IML: '73 LeBaron brakes

["Jay King" <j_king@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hello, list,

Brake problems have me at a standstill this morning. Last weekend son Jamie and I replaced the power brake booster on my 1973 LeBaron and had good success, although I was not able to get the new installation to respond properly to the instructed "pushrod length check." According to the installation instructions, after the booster is installed and the master cylinder is reassembled to the booster and properly bled, the brake should be applied and the master cylinder checked for "eruption" of brake fluid. Then the pushrod is to be lengthened or shortened as needed, and that involves taking the master cylinder off again. Brake fluid never "erupted," even after I shortened the pushrod (by turning the cap nut on the end) until it has only about 1/8 inch adjustment left. We reassembled everything and road-checked the brakes, which seemed "grabby" to me compared to previous performance. 

Yesterday while driving home from work, the front brakes locked up. Since I was only six blocks or so from the house in the rain, I powered the car home (probably a bad idea). The brakes were very hot and it was raining, but we took the master cylinder off and adjusted the last 1/8 inch out of the pushrod, but the pedal never seemed to loosen up, with or without the engine running to provide vacuum. Now I'm at a loss to figure out how to solve this problem and I can't drive the car to the mechanic I have used when the problems have been too much for a father-and-son shade tree mechanic team. I've looked in the archives and found lots of good brake service and repair information, but nothing that addresses this directly. I thought that bleeding the wheel cylinders might help, and I'll try that this evening unless advised otherwise by the list, but I am not sure that will solve the problem. I do know that after I get the car rolling again, I'll need to purge and flush the whole system after letting the brake fluid boil. I'll fill it with DOT 5, again unless advised otherwise by the list.

Have I ruined the master cylinder? Wheel cylinder? Rotors? The new $149 booster? Any brake gurus have a suggestion?

Thanks in advance!

Jay

Jay King
Meridian, Mississippi
<a href=mailto:j_king@xxxxxxxxx>j_king@xxxxxxxxx</a>

Honey Gold 1973 LeBaron 4DHT
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