1951 Brake Bleeding

[Guest timinbovey]

All the new brakes are in the '51 Roadmaster. Everything is new from the master cylinder to the wheel cylinders. All new lines, etc. Hopefully going to bleed and adjust soon. Planning on the normal "wife in the car, open valve, depress pedal, close valve, let pedal up, repeat" system. Every car I've even done brakes in I've started at the wheel furthest from the master cylinder and worked my way to the closest. All my general car fixing manuals state this. However, I noted the '51 Buick shop manual says to start at the wheel closest, and work to the furthest. Is this correct? Maybe it's because I haven't done a single brake system (as opposed to the more modern dual cylinder type) in so long that I don't remember... but that seems backwards to me.

Tim in Bovey

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

TIM, My '50 manual says "left front, right front, left rear, right rear. " I did mine fartherest to closest. I think it makes little difference.

Ben

[Guest shadetree77]

My manual says the same. It specifically says to start with the cylinder closest to the master cylinder. This is completely opposite of what I've been taught to do but I've bled the brakes on my '52 over a 100 times (brake problems suck!) and I've always done what the manual said to do. Seems to work for these cars. It has a certain logic to it if you look at the order in which the lines come together in that junction block by the master cylinder. Not the first thing I've run across on my old Buick that defied normal car conventions. Good Luck Tim!