Stiff brake pedal/no play. Buick Riviera 1964

[Intronaut]

Hi!
The brake pedal on my Buick riviera 1964 is rather stiff and engages very directly. The car have enough stopping power, but I would like to have more "play" in my pedal. 
Anyone know what the issue might be? The last owner says that he "did" the brakes some time before selling it. 

Cheers!

[EmTee]

How old are the brake hoses?  If you can't answer that question or the answer is greater than 10, change them. 

[Zimm63]

Curious as to sources for new brake hoses.  New from NAPA are made in China.  Any US made available?  

 

 

[Aaron65]

I've never used them, but there's a place on eBay with good feedback.

 

https://www.ebay.com/str/brakehosesunlimited

[Rockable]

You may need to remove the MC and adjust the length of the pushrod in the booster. I have a special tool for measuring it. It may be just a tad too long and not letting the MC piston assembly return far enough. 

 

https://www.amazon.com/WEIGUZC-Adjustment-Cylinder-Adjustable-Distance/dp/B0BNNGN47R/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3V26GWB89TWD4&keywords=Brake+booster+measurement+tool&qid=1699637820&s=automotive&sprefix=brake+booster+measurement+tool%2Cautomotive%2C115&sr=1-1

[XframeFX]

12 hours ago, Intronaut said:

I would like to have more "play" in my pedal. 

Is it an issue? I respectively assume you sensed something not normal and perhaps that is the case. But keep in mind full power steering and brakes back in the 60s.

Manual brakes on "Lessor GMs" had the pushrod closer to the fulcrum and hence, more travel. Then there was a hole further away from the fulcrum for power brakes. So, less travel.

The wear we see on the extreme left of the pedal pad is from tilting your right foot to the left while leaving the heel at the bottom of the accelerator pedal. This is how I drove my many rides of the 60s with power everything. So, was cranking the steering wheel with my index finger in parking lots.

However, I have to LIFT my foot off the accelerator to apply the brakes in my 1963 Riviera. My shoe tip collides with the bottom of the steering column. This is not unlike other interior dimensions of 1st generation Riviera's. It seems everything is small, the seat all the way back despite re-locating it and just-enough-head room if I tilted the seat all the way down.

 

Back in the early 90s, I noticed how steering wheels were no longer over the Driver's Lap because of airbags. Armrests for BOTH elbows, not just on the door panel. Many changes over time.

 

Good times back in the day skipping classes and cruising to the next town for coffee. We loved our cars for cruising. Couldn't get any better or so we thought. Today, my Riviera drives like an old car!

 

 

 

 

Edited November 11, 2023 by XframeFX (see edit history)

[Chasander]

Do feel your booster’s working properly?

[EmTee]

1 hour ago, Chasander said:

Do feel your booster’s working properly?

That's what I am wondering also.  My '67 had a hard pedal when I bought it, but the brakes seemed to work fine.  I assumed that I needed to have the booster rebuilt (ugh) and procrastinated because other than the lack of power-assist, brakes functioned normally.  Fast forward a couple of years and rear brakes began to drag (slow release).  At that point I replaced all of the hoses and discovered the rear one was partially collapsed/disintegrated internally.  After replacing the hoses the power-assist returned!  I looked in an old Motor repair manual that I have and sure enough, in the brake troubleshooting section it lists 'restricted line' as a possible cause for a hard pedal.