triumphs
[Top] [All Lists]

TR6 brake hydraulics (rather wordy)

To: Triumphs@autox.team.net
Subject: TR6 brake hydraulics (rather wordy)
From: jay_welch@juno.com
Date: Sun, 6 May 2001 06:01:27 -0400
Hello list,

Just a word of encouragement for anyone who is hesitant to tackle the
hydraulics system in their TR6. I finished the brakes in "Pigpen" with
excellent results and thought someone might benefit from my experience.

1. Gravity drained the fluid from the system.
2. Cleaned out the M/C carefully, filled with denatured alcohol and
pumped/bled until a good hard pedal.  Left it in the system overnight and
drained.
3. Removed the M/C, opened all bleeders and blew filtered air through the
system from the M/C end.  You should hear the PDWA clicking back and
forth as you change from front to rear.
4. Closed bleeders and plugged M/C ends of lines with rags.
5. Disassembled, cleaned and painted the M/C with "dull cast aluminum"
paint.  I really like this paint - looks great on everything.  The only
"special" tool you will need is a 1/2" hex allen wrench or a 1/2" hex
head bolt to use as a wrench.
6. Lubricated the bore (I used new brake fluid) and very lightly honed
the cylinder with a brake cylinder hone.  Cleaned the bore, checked and
repeated as necessary until the bore is uniformly cleaned up. Don't take
any more metal away than necessary.
7. Assembled the M/C with the new kit.  Some of the seals are a little
tight but you can lube them with new fluid and help them on with a small,
round shafted screwdriver.  Don't worry, they stretch quite a bit.
8. Installed M/C and filled with DOT 5.1.
9. I bled the entire system myself using gravity, easy pumping with the
bleeder slightly open and then gravity.  Bleed in this order - right
rear, right front, left rear, left front. I got a very high and hard
pedal the first time around.  I know a lot of people will disagree with
my pumping process when any bleeder is open and I have never done it this
way but my dedicated bleeders went to church and I had no choice. I had
rubber tubing carry the fluid to a can.

I was going to go the silicone route but changed my mind when talking to
the guy where I buy auto parts.  He offered a different reason not to use
the DOT 5 - if you were on the road and had a brake failure, it can be
difficult to find the DOT 5.  I would also imagine that many bubbles
would be generated in the spare DOT 5 bottle bouncing around in the trunk
of the TR. Not a good thing.   I ended up using DOT 5.1 and will flush
and change fluid every season. My friend at the auto parts store has an
LBC that would interest Dan.  It's a bright yellow Hilman Husky, tubular
frame and roll cage, high performance 350 Chevy small block, Turbo 400,
Ford 9 inch, wheely bars, line locks and more rubber than I've ever seen
stuffed under an LBC.  Dan - I'll try to get you some digital shots of
this and my other friends chevy V8 powered TR6


Good luck,
Jay Welch - Abington, MA
Member "Cape Cod British Car Club"
http://clubs.hemmings.com/capecodbritish/
1971 TR6 project and 1973 TR6 driver coming out of a coma soon

///
///  triumphs@autox.team.net mailing list
///  To unsubscribe send a plain text message to majordomo@autox.team.net
///  with nothing in it but
///
///     unsubscribe triumphs
///
///


<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>