53 Buick Roadmaster

[Dennis Hagen]

I just acquired a 53 Raodmaster woodie. The brake pedal is hard and as I have not rebuilt the master cylinder yet I was wondering if the vacuum brake booster also 

could be a problem?

[rocketraider]

First, congrats on acquiring a very rare car. 670 Model 79R 1953 Roadmaster Estate Wagons were produced. Today there are probably less than a dozen known to exist.

 

These are the last American station wagons to utilize any wood in their body construction, as well as the last Estate Wagons based on the senior Buicks.

 

I think these cars had Bendix Treadle-Vac power brakes. There are Treadle-Vac rebuilders and IIRC the master cylinder has to be sent in with the T-V unit.

 

Have you tried bleeding and flushing the brake lines? Frozen wheel cylinders will cause hard pedal as will collapsed rubber brake hoses.

[Dennis Hagen]

Thanks for the info, I just got it home and up on the hoist. I was afraid to drive it on with suspect brakes so I used a winch. The vacuum hose to the Bendix unit looks bad so will replace that first, everything worked a few years ago and wheel cylinder’s were replaced but not the master.