dear hugh:
i write in response to:
>Max: I still have an unpleasant vibration when i'm stopping. very
>UNimperial.
>
>Can you tell us a little more about the vibration? Are you absolutely
> >sure it is from the brakes. These cars can play mean tricks on you.
> >There are some struts going forward from the front suspension to just
> >inside the bumpers. The have a rubber bushing which can deteriorate >and
>cause all sorts of wobblies you can blame on the brakes. Even if >you have
>had the front end rebuilt, this element sometimes gets >overlooked. Its
>just a thought.
i'll be happy to describe it. and thanks for the thought. i'm not sure
what it is.
it happens when i'm applying the brakes at any speed. it was worse before
the rear hubs were changed out.
i'm no mechanic, but i have a pretty good one that's done the restoration of
my '62. he started with the brakes. apparently, it didn't look like the
rear hubs had ever been removed. they were a bear to get off. my mechanic
had a special tool built to remove the hubs, got in there and learned that
it was pretty much a mess. he did what he could to clean and service it,
but after everything was put back together, the car had a terrible "shudder"
and increasing "vibration" when the brakes were applied. my mechanic
swapped out the "like new" hubs from my parts imperial, and that helped a
lot.
the current vibration appears at any speed when the brakes are applied. its
like you can feel a circle turning, getting to a certain point, and hitting
a "bump". the vibration is cyclic in nature and causes the whole car to
"lurch" forward and backward when the braking cycle reaches the "bump". its
really annoying. when it gets to the top of the "bump" crest, it also feels
a little like the brakes are braking away. like a roller coaster coming
into the station, catching the track brakes along the way, throwing the
thrill-seeker back and forth, back and forth.
we'll take a look at these bushings that you're talking about. i thought
that the whole front end had been rebuilt, but maybe something has been
overlooked.
i've been following the discussions on switching to a dual master cylinder
as well. again, my mechanical knowledge is sorely limited, but before my
'62 i owned a '63 newport coupe. i'll never forget the day that its brakes
failed while i was approaching a busy intersection where i had to make a 90
degree left or right when i had the red light. i must have had just enough
brake juice to slow the car down a little more, then i threw it into a slide
and used the gas to grab the break-away back end, navigate the turn and get
me into a flat neighborhood where i decided to have a drink at a friend's
house and wait for the tow truck. using the emergency brake never dawned on
me, and given my limited understanding of the parking brake "clamping
system" on these '62 imperials, i'm not sure that i'd be helping my cause
trying to fool with the parking brake if the main brakes fail. anyone ever
try this?
i'd be interested in knowing any successful '62 conversions to a better
master cylinder. i realize that these cars were carefully designed and that
thoughtful drivers really have no problems, but i've got mountains with no
guard rails that i love to drive around. if i can inconspicuously improve
the braking system to lessen my odds of a catastrophic failure, then i
probably should. as much as i like the mountains and trees, i don't want to
blend into them with my imperial.
thanks for all the thoughts.
imperial regards,
max
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