I bought the 1960 356B in 2004 and was told it was stored in owners garage for 5 years without moving, with 71k miles on ODO. I have no knowledge of actual total miles on car. Brakes were good after I put it in service as a daily driver going to work for several years. I don't drive it so much now after retirement and it now has 89.9K miles showing.
The brake pedal is really hard to engage the brakes and braking is very poor and dangerous. I recently replaced the shoes on front brakes as the drum material was very hard, glossed over and cracked. I deglossed the rear brake shoes and left them in place. We thoroughly bled all the wheel cylinders. Same problem remains with hard pedal and poor stopping performance.
What is the probable cause of this condition and what is recommended to make it brake properly. My plan is to replace the master cylinder & rebuild wheel cylinders and purge the brake lines w new fluid during bleeding of all wheels. I will have the brake drums inspected and turned if necessary.
KTF,
Don Pirch, PE
hard braking 1960 356B
-
- 356 Fan
- Posts: 54
- Joined: Fri Sep 19, 2008 7:35 pm
hard braking 1960 356B
Donald E. Pirch
- David Jones
- Classifieds Moderator
- Posts: 7323
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2008 6:32 pm
- Tag: I wish I knew as much as I think I know.
- Location: Kentucky
Re: hard braking 1960 356B
Don, with lack of use it is not unusual for the pistons in the slave cylinders to corrode and stick in the cylinders. Before doing anything else pull one drum at a time and get a helper to push gently on the brake pedal and see if both cylinders operate. If only one moves then you have the answer to your problem. Another common error is for the two slave cylinders to be replaced in the wrong position and the brakes shoes installed backwards. That way there is no servo action from wheel rotation and retardation suffers.
The other very common problem is the flex lines breaking down internally and not allowing brake pressure to transmit to the slave cylinders. I would say about 20 years is as much as one should leave the flex lines in place especially if the car was laid up for a while.
The other very common problem is the flex lines breaking down internally and not allowing brake pressure to transmit to the slave cylinders. I would say about 20 years is as much as one should leave the flex lines in place especially if the car was laid up for a while.
If I had known I would live this long I would have pushed the envelope a little harder.
Cymru am byth
David Jones #9715
Cymru am byth
David Jones #9715
- Adam Wright
- Classifieds Monitor
- Posts: 10304
- Joined: Wed Mar 12, 2008 1:00 am
- Tag: KTF
Re: hard braking 1960 356B
Might also want to check the brake lines themselves, they are like artery's where they look fine on the outside but the inside's close up, like this. This car had the same problem, pedal was very hard, but very little fluid was running through.
www.unobtanium-inc.com
Check out my Barn Find column in the Registry magazine, always looking for good stories.
Check out my Barn Find column in the Registry magazine, always looking for good stories.
- Vic Skirmants
- Registry Hall of Fame
- Posts: 9276
- Joined: Tue Oct 27, 2009 5:02 pm
- Location: SE Michigan
- Contact:
Re: hard braking 1960 356B
I've seen them closed down to less than .010".
- Thomas Sottile
- 356 Fan
- Posts: 1529
- Joined: Wed Mar 26, 2008 3:02 pm
- Location: Stamford CT
- Contact:
Re: hard braking 1960 356B
I think Adam is Wright
- John Lindstrom
- 356 Fan
- Posts: 336
- Joined: Mon Oct 23, 2017 9:51 am
- Location: Stanford, Ca. USA
Re: hard braking 1960 356B
Sounds like one or more slave cylinders are frozen