . Both types lock onto a chrome steel tongue, and have raised vee centre section on their main buckles.


To: Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
From: jblken@xxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Sun, 17 Oct 2010 23:32:47 -0700
Subject: [Chrysler300] MY SILiCONE BRAKE FLUID STORY - SOME 35+YEARS AGO


  



I can't remember the exact # of years ago that I put silicone fluid in 
my 1955 Desoto Fireflite hdt.. About 36 years ago the Desoto - with its 
original wheel cylinders and power master cylinders - the front 
cylinders started leaking so I flushed out the old fluid, honed the 
front wheel cylinders, soaked the rubber cups in lacquer thinner - so 
that they swelled up, soaked the brake fluid coated shoes in lacquer 
thinner and then set fire to them to burn off the brake fluid. I 
reassembled the old parts into cylinders (I was cheap with the $ and 
always re-used the old brake parts in my cars) and put in silicone brake 
fluid which was, at the time, only available at one local racing shop 
(and very expensive) and unheard of (as far as I knew) among my car 
friends. My first attempts of testing the brake -the cups turned (or 
would not slide ) and leaked silicone. I had to really polish, by hand, 
the cylinders to a high degree (so the cups slid easily and final got a 
good pedal - better then with the regular brake fluid ever gave me. 
After a few more years of driving I stored (in unheated garage and 
sheds) the car for for some 30 years (about 15 years in Utah's cold 
county). I never started the car until two years ago when I pulled out 
the Desoto, replaced the cracked exhaust manifold (due to the cold 
storage?) put a new carb on (old one leaked all over when I first tried 
starting it), pumped the brake pedal a couple times and had solid 
pedal. I then drove the car, with only adding what was left of a gallon 
of gas, used to poor down the carb to start the car, (to the old gas) 
to a gas station for more fresh gas and then onto the muffler shop and 
back home. After a few days of driving the old gal, I put the car back 
in the storage so that, with room, I could concentrate on finishing 
other car projects. I have owned this Desoto for 43 years - bought 
from the original owner (a little old California lady) who had stop 
driving it a couple years before due to, (as I discovered after buying 
it ) a burnt exhaust valve. The Desoto now has about 145,000 miles on 
original master cylinder, trans. radiator, engine and brake components. 
Only thing I did was do a valve job, carb, silicone fluid, air shocks 
(used to carry 4- 5 people and gear on ski and camping trips 37+ years 
ago). the exhaust manifold, replaced front motor mount, painted the 
green (white top and firesweep still original white as well as original 
upho) and the dual exhaust two years ago. I probably have to 
check/redue the brakes again after all these year sof setting and not 
being checked.

I'm a true believer in the silicone fluid - also don't remember ever 
having to replace the stop light switch during those early years of 
driving with silicone. I put silicone in my H but yet to drive it - may 
be by next summer.

Ken Wilson, San Jose, Calif.,
62 H

PS. Although I usually do my own brake jobs I had on a occasions (40 
years ago ) to have it done by brake shops. After a couple of brake 
failures /lack of good braking after having gone to the brake shops ( 
one failure was coming out of Yosemite on a steep grade, the brakes 
failed to slow a 55 Desoto convertible and I had to crash into the side 
of a hill to stop the car or go over a cliff. Since that instance, 
some 40 years ago I since have always done my own brake work and never 
again trust any brake shop or person to touch any of my older mopar's 
brakes. I even did my brakes on our 20+ year old 1962 Chrysler 300's 
and 1964 Darts, with 9" brakes, which (I and Wife) drove for years and 
years as everyday work and travel/vacation cars with never a brake 
fade/failure/un-even or stopping problem (even on steep sierra back 
roads) and my 80's Dodge truck. Most important, in the old drum 
mopars was good/perfect brake adjustments which most shops, I think, do 
know how. A few years back I bought an old Amco brake shoe adjustment 
tool which made the brake shoe adjustment easier and faster. 


 		 	   		  

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



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