A friend has either a 72 or 73 Vette. I don't remember which.

Either way, I am sure the brake systems are nearly, if not, 100% identical.

The car has 30k ORIGINAL miles and we are prepping it for sale. Before we can do that, there are some issues... brakes are the killer!

I want to keep the car as close to original as possible.

Specs on the car (I know, I will be asked!), I have only seen the car once and that was at night a year ago :

1972 or 73
Coupe
War Bonnet Yellow (I think)
Black or dark brown interior
L48
AC
PS
PB
AM.FM
PW
AT

This isn't a fast car, but is a great runner and is super smooth. And it's super original.

Now, back to the brakes...

Where are the potential issues? Are the soft lines weak? What about the hard lines? Should I go ahead and get 4 caliper rebuild kits? What about the master? what about the soft lines?

This car has spent its entire life in SoCal, no major rust problem.

If anyone is interested in this car, let me know!!

I plan on using DOT 4 fluid.

Are these calipers easy to rebuild? How do you hone them?

Is the master cylinder a troubled area?

Any areas I am missing?

All I really remember from what I've read is that they have lip seals instead of o-rings. It is said that if the car is parked for long periods, the lip seal style can leak. I guess if you drive it regularly, it's not really an issue.

http://www.corvettepartsblog.com/corv ... nal-style-vs-o-ring-seal/

Andy,

The flex lines are known for swelling internally causing plenty of issues. Replace the flex lines for sure.

Matt is right about the seal style and that as long as the car is driven the stock lip seals are just fine. They can be upgraded to O-ring but in my opinion it's not needed.

The calipers can be rebuilt fairly easily but there is a better option. The store bought remanufactured calipers are the exact same casting number for all C3s so even replacing the (4) calipers you still have a numbers matching car. The important thing though is that they are sleeved with S/S, they come with a lifetime warranty, and the rebuild is already done. Using the old ones as cores I think they are about $60 each for replacement calipers.

I would highly recommend rebuilding the master. As long as the fluid didn't sit unused for too long the bore should still be clean and a basic rebuild kit is all you need to complete the task. However, for a car with such low mileage I suspect it has sat for years at a time and the bore of the master should be inspected.

Bleeding is a nightmare though. I use two techniques during the process. First is gravity bleed. Once all the new components are on crack the bleeders and allow gravity to pull fluid down. Keep filling as the old fluid drains, until the dripping fluid is clean and clear. Then, close the bleeders and start the standard bleeding process starting with the wheel furthest away from the master. I do (20) pump up and bleed cycles per caliper on the first wave. I do all (4) calipers (20) each. Then, tap on all calipers and master with a rubber or wood mallet and then start the second wave, (5) to (10) cycles each caliper.

At this point it should be bled properly, and a test drive is in order.

What about a power bleeder? I use a hand vacuum pump to bleed my C4, will that help?

This car is queued for Labor Day weekend. I suspect it will be in my drive for a week, at least, whilst I get the brakes done.

Nice info on the date codes for C3 calipers. That's very nice to know!!!

The car may only have 30k on it, but it was driven semi-regularly. Meaning, 50 miles a month for 35 years! The current owner is the son-in-law, he inherited it. So it's a single family ownership since day one.

The current owner thinks that something was done with the brakes, but they are still not right, it makes me wonder if the bleed wasn't done right...

Thanks for the insights gents and the bleed tips DB!

As soon as I get into this thing, I will let you know how ugly it is. I am sure my budget is going to be low...

Once I find out the year, I will have a better sense of value... but I am thinking tops will be $20k... the rest will be how the auction behaves.

The power bleeders are, in my opinion, hit or miss. I have seen folks have great luck with them and I have seen folks drop kick theirs because of the frustration of trying to use it.

I say as long as you don't mind the gravity bleed time and you have someone who can stomp and hold the pedal there is no reason to abandon such a basic and simple bleed method.

When you're in deep on the brakes there are a few things you can look at to see just how original the brakes and suspension are. First off, if the rotors are still riveted to the hubs then you more than likely still have the original rotors. There very rarely need to be changed. Original is fine, and even if they need to be turned, there are shops with equipment that allow a rotor to be turned while on the car.

The other thing to look at are the ball joint rivets. If they are original, they will be riveted to the A-arms. If they are replacements, they will be bolted in place. Mine were original at 60K miles so it's very likely much of your brakes and suspension are still original.

I am betting money they are original, too. I can't see 30k killing either a brake rotor or a ball joint.

I am aware of the on-car brake turning. Some use engine power, others use a rubber belt or wheel to turn the rotor and cut. Pretty neat machine, regardless!

I don't have a reliable extra leg, so I will work with gravity and figure something on the final bleed.

How well do the hard lines hold up?

Again, thank you for the insights!!! I am sure there will be more questions!

Quote:

You have a compressor, for less than $20, you can build an air powered vacuum bleeder that works really well. The only fab required is to solder 2 pieces of copper tuning into the lid of a mason jar. The vacuum unit at HF is about $15

The calipers are a very easy rebuild and easy to change to o-ring (if you want to keep the date coded ones.

Get the catalog from Volunteer Vettes www.volvette.com

BTW, Volunteer will have the correct hoses, a lot of their parts will pass NCRS.

Unless rust is a problem from under the car, generally the hard lines will have survived. They can rot from the inside out if the fluid sat with moisture for too long, but again, I feel you've already determined that's unlikely.

DB, cool I will inspect as best I can.

Thanks for the tips, Bill. I will check Volunteer out. They do have a good rep.

I wanted to get a mental head start on this. Cuts down on surprises!

Quote:

I built one too but uses a hand pump garden sprayer for air pressure (so that I can take it along to the racetrack).

Total cost - $20
10 pumps will bleed 2 calipers.