1951 Caddy daily driver

[dogbergs]

I love this thread!

Greetings from Sweden.

/ Johan

[Mowerhoarder]

Dn,
I didn't know it was that simple! I know that's how you check it on any normal car but the manual goes through a whole procedure on how to check it. It says stuff about running the engine at a speed equal to 20mph for 2 minutes which I guess is just warming it up, I'm gonna check it today and fill/drain some. I do like original parts when I can find them and the wheel cylinders I'm buying are high quality stuff. As for the u-joints, the front I ordered is a MOOG and the rear is NOS so should be all good there.

[Mowerhoarder]

Here's what the stick looks like, checked in drive with engine at idle:

[dn010]

It is supposed to be checked in neutral with engine idling and while the car is on a level surface.

[Mowerhoarder]

Dn, DOH! I knew that but I dunno why I thought it was supposed to be checked in drive. Either way, it was about the same in neutral so I drained about 2 quarts and it's at the proper level now.

And an update: Since draining the fluid, nothing changed! Pretty sure I have to fiddle with the TV linkage some more to get it to shift right, all that's wrong with it is it shifts late now so gotta increase(?) pressure I think. I did get around to throwing shocks on it and it really doesn't ride any better than it did before. I finally did an ignition tune up and this thing rips! it's way better than it was before except it shakes at idle now. I'm not sure how to adjust the carb for that but I did mess with the only 2 screws I could see which were at the base of the carb an it made no noticeable difference so I just set them back to where they were. Put a new points and condenser set and plugs, cap, rotor. Took the car on a 4 hour trip with zero issues, took backroads down and the highway back and it's a great cruiser. I definitely need to get the brakes better and I think the last step I have is to get the shoes re-lined as they're pretty worn and also don't match. I'm gonna do new wheel cylinders and wheel seals at the same time as well. Does anybody have a good re-lining person? I have contacted these guys: https://www.brakematerialsandparts.com/    and they said it would be about $300 for all 8 shoes.

[Mowerhoarder]

Update: Converted the car to a 6v alternator and it's amazing! Got sick of the battery always dying but I did get to jump start my car with some cool cars! I doubt anyone has jumpstarted one of these with a Mercedes AMG before! Anyway, alternator life is amazing and the lights are brighter, the car starts faster and it feels maybe slightly faster? I did run out of gas at the bottom of a hill and had to drive backwards up the hill so the gas would run to the front of the tank which was pretty interesting but other than that, zero problems still!

[TJ Hopland]

I did run out of gas at the bottom of a hill and had to drive backwards up the hill so the gas would run to the front of the tank which was pretty interesting

I bet that was a bit of an odd site to see.

[dogbergs]

Does anybody have a good re-lining person? I have contacted these guys: https://www.brakematerialsandparts.com/    and they said it would be about $300 for all 8 shoes.

To me here in Sweden thats about ok, if translating kronor to dollars I would ask around 240 but dollar is strong to krona nowadays so thats fair!

Johan

[Mowerhoarder]

Tj,
Yeah I definitely got some weird looks from people but that's just how old cars go

Dogbergs,
Thanks! I think I'm gonna send them out soon and have them redone, supposedly high friction material and eco friendly and it might make the car stop better

[Mowerhoarder]

Update: I found out yesterday that THE ENTIRE TIME I have been driving this car (almost 2000 mi now) I have had only ONE FULLY WORKING BRAKE. I've taken this car on multiple 2+ hour trips, on the highway, through city traffic, whatever. All with one working brake. The winner is the drivers front wheel which had a brake material thickness of a business card. It was so thin I poked it and it cracked. All of the other wheel cylinders were rusted solid and definitely weren't doing anything at all. The rear passenger axle seal was leaking profusely and it coated the shoes and drum with 90w gear oil. There's literally a solid 1/2" of grease on the backing plate and in the gap in the shoes. Anyway, sending the shoes off to get re-lined today so hopefully they're back in time for me to take the car to prom!

And a question: I already asked this on another forum but figured I'd ask here too, How do I get the axles out? I need to do axle seals on both sides as they're leaking.

[dn010]

I had a similar experience as you with majority of the wheel cylinders not working and a leaking seal covering my shoes in oil. You'll remove the wheel, drum and backing plate, use an axle puller to pull the axles out, pull the old seal, press the new one in and be done with it. Reverse order to install. If you want to be proactive and drop more money into it, you can have the wheel bearings changed while the axles are out. There is also a "flange gasket" you can replace between the axle housing and backing plate but I never bother to do that and it works just fine. If you're getting new/relined shoes, I'd suggest getting the drums cut (it does make a difference) and have the shoes arc ground for the drums.

[Mowerhoarder]

Dn,
Thanks for the info! So the axles just pull out with a slide hammer or something like that? no clips or anything in the diff, just pull the 4 bolts and all the brake stuff off and it comes out? Also what do you mean by cut? Like get them turned on a lathe? As for the getting the shoes arced, does it matter if I don't? I'm very quickly running out of money but if I really should I will.

[dn010]

Slide hammer is to get the axle out of the housing, really it is the bearing that's pressed on the axle that you're pulling out of the housing. Sometimes they slip right out, sometimes they need a beating with the slide hammer. No clips inside like today, just the 4 bolts and the rest of the junk you mention to pull.

Having the drums cut - yes, getting them turned to cut away all the ridges, grooves, scores and whatever else you might have going on in the drums that will translate into your new shoes if not done. Down here in FL I pay $12 per drum so it's not terribly expensive.

After all of that (even if you don't have the drums turned), the shoes will not fit the drums properly and that's why the arc cut is suggested, so they match the drum and give you the most area of contact. If not done, you may only have the very ends of the shoes or just the center touching the drum only. Because of this you may not get them set/adjusted properly at the very end, and there is a chance they can drag causing your new $$$ shoes to overheat and cause your drums to develop hot spots. You may not care to do this since you will experience quite a big difference going from one working brake to four, but it's easier and better to get it done the first time while it is already in pieces instead of having to go back in to do it should you have a problem.

Make sure you have drum brake tools if you don't already and a feeler gauge for when you preform the "major adjustment" on the brakes upon reassembly.
Your biggest hurdles here may be finding someone to do the drum and arc cutting since that is pretty much out these days.

 Also don't forget to refill your differential.

[Mowerhoarder]

Dn,
Thanks again! I think I will get them arced then, the drums are pretty much perfect so I think I'm gonna leave them alone and just have the shoes arced to them. As far as the adjustment goes, is there anything wrong with just turning the adjusters until the shoes just barely drag on the drums or is there something more in depth with it?

[dn010]

I just looked at the "major" procedure and luckily it is not as involved as 52+ - link is below. I'd still recommend a brake shoe tool kit, $20 bucks on Amazon and make the job a whole lot easier. I used to use a large screwdriver to try adjusting the star wheel but even just getting the adjusting tool makes a huge difference in making things easier. Screwdriver always would slip, the tool typically doesn't. You can also get new rubber plugs on amazon if yours are crusty, they weren't expensive, I can get the item number I ordered if you want.

https://cadillac.oldcarmanualproject.com/manuals/1951/1951%20Supplement/01-%20Supplement/b_P0033.jpg

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

Update: I found out yesterday that THE ENTIRE TIME I have been driving this car (almost 2000 mi now) I have had only ONE FULLY WORKING BRAKE. I've taken this car on multiple 2+ hour trips, on the highway, through city traffic, whatever. All with one working brake. The winner is the drivers front wheel which had a brake material thickness of a business card.     

Congratulations for finding out the problem, plus, congratulations for being such a good and careful driver that you never really needed to rely on the brakes.

Bruce.

[Mowerhoarder]

Dn,
Thanks! That's definitely more involved then I thought so I guess I should do it. Gotta order some plugs too cause mine are crusty.

The Tassie Deville,
Thanks! I definitely did not drive this car like it only had one brake so it's really a miracle it's still in one piece! Been cut off plenty of times and so many other things too. I guess I'm really glad I can finally stop the car too. 

[dn010]

The plugs I used are below, just punch it into amazon and you'll find them. They fit my 57 so should be fine for yours too.

Raybestos H1456K Professional Grade Brake Backing Plate Plug