Brake Fluid (was Budd - ing Controversy?)

["Dick Benjamin" <DickB@xxxxxxxxx>]

I've had no trouble at all with any of my cars that are converted, with one
exception - on my wife's Studebaker Hawk, we kept losing brake light
switches.  They would begin to leak around the crimped seal where the
electrical contacts are set into the metal housing.   I never figured that
one out - I even sent two failed one to Echlin (the manufacturers) for their
engineering to look at.  They felt it was a random sample failure, but it
happened 3 times on that car, and never  on any other car.  This was a
standard SL134 brake light switch, as used on probably half or more of the
cars on the road in those days.  Strange.

I always replace ALL the soft parts when I make the conversion, including
hoses etc.  I flush the metal parts dry with lacquer thinner, then air dry.
When I bleed them, I do everything very slowly, because the silicon fluid
seems to pick up air bubbles if it is agitated at all. This is why some
folks have had trouble with spongy pedal.  Once all the air is out of the
system, the fluid is incompressible, and the pedal feel is just fine.

I converted my 1947 Packard in 1969 to Silicon fluid - the same fluid is
still in that car, the brakes are still firm, and the inside of the master
cylinder looks brand new - like fresh new cast metal!    I'm sold on it, as
long as it is done right.

I have not heard of Dot 3/4 fluid.  I believe Dot 4 is still alcohol based,
just a higher boiling point, and required for some disk brake cars.
Dick Benjamin
----- Original Message -----
From: "A. Foster" <monkeypuzzle1@xxxxxxx>
To: <mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, January 17, 2003 9:35 PM
Subject: Re: IML: Brake Fluid (was Budd - ing Controversy?)


> Dick;
>  When I finally get to the braking system on my 54', silicone brake fluid
is
> what its getting after a rebuild. My friend Ron has had no end of trouble
> with the glycol based fluid, mainly because his vehicles tend to get
parked
> for long periods of time. There is something to be said for silicone for
> preserving brake parts, at least from I have heard. Do you have any
problems
> with spongy brake pedals or other oddities after converting a system over
to
> the Dot 5 that originally used Dot 3 or Dot 3/4, if there is a Dot 3/4?
> Best Regards
> Arran Foster
> 1954 Imperial Newport
> Needing A Left Side Taillight Bezel and other trim parts.
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Dick Benjamin" <dickb@xxxxxxxxx>
> To: <mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Wednesday, January 15, 2003 9:06 PM
> Subject: Re: IML: Budd - ing Controversy? Was: 69 Imperial Crown
>
>
> > While I use Dot 5 in all my Packards, Hudsons, Fords etc, I didn't want
to
> > risk causing caliper leaks by changing the fluid in my Budd brake cars,
so
> I
> > stick with the Dot 3 there.  When I switch any car to silicon fluid, I
> > always replace all the soft parts, including the hoses.  Fortunately,
> since
> > I live in the desert, I really don't have the problems with Dot 3 fluid
> that
> > folks in the wetter regions have.
> >
>
>
>