The best quality & most complete Moraine Power Brake Rebuild Kit?

Who out there is the best single source for rebuild kits in regards to both quality and completeness for the 57/58 Moraine Power Brake units?

Thanks in advance.

Just wonder if there are any sourses for those Moraine brake parts,the price are extremly high comparing with other brake system parts so I don`t think you have any choise.

Leif in Sweden

One of the mid west rebuilders said he would sell any or all parts needed. Of course he's the guy who also said the MC needed to be re lined and that he rebuilt 800 Buick Moraine units a year. Do the math..................Bob

Well apparently Moraine went full boogie all the way into the eighties with various redesigned brake boosters and cylinders. From my brief search the positive displacement approach adventure was quickly tossed for the conventional piston and wall cylinder design common even then and continues till this day.

I hear you regarding the rebuilder claiming that the 1957/58 Moraine units can be re-sleeved and no doubt was confusing the newer than late fifties units for the newer piston and cylinder Moraine units which can and must be sleeved.

So… I will continue to beat the bushes. GM had a repair kit for the Bendix and Moraine units. Apparently consisting of the correct gaskets and all rubber items including valves, felts and air cleaner filter as well. Surprisingly, ( and not too much surprises me these days ) Kantor at least offers the rubber shaft boot but sold separately with the kit. Most kits barely have the correct sized gaskets and minimal rubber parts. Non have the piston bearing as this would have to be sourced from a bearing supplier. Most are missing the main felt, floating control valve and relief valve. What I think most rebuilders do is "gather n comprise" their rebuild parts into a useable in-house kit to rebuild these units properly or on the other hand just grab one of the limited so called rebuild kits offered today and zip it up and call it rebuilt. This new awareness now gives me some pause as to just farming stuff out and hearing similar stories like Bob's latest adventure as to the kind of workmanship that is available does not help.

I am sending my unit's drum out to be properly gold cad plated. That is silver cad plated then to be immersed in a zinc dichromate solution to give it that gold look with the more durable and lasting silver cad plating as the foundation base. This is the proper and most lasting way as opposed to painting it and watching it fade, stain and chip. The hydraulic unit will be silver cad plated. I am using the bottom metal vacuum tri-tubed line inside portion that connects to the internal rubber vacuum hose to use as a calibrator for the plater as this section was never exposed to the elements and is as new.

Unless someone can advise otherwise, it looks like I will have to build a tool to get the central outer most sleeve hub off of the back of the hydraulic case. Something like is shown in the Shop Manual. It has the two pin retainer plug fastener much like the securing plate you have on a 4-inch grinder wheel with the 2 pins that is removed with the pin expander wrench. Although I have a good wrench it does not provide enough torque to remove the plug. Probably have to weld a nut onto some plate stock and drill 2 holes and tap in some rod stock to fit. The pins are spaced at a 1-1/2 inch span from hole to hole.

No need for all that monkey motion, David. 1/2 X 1/2 x 12 square stock. Two 3/16" holes drilled 1-1/2" OC. Tap in 3/16 X 3/4 roll pins and apply to nut. Worked great for me. You can have mine for the cost of shipping. I can make another if I ever need one in <10 minutes.................Bob

Bob!^^^

Damn Bob your hired. Yeah I was looking at it today. The holes are just around 3/16 deep. So the bar stock is what about 1/8 inch thick? So yeah I see where that will work. I will get on it tomorrow morning as I have to get my parts out the door to finish my plating binge to date. So the 12 inch square stock length gives one enough leverage to release the plug. Just have to track down some roll pins but I love this rockabilly approach for sure. My luck the pins will bend and the damn plug will still be frozen in place.

Roll pins are available at most good hardware stores. They are spring tempered so are pretty tough. My plug wasn't that tight..................Bob

O.K. so I got the plug out using Mr. Beck's ingenious tool. Thank you very much .

Now the only thing I have not gotten out is the M.C. brass bearing. It appears to have 5 inner slots for a "special" tool to grip & turn however the manual mentions nothing about that and only states to remove it.

Below is a photo of mine. How does this work? The last photo is the brass bearing as to which I refer but how to remove?

… oh and if anyone is following this saga, I ordered my rebuild kit and will share and expand on all the dirty details of that but must first conquer this bearing removal gig.

As I remember the special tool I used was the fifth finger of my right hand. Since mine was already "rebuilt" it was probably less gunked up than yours.........................Bob

The manual is very linear in the description of removal of various sections of the plug and inner hydraulic seals area without any aid visually or verbally in regards to just how to remove the various components as they do not just fall out. With this brass bearing, I tried the middle finger of my right hand as that seemed more appropriate, but cannot determine if it is pressed in or threaded in. Tried to turn and tried to pull. Either way could not budge but I did not try real hard until I could get some instructional feed back as to how it comes out. Does it thread out left or right handed or just pull out. The five (5) notches in the bearing hub appears to be there to aid a tool shaft in turning it out. The bearing is not rusted as this is brass and is just gummy. I am going to clean it out in a small tub of clean brake fluid as the Buick Shop Manual instructs making sure absolutely no mineral oil product comes within 100 yards of the unit. Heat perhaps then thread out? Let me know if anyone has done this and how. Most appreciated.

Do not want to ruin the inner most rubber seal just in case the kit I receive is missing some crucial seals at this point as the photos of some kits I find on the net obviously are.

Again bringing up the claimed need to install either a stainless or brass sleeve somewhere in the hydraulic unit. Upon inspection, the crucial central main shaft does not touch any metal throughout either the vacuum unit or the hydraulic unit nor on this brass bearing as it is called in the manual. This brass bearing only supports the inner and outer rubber vacuum seals of the hydraulic unit where the main shaft rides on into the hydraulic chamber as from what I can tell. When I get this apart properly, I will report to all after laying out all the parts in a linear fashion, IF indeed a stainless or brass sleeve can or even need be installed anywhere at any point starting from the outside plug of the hydraulic unit which has a few seals on into the most inner bearing and seal area of the hydraulic unit which also has it's own set of seals. and where a stainless or brass seal could be installed as all these rebuilders I have contacted claim must be done for a grand cost of around $ 450 material and labor included. The material cost is composed of some estimated $ 20 in paper gaskets, small rubber seals and a large thin leather seal. That's 5% of the total charge. What a deal . The rebuild kit I ordered cost me around $ 164 shipped with a rubber shaft boot thrown in that is admittedly too large in diameter from original and must be zip tied to hold for no extra cost. Well we will see what we get in the kit when we get it. Probably will hunt the right size boot bellows down if that is possible but seems probable.

Edit: Upon reflection, I may look to see how much clearance the central rod has in relationship to this bearing and try and fashion a hard wood dowel to tightly fit into this bearing and see if I can extract it that way.

Mine was neither pressed or threaded, simply a slip fit. Try this. Seal the brake fluid exit with some old brake line. Fill the cylinder with grease and tap a wood dowel into the cylinder through the bearing hole to hydraulicly push out the bearing and seals. If using grease bothers you use brake fluid but be prepared for a bath. Personally I would not hesitate to use grease since once disassembled the casting is non porous and can easily be degreased .....................Bob

Bob, it appears we are a 2 man blog here yet it is hard to believe no one else has done this or perhaps just don't really give a …. one way or the other. Oh well, they probably just send out their units and trust whoever with whatever but we are discovering things to the contrary are we not?

Well it is reassuring to know it is just a slip fit before I have to get creative with the thing. We may attempt to use compressed air judiciously via some fashion or another if the wood dowel method yields no positive results. My motto is always - Do No Harm. I will keep you posted as to my progress. Again, thanks for your consistent concern and input.

Roger that.................Bob

Bob, it appears we are a 2 man blog here yet it is hard to believe no one else has done this or perhaps just don't really give a …. one way or the other. Oh well, they probably just send out their units and trust whoever with whatever but we are discovering things to the contrary are we not?

Well it is reassuring to know it is just a slip fit before I have to get creative with the thing. We may attempt to use compressed air judiciously via some fashion or another if the wood dowel method yields no positive results. My motto is always - Do No Harm. I will keep you posted as to my progress. Again, thanks for your consistent concern and input.

David,

Glad you are doing this! I bought a complete, used, rebuilt unit from CARS about 6 years ago (BIG $$$ !!). I still haven't

installed it. I wanted to have a replacement on hand in case mine went south on the 58 Roadmaster75.

So far, I haven't needed it, but it makes me nervous with the thing just sitting there on the shelf…

Eagerly await your results!!

mike