So, when, we were asked, is a 1959 Imperial no longer a 1959 Imperial?
When it becomes a guided missile, of course.
For once, I totally agree with Kenyon, even his remark about whining. (Mea
culpa.) The brakes on these cars are really quite good, when the system is
working. As vital components, they need regular maintenance. And the whole
system should be replaced at any point you make a substitution or
replacement of any part. New brakes line is cheap, the flexible hoses are
available at Pep boys, and the wheels cylinders can be found without much
difficulty. Any half decent brakes specialist can re-pad your shoes if
needed. They seem to be a little too keen to turn your drums as well. Get
a second opinion on this because once the metal is gone from your drums,
finding a replacement will be more than a little difficult. I had mine
measured by a professional mechanic in my local Mopar club who said he
thought they were in great shape, regardless of the age of the car.
I also agree, with Paul, I think, that the overall system is up to the task
of modern traffic, though one should drive these cars more conservatively on
crowded freeways than one might a modern vehicle.
The bellows unit is fine. So are the drums, though some have decided to
change their front brakes to disk brakes, to get even better performance.
This requires major surgery. It is not really necessary, in my humble
opinion, but I could not hold it against anyone who takes this route. The
shoes and drums are very large, as befits a large car, and the twin slave
cylinders on the front wheel are quite effective and resist brake fade quite
well.
For its day, the single pot master cylinder was quite up to par as well.
However, all that can be had today are rebuilt units. These are forty years
old and all have suffered some hard work in their day. I personally have no
faith in ever being able to find a good one. This is because I never have.
Karpps say they will rebuild yours, sleeving it internally with stainless
steel, and guarantee it for life. But whose life? Would my wife be able to
sue Karpps in the event of a catastrophic failure? I think not. The life
of the car? It's already over forty years old. Life seemed to me to too
ambiguous a term, not philosophically speaking, and the whole idea too much
of a risk, bearing in mind I was rebuilding the front of my car following an
accident caused by yet another master cylinder failure.
So I installed a twin pot master cylinder from a 1968 Dodge Charger. The
bellows unit hides it from being obvious and, deep joy, one can use an older
style power bleeder on it, with a bit of effort. The replacement master
cylinder has the same bolt pattern on the plate holding it onto the car and
there is only a minor amount of additional plumbing required. It met my
criteria of keeping the car both as original as possible and safer than it
was before.
I doubt if there will ever be any new single pot master cylinders available
ever again, so one has to compromise for safety's sake at some point.
Hugh
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