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Apr 26th, 2026 | | AD Chevy Trucks  Over 6,000 pictures Brad Allen has an awesome collection of Chevrolet factory pictures that he has set up from film strips. Check them out!
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| | | | Joined: Aug 2018 Posts: 760 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Aug 2018 Posts: 760 | In the old shop manuals it always says to wash your brake parts in alcohol. What type of alcohol are they talking about? Is there a better modern alternative available today. I am about to start on rebuilding my brakes on my 53 project and am curious about this.
Thanks, Mike
Mike Burns
1940 Chev 1/2 ton
1953 Chev 1/2 ton
1950 Studebaker Starlight Coupe
1947 Indian Chief
1943 Indian 741
| | | | | Joined: Apr 2012 Posts: 44 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Apr 2012 Posts: 44 | Mike
Alcohol is preferred for flushing out the system, master cylinder, wheel cylinders and lines. For external cleaning look for Brake Cleaner in the aerosol can.
There is not a tool made that if you don't try hard enough you can't break!
1952 3100 261 T5 3.08 Gov Locker
| | | | | Joined: Aug 2018 Posts: 760 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Aug 2018 Posts: 760 |
Mike Burns
1940 Chev 1/2 ton
1953 Chev 1/2 ton
1950 Studebaker Starlight Coupe
1947 Indian Chief
1943 Indian 741
| | | | | Joined: Apr 2005 Posts: 7,441 Bolter | | Bolter Joined: Apr 2005 Posts: 7,441 | Denatured alcohol available at your grocery store or pharmacy.
Martin
'62 Chevy C-10 Stepside Shortbed (Restomod in progress)
'47 Chevy 3100 5 Window (long term project)
‘65 Chevy Biscayne (Emily)
‘39 Dodge Business Coupe (Clarence)
“I fought the law and the law won" now I are a retired one!
Support those brave men/women who stand the "Thin Blue Line"! Hug a cop!
USAF 1965-1969 Weather Observation Tech (I got paid to look at the clouds)
| | | | | Joined: Feb 2000 Posts: 5,228 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Feb 2000 Posts: 5,228 | We have been using this at work, Muscle Magic, from Superior Products ( get it at O'Reillys Auto Parts ). It cuts brake dust super fast, would be good to use on everything but internal parts. Might even work for that if you dry them out good. It will clean a dirty wheel in no time! | | | | | Joined: Feb 2004 Posts: 29,841 Kettle Custodian (pot stirrer) | | Kettle Custodian (pot stirrer) Joined: Feb 2004 Posts: 29,841 | Cleaning with alcohol is good, but don't waste your money at a pharmacy. Methanol (wood alcohol) is available at any hardware store in quart or gallon cans and it's a LOT less expensive that way. If you're planning to do any brake line flushing or other internal cleaning, stay away from any kind of petroleum-based solvents such as mineral spirits, etc. Petroleum does not play nice with rubber parts in a brake system.
Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln
Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt!
There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway
Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
| | | | | Joined: Jan 2018 Posts: 189 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Jan 2018 Posts: 189 | After going through a dozen cans of brake cleaner on the rear brakes of my 1 1/2 ton while replacing leaking wheel cylinders, I decided to use a different method on the front. I simply used detergent, and my pressure washer, which blasted everything clean. It worked great! No dust, or hazardous fumes. Brake fluid washes away pretty good with just water, and using the pressure washer it was much cheaper, easier, and faster than other methods. It cleaned the brake linings much better than brake cleaner. Wish I would have thought of trying that years ago.
Last edited by 4100 Fire Truck; 08/25/2018 12:56 PM.
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