I scored a Chilton's Manuel for Comet/Mavericks 71-77 from Ebay for $16. some people told me it's a must for a car newbie like myself.
well, i have the chiltons guide for my car and i read through the section on brakes and it was really informative on how to fix problems. my issue right now is that i dont know what the problem is and there is nothing in my chilton's guide on how diagnose. is the dummy book you recommend helpful with diagnoses?
Yes I agree too. Bleeding out that fluid will not change this problem but is a very good idea to do, its healthier for your car period and most people do not do it bc it can be expensive or bc they don't think it affects anything. Pep boys did my Camaro for 15. I bought a Haynes repair manual today for 18 bucks. I suggest getting a free look over by monro and seeing what they say and an estimate but using that to find what you need to do it yourself, but when you know what you are doing of course.
and here I was ready to go and try to do the disc conversion on my own since the member I bought the 76 brake stuff said it can be done easily even if i have no mechanical background since everything is basically bolt on.
If it is that hard to stop I would have to think that you need to try adjusting them up to start with. When I first got mine, only 2 weeks ago that was one of the first things that I did and it made a big difference. If that does not fix your problem, then I would look into whether or not you have any leaky wheel cylinders and if your brake pads have been so glazed over that they wont stop you very well. Are they squeeking? How far is the pedal traveling when you push it? I am betting though that your brakes are just a long ways out of adjustment and you aren't getting the proper leverage on them as a result.
That can possibly be it, I feel my brakes have been working better, but I could just be getting used to it. What kind of tools will I need to properly work on my car to do these things. You guys mention a lot of do it yourself things but do I just get under there and do it. Sorry if that sounds like a stupid question but I have no experience at all with these things. I am working on googling and seeing if there are videos on youtube etc, but I do want to hear what you guys have to say.
Oh and there is no squeeking, but I just feel I have to push so hard to stop, its not soft thought its actually really hard, and it takes maybe 5 secs to stop. Idk thats a guestimate
Get yourself a brake spoon or brake wheel wrench (both the same tool, just different names it could be called). Pick up a manual for the car if you haven't already got one and adjust the brakes according to the manual, but it is usually like this. Work the wheel from the bottom up, spinning the star wheel counter clock wise. Once you start to feel a bit of pressure, stop. Do that with all the brakes under the car, I like to do the rears first. Once you get that far, drive the car and it will probably pull to one side or the other when you hit the brakes. Don't adjust them just yet though, do some backing up and firmly hit the brakes. If you self adjusters are working right they will adjust your brakes for you. If that doesn't help with the pulling, you will want to adjust the apposite brake of the way that it is pulling. I believe that I hit everything properly, go over your manual first, but what I said should be a pretty good overview. So yes, get under there and getter dun.
You have a hard pedal. That rules out adjustment and leaks as a cause. Look for glazed shoes and a biggie is seized cylinders. If you want to learn about brakes read a book. Dont experiment its dangerous. Read all the advice on here and apply it to your cars issue. I think you had the right idea by getting it diagnosed at a shop. If your new to this the braking system isnt really a good place to start learning. Its a good place to pay someone to do it with experience. Especially front drum cars. Save your money on other items that are a little easier and can be done as per a manual. Good luck, hope it all works out for you. PS no such thing as a dumb question. We all learn new things.
