American car mechanics

[Matthew Saxon]

I have been doing a few bits and pieces on the Barracuda, but I think it's time to find a good mechanic near me to sort out a few things beyond my limited skills, the main one being the last drive the brake pedal travel started to go long and lose stopping power, luckily it was close to home and on a slow road so no pants change needed, but that sort of problem is way out of my comfort zone.

I am on the West side of Bristol and there's a good classic garage close to me who specialise in E types, but the owner owns a MK 2 Corvette and a Chevy stepside so that's my stand by as it were. But if anyone knows of a mechanic or garage who specialise in cars like ours around this area that they would recomend that would be really helpful.

Thanks.

[V8DVE]

Might need a trailer if brakes faulty, but these guys are at Swindon.

Never used them, so cant recommend, but someone else may have more info. They do servicing and repairs on American Cars, they might have a Faceache page with more info..

https://fastpiston.co.uk

[Matthew Saxon]

Thank you for that, I'll check them out.

[Stu]

Your car should have Kelsey Hayes 4 pot brakes, as it’s a UK spec model.

I stand to be corrected, so don’t quote me, but I believe early e types used Kelsey Hayes.

Worth checking, as that would put your Jag man squarely in the frame if you can’t find someone Mopar specific locally.

[Matthew Saxon]

That’s interesting, I hadn’t considered that, is there any way to tell visually, the only identification I could find is a number 71915.

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[Dave999]

brakes is brakes, any local "classic or old car" garage for that, you might have to help with parts....

those are fixed calipers i.e they don't look like like girling or lockheed single pot sliders associated with lesser or later models...I've have told you what they aren't, apologies



the prime candidate for this is

1) low fluid level or fluid is so waterlogged as to have boiled..... brakes don't work when brake line is full of steam...
2) rusted up rear cylinders have torn the cups and the rears are leaking. look for wet patches on the backing plates near where the pips go in, or the rears have worn so far as to put the piston part onto a section that is so far out of the norm that it it is leaking. check and adjust rears up to the drum and back off so you can turn it.
3) similar can happen to the master cylinder but in that situation the cups on the piston normally sweep the same section of bore reasonably regularly..doesn't matter how worn the brakes get the master cylinder compensates with fluid down the pipe and its internals sweep the same path...
however if the fluid gets wet the rubber cups can perish and go spongy. that usually jams the brakes on though.....


think the 4 pot calipers at the front used the same pads as a 60s jaguar bentley or aston...I know John Rutlidge (JohnR on this board and on the usual FB groups) used to buy his brake pads in the UK, at UK rather than imported prices, and had the exact locally produced brand and model of car that shared pad dimensions... so i reckon Stu (both john and stu have had or have barracudas) is definitely on the right track there....

if you adjust the rears up to lock the rear drums on, and see if you get a harder peddle it might give some indication. if the rear cylinders are leaking that will promote some dripping if you stand on the peddle.

if it turns out to be master cylinder and the garage doing the work has not done a mopar before...they need to fill it and bleed it off the car...we can dig out the page in the manual for them save them time and you labour..

Dave

[Matthew Saxon]

Thanks Dave I posted these pics on the FABO boards and the consensus was that they are KH brakes. I’ve ordered a pair of “Greenstuff” pads from EBC as I’ve heard good things from people who’ve used them in other classics. I’ll check them when they turn up.
I’ve also ordered some Dynamic Friction shoes for the drums.
I think what may at least partly have caused the fade is the r/h drum has been dragging, when I checked the car after I parked up, the wheel was too hot to touch, I had to fully release the park brake to get the drum off and the rears wouldn’t turn by hand. Anyway the adjuster arm had bent and was sitting on the inner side of the star wheel and the front shoe was down to about 2mm.
I’ve ordered a replacement adjuster set for each drum as well to be on the safe side. Having problems finding the correct handbrake cables as I’d like to replace them.
Another issue that may have contributed? Is that the brake servo is plumbed to the PCV vacuum port on the carb, so I wonder if it wasn’t getting enough assistance. I’ve got the parts coming to re route it to the vacuum port on the inlet manifold, at the same time I’m going to set up the PCV valve etc as the PO had ditched it when he plumbed the brakes in, he just drilled out 2 old valves and stuck them in the covers.

[Stu]

That’s interesting, I hadn’t considered that, is there any way to tell visually, the only identification I could find is a number 71915.

I can’t help with the numbers, I’m afraid, but yes those are KH.

[Matthew Saxon]

Thanks Stu, it hadn’t occurred to me until you said it. The pads for the KH brakes are the same as the standard 4 piston brakes though aren’t they?

[Matthew Saxon]

brakes is brakes, any local "classic or old car" garage for that, you might have to help with parts....

those are fixed calipers i.e they don't look like like girling or lockheed single pot sliders associated with lesser or later models...I've have told you what they aren't, apologies



the prime candidate for this is

1) low fluid level or fluid is so waterlogged as to have boiled..... brakes don't work when brake line is full of steam...
2) rusted up rear cylinders have torn the cups and the rears are leaking. look for wet patches on the backing plates near where the pips go in, or the rears have worn so far as to put the piston part onto a section that is so far out of the norm that it it is leaking. check and adjust rears up to the drum and back off so you can turn it.
3) similar can happen to the master cylinder but in that situation the cups on the piston normally sweep the same section of bore reasonably regularly..doesn't matter how worn the brakes get the master cylinder compensates with fluid down the pipe and its internals sweep the same path...
however if the fluid gets wet the rubber cups can perish and go spongy. that usually jams the brakes on though.....


think the 4 pot calipers at the front used the same pads as a 60s jaguar bentley or aston...I know John Rutlidge (JohnR on this board and on the usual FB groups) used to buy his brake pads in the UK, at UK rather than imported prices, and had the exact locally produced brand and model of car that shared pad dimensions... so i reckon Stu (both john and stu have had or have barracudas) is definitely on the right track there....

if you adjust the rears up to lock the rear drums on, and see if you get a harder peddle it might give some indication. if the rear cylinders are leaking that will promote some dripping if you stand on the peddle.

if it turns out to be master cylinder and the garage doing the work has not done a mopar before...they need to fill it and bleed it off the car...we can dig out the page in the manual for them save them time and you labour..

Dave

Thanks Dave I’m going to look through some of your suggestions at the weekend, I’ll see what I can find. Thanks for the heads up on the booster, the guy has a lot of experience but I doubt he’s worked on a Mopar before, so i will let him know that.