The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline Recommendations for wheel cylinder purchase

Hi All,

I've finally gotten back to the truck (domestic distraction - new kitchen/first floor remodel) and found the recently purchased (within the last two years) rear wheel cylinders weeping. These purchased through a local big name FLAPS and I'd like to avoid another surprise. I know they could be rebuilt, but am leery of re-working suspect iron (literally).

Have any of you had good success with Rock Auto, or advise against it, or just stick with our usual vendors?

BTW, the truck is a 1947 3100, stock driveline.

Thanks,

Bill

I have been very pleased with Rockauto. One or two others on here have not. My recommendation is 👍🏻.

How much weeping and from where?

Martin, thanks for the comments.

Carl, to your questions:
1) Both sides have oil stains on the inside of the wheels, not heavy oil accumulation but enough to collect dust.
2) Both axle half-shaft "leak catchers" are dry, so wheel end oil seals are not suspected.
3) The oil within the brake drum seems to be lighter than axle lube

On the right side the rearmost end of the wheel cylinder shows debris/corrosion between the adjuster "drum" and the wheel cylinder casting. With the adjuster removed, the brake piston shows staining and some dirt accumulation (which I think indicate a leak). The piston also seems to "rock" in the bore, so radial clearance could be an issue (which would help explain the leak and reinforces my thoughts to not attempt a rebuild).

On the left side there are oil drips forming on the wheel cylinder. I didn't dig any deeper after that.

If I'm overlooking something or "over interpreting" what I've seen, I'm open to comments and advice.

Thanks in advance,

Bill

New Huck brake cylinder castings probably haven't been manufactured in at least 50 years, so anything you get will probably be" rebuilt". Your comment about loose pistons concerns me- - - -that will also allow the seal cups to move around in the bore. When I had a choice of buying new wheel cylinders at over $100.00 each for a big GMC front brake system or doing a rehab on what was already there, I chose to do a major honing job to eliminate pitting, and make new, oversized pistons on my lathe. They worked great- - - - -good brake performance, and no leaks. Fixing brake cylinders isn't some sort of voodoo rite involving juggling flaming chipmunks while dancing naked around a bonfire at the dark of the moon- - - - -it's just a matter of making things fit properly and doing a clean job of assembly.
Jerry

Bill, bring them over to my shop and lets hone them out good. Bring the kits and we'll get you going. Not sure on your year truck but the limit on movement of the pistons is .005ths. The cylinders can be honed a good bit before breaking the .oo5 limit. One thing to remember is there can be some pits right in the center, where the rubber cups never travel that far, and you will be OK.

....I'd check Rock Auto, I've used them MANY times and no problems. If they have them and the price is right, you can still bring your old ones over here and we'll rebuild you a set to put up for posterity. I'm waiting.

Alvin, if the pistons are too sloppy once they're honed, send the whole works to me- - - - -I can make close-fitting pistons, and the cups will expand enough to be leak-free even in an oversized cylinder. I've got plenty of aluminum round stock in several sizes. Another option is to bore the cylinders out and install a stainless steel sleeve, then grind the sleeve to a correct fit.
Jerry

Alvin and Jerry,

Thanks for the comments and the offer(s). I'll PM.

Bill

What brand wheel cylinders did you get. I won't anything but Raybestos products for brakes. They still have new wheel cylinders for the Huck brakes. Rock Auto shows them, see if your local FLAPS can get them.

I ordered the AC Delco at Rock Auto. They appeared to be the same (though that could be because the marketing department just used the same photos...) I'm going to inspect them before installing them, so if there are any issues, I appreciate your observation on the Raybestos parts.

Thanks,

Bill

You might can use the part number from Rock Auto to see if your local FLAPS can get them. Might save some shipping.

About ten years ago I bought some new front wheels cylinders for my 1 Ton. I am pretty sure they were not old castings and in addition the attachment for the cog holder differed from the originals. What I did have a problem with were the threads in the adjusters. On of them failed during testing with heavy foot pressure. I ended up using the old caps.

Redid the brakes on my 55 2nd 4 years ago. New wheel cylinders from Rockauto. Rebuilt the master cylinder with a hone job and new kit installed. Just recently noticed I was loosing pressure in the master cylinder when sitting at a stoplight with my foot on the brake pedal. Got a new master cylinder from Rockauto and all is good now. Master was about $125 with shipping, but worth it for the piece of mind......

Roy - I've already ordered (and they should arrive this afternoon). Good thought though.

Nix - I had a similar issue on one of my fronts last year. I agree and am hanging on to caps since.

Capnduane - Thanks for the confirmation - it's a confidence builder.

I'll post after I get it back together.

Thanks,

Bill

I R&R'd the rear wheel cylinders over the long weekend.

The AC Delco parts from RockAuto were rebuilds, but good rebuilds (no visible pitting in bores, good piston-to-bore fit). We'll see how they fare.

The old cylinders were both bad, but I haven't had a chance to clean them up and measure them yet.

Thanks all for the comments and advice,

Bill