Wooly15 Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 I'm looking for a good brake rebuild kit for my 56 super with power brakes. I can only find the one on eBay for almost $300 and it doesn't even come with cylinders. Anyone have a good source? Adam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 Can you explain what you are looking for? Wheel cylinders can be purchased new at your local NAPA or quality parts store. And spring kits can be purchased at Bob's Automobelia, and /or other vendors, maybe even the same parts store you got the wheel cylinders. Shoes would be best relined by a company who relines truck clutch discs. If you are looking for a master cylinder rebuild, that's an entirely different story with a 56. Also, be very careful with those wheel bearings. On the car they are sealed from dirt. Pulling the drums make them very susceptible, and good quality inner seals are hard to find. Let me know if you need more information on this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpecialEducation Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 Are you looking to do the master cylinder and the wheel cylinders? The wheel cylinders aren't terribly exotic. The AutoZone a mile from my house has the rears in stock for about $12 each. The story I'm told with the '56 MCs is that the cylinder bore isn't really an issue. Yes, overhauls on these are pricey, but the bore itself isn't normally a problem. I've seen several say they had theirs re-bored and the experts come in and tell them they were ripped-off. I've never torn one down myself, so I'm not a 1st hand expert on the situation... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wooly15 Posted July 25, 2016 Author Share Posted July 25, 2016 (edited) Sorry, I should have specified. My brakes are very mushy and the easy route of flushing/bleeding them didn't really help. I'm looking for an all-in-one kit that would include cylinders, springs, shoes, etc. Are there any quality kits like that out there? I haven't take. The drums off yet, but I may as well overhaul things while they're off. Edited July 25, 2016 by Wooly15 (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 not aware of any off hand. Check out the vendors in this thread important information Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beemon Posted July 25, 2016 Share Posted July 25, 2016 The reason my unit failed was because my piston in the master cylinder had corroded. When you overhaul the master cylinder, you need the leather piston cup for the vacuum booster, the complete gasket and rubber cup kit, a new power piston and a stop light switch. It's not hard to do, mine has been leak free all summer. What ever you do, do not use gasket sealer. You should never use gasket sealer on anything vacuum related. While you're in there, it's a good idea to replace the rubber vacuum line in the booster section as well, with normal vacuum tubing that can be sourced from NAPA or similar. I sourced my brake hardware at my local NAPA. I'll have to dig out the boxes, but I can find you the numbers for the adjuster, hold down springs and the actually shoe springs themselves. Plus, if your pushrod arms are rusty or corroded, they have those as well. If you want it all in one, and to avoid shipping charges, it's a good idea to also buy the springs when you buy the master cylinder rebuild kit from CARS (if you go that route). As others said, wheel cylinders are also available at the local NAPA. While you're in doing the brakes, NAPA also has both front rubber lines and the rear rubber line. You should replace those if they haven't been already. Better to be safe than sorry. Lastly, if you don't feel like rebuilding your master cylinder yourself and you end up paying someone else to do it, DO NOT let them re-sleeve your master cylinder. The power piston on the power brake master cylinder does not ride on anything other than the rubber cup seals that come with the rebuild kit. It is a displacement reservoir, meaning the piston is pushed into a reservoir of brake fluid that is larger than the piston, meaning it does not contact the side walls. Re-sleeving the master cylinder does nothing more than put money in the rebuilder's pocket. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wooly15 Posted July 26, 2016 Author Share Posted July 26, 2016 Thanks for the info. I plan on doing the wheel cylinders and if that doesn't help, move onto the master. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buick man Posted July 27, 2016 Share Posted July 27, 2016 Wooly … For your consideration, a mushy brake pedal can many times be that the interior "sight-on-seen" area of your brake hoses have broken down. Be advised if replacing your rubber lines one can replace them with DOT 4 stainless metal sleeved lines and can obtain them in covert black as well as shiny stainless. The reason to consider this option is even when rubber brake lines are new they will expand when pressure is applied especially when hot or stressed. On the other hand, the metal sleeved lines do not allow this expansion. You will feel an immediate improvement in pedal feel and response. If you go on to Hemming's dot com, look up for brake rebuilding services. You can buy the complete power master brake setup from the sources found there. We are skeptical of sleazbay vendors in general and some specifically. The information given by Beemon is very correct and especially that regarding having someone "bore n sleeve" your Bendix or Moraine unit for 57 or 58 unit. Just purchase the needed items from these rebuilders. Going to active rebuilders and purchasing their gaskets and brake wares that they themselves use is IMO, superior for many reasons than purchasing off a retail parts vendors only that are not actually using and installing those parts everyday themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beemon Posted July 27, 2016 Share Posted July 27, 2016 4 hours ago, buick man said: Be advised if replacing your rubber lines one can replace them with DOT 4 stainless metal sleeved lines and can obtain them in covert black as well as shiny stainless. The reason to consider this option is even when rubber brake lines are new they will expand when pressure is applied especially when hot or stressed. On the other hand, the metal sleeved lines do not allow this expansion. You will feel an immediate improvement in pedal feel and response. Out of curiosity, which vendors offer these? I was unaware they existed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buick man Posted July 28, 2016 Share Posted July 28, 2016 (edited) Beemon, I do not have these contacts available at present and would have to look that info up. One of them i got out of Hemmings about 5 years ago, which is a Dad & Son team that make these braided DOT 4 Teflon lines in-house and can make them black as well. They also sleeve wheel cylinders in brass or ss. The Porsche community run these lines on their cars both street and strip. I have had them on my 79 wide body Targa since 2001 and work great. Only drawback is you should change them every 4 years or there bouts since their inner teflon linings break down eventually. Braided lines have been around for many years. As mentioned in my previous post, the benefit is a firmer feel to the brake pedal as less give is available to the walls of the flexible rubber hose lines. Just take your size, length, O.D., I.D. and you can find folks to make them up for you. I was posting this to let folks know about them and to be aware that greater brake pedal feel can be had and how. Edited July 28, 2016 by buick man (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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