I have a similar problem in my 74. I am new to this and don't know what kind of brakes I have, manual or otherwise. but it takes a lot of effort to stop the car and a lot of effort to keep it stopped. when I put my foot on the brake its kind of squishy. also when I shift from park to drive with my foot on the brake the car really lurches forward hard. I haven't replaced anything ever. I was actully thinking about changing everything in the brake department and was wondering what the best thing to do is. are disk brakes better than drum brakes. I do have drum brakes right? so what do I have to do to switch to disl brakes and which ones are the best. I have to assume tha if I just change/upgrade everything, that should fix the problem. am I correct in that assumption?
Bryant reminded me that the idle being too high could be making this more noticeable of an issue. definately make sure the in gear idle is only around 1k or less. phree man you may want to check that also and make sure your master cylinder and slaves are all good
phree_man , its very easy to know if you have mechanical brakes, or power brakes, just check out your brake pump and if its bolted to a big black ballon (booster) its power brakes, but i think you have merchanical brakes( with out booster). i converted my drum brakes to ford granada disc brakes, and that didnt change the hard effort you have to make to stop the car. the think is going to make it is installing a BOOSTER.
Ok this is getting silly. This guy reads my mind. Once again WHAT HE SAID. Also guys brakes arent something to experiment with. If your not 100% on what you are doing take it to someone who is. Cant do simple electrical in our own home without an inspection but anyone can go and buy brake components. Had one in a couple of weeks back. Guy did the work himself. Replaced the master, calipers and flex hoses and then the master again because he couldnt get a peddle. Gives up and drives to our place with next to no brakes. We inspect it and find it right away with a visual. He put 2 left side calipers and didnt know enough to realize you cant get a peddle when the bleeder is on the bottom. Then he wouldnt pay us to install a right side caliper. He drove it home to do it himself. We bled it from the flex hose so he had enough pedal to drive it. HAd him sign off on the R.O. This guy and many like him are out blasting around the roads that our families are on. Scary the things you see in this trade.
Darren...We are of like mind...I still think he has a bad M/C or frozen wheel cyls...OR He just isnt used to the fact that these cars require some effort to stop them.
First time my daughter drove her car, she was positive there was something wrong with the brakes. Of course, the only vehicle she had driven was my 2000 F250. Lots different braking. Sunday night she called from town, said she had brakes, then it hit the floor, and the brake light came on. Let off, brake, and its holding, then, gone. We got it home, and replaced the master cylinder. She's gone again I had trouble getting the rod off the brakepedal. Couldn't get a hold of the pin while standing on my head. Now, though, I have one more thing I can do. yeah, me! Rhonda
so darren, i fully understand and agree that if you dont know what youre doing with brakes then you should take it to someone who does so that you dont kill yourself or someone else. but, there are people that want to do everything on their cars so that to get that sense of pride and satisfaction when its all done. is there any literature ,or something aside from actually working on dozens and dozens of sets of brakes, that you can recommend for the amateur that wants to work on his own brakes without dying or killing anyone?
i recomend finding somebody to show you how to do it. have them show you on one side then watch and advise you on the other.
Digging in and getting your hands dirty is the best way to learn to remove and replace parts.But you need to understand how the system works to diagnose the problems.That comes from education and experience...EG:You cant just throw a rebuild kit and new parts in an engine and call it a re-built engine let alone expect it to live long This particular scenario also begs the question... is the brake pedal stroke long enough to activate the M/C properly.If the M/C has been molested in the past its possible the rod length is incorrect or since the car is a 74? I believe.The rod could have been installed in the wrong hole on the peadal.Experience or not...we all missed that possibility.
