Kerry, This seems to be a wonderful solution. Simple and almost elegant. Thanks so much. I look forward to trying it and will report back on my success. I had not been able to concieve of such a "pressure" system method myself. What a phenomenal internet community we have here! Hugh ----- Original Message ----- From: "Kerry Pinkerton" <pinkertonk@xxxxxxxxx> To: <mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Tuesday, March 18, 2003 5:36 AM Subject: Re: IML: bleeding brakes * > Hugh, there is a relatively simply process for pressure bleeding your > system that will ensure NO air is in the system. Get a small pump up garden > sprayer. (I think I gave 12 bucks for mine at Home Depot) Find a extra > master cylinder cap, drill a hole in it and put some type of hose stem on it > that you can adapt to the garden sprayer hose. Fill the garden hose with > fresh brake fluid and give it a few pumps. Then start cracking the bleeder > valves. The fluid will be pushed through the lines under pressure and no > air should remain. > > This is easy with two people but do-able alone. It doesn't take much > pressure. > > I did this on my 54 so I could remote fill the master cylinder which was > under the fragile carpet. I just put a vacuum cap on the end of the > modified cap when finished. > > KerryP > Patch panels fabricated > Pinkertonk@xxxxxxxxx > dte.net/57imperial > Imperials -- 50 Limo, 57 roadster, 61's, 64, 68 Convert, 73, a 66 300 and a > bunch of lesser marques > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Hugh & Therese <hugtrees@xxxxxxxx> > To: Imperial Mailing List <mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> > Sent: Tuesday, March 18, 2003 12:17 AM > Subject: IML: bleeding brakes * > > > > * Read with a cockney accent for full effect > > > > Intending to dive the Imperial on Sunday I backed it out of the garage and > > washed it. I cannot remember the last time I washed it, so it was kind of > > nice to reacquaint my knuckles with all its nooks, crannies and crevices. > > Things got a little hectic and I ended up not using it and it stayed on my > > short but steep driveway until around 10:00 PM. Oh, you can only imagine > my > > joy when I restarted it to move it back into the garage to find I had no > > brakes. I did when I left the garage, which is level, of course. > > > > The friend who helped with the brakes last year, of whom some of you do > not > > have the highest opinion, and I had discussed the still less than > acceptable > > braking I was getting from the car. I have only tried to bleed and adjust > > the brakes once since last year. No air was found, but a one or two shoes > > needed to be adjusted, now the new shoes had seated. We concluded there > was > > indeed still air in the line and that what we would have to do is jack up > > the rear end for a few days and let the bubbles rise through the fluid of > > their own accord so we could try to expel them once and for all. > Yesterdays > > impromptu experiment hopefully indicates that the idea just might work. > So, > > when rain has moved out of the forecast, and both Mark and I can find some > > time in our crowded schedules, I will park it outside, nose down, and see > if > > the trapped air cannot be coaxed out of the system. > > > > If we should fail I do not know what to do next. Since two professional > > shops and countless hours of amateur labor have not managed to resolve the > > cars poor brakes, I am left with a rather obvious but unpalatable > > alternative. > > > > Hugh > > > > > > > >