Stovebolt.com Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts 2 1/2 ton brakes

That might end up being what i have to do at least temporary. Find a single banjo to fit and get a splitter remotely. Everything this big seems to have air brakes or that internal split in the bottom cylinder like you have 78buckshot.

So i made my own tee, and then discovered my bottom cylinder was leaking so i got a new one, however the thread size is 7/16-24 for the bleeder screw and where the banjo bolt would go (which is 7/16-20). I am thinking maybe I will just take out the bleeder screw and have that go to the other cylinder to bypass the T. That would essentially make it like the internal T cylinders and only bleed from the upper cylinder. Anyone see a problem with that? Ill just have to redo the brake lines going to it.

Finally found the right cylinder. Its dorman part W19107 and I found it on Walmarts website of all places.

Finally getting back to the brakes on this thing. I adjusted the brakes all the way tight on the wheels and pumped up the brakes. Then I unscrewed the cap on the brake reservoir to see if anything happened and when i started to let off the brakes, fluid shot up about a foot out. I didnt think that would happen if the brakes were tight. Could something be up with my rebuilt hydrovac?

The brake fluid was under pressure with your foot on the pedal, when you let off the pedal the pressurized fluid is released back into the reservoir making a fountain...that's normal.

Mike B

In that case, why the heck cant i get my pedal to be firm without pumping like crazy? Ive gone through a few bottles of brake fluid trying to bleed the stupid things. Are there any types of pressure bleeders that would be compatible? I want this thing driving so the guys at work will stop asking when I'm bringing it in!

MattMcK, this is how I did my brakes. My '57 2 ton is still the stock brake system, I rebuilt all 6 wheel cylinders and the master cylinder, I replace every steel and rubber line except the cross-over lines inside the rear drums. When I plumbed the new lines I hydraulically by-passed the frame mounted Hydro-Vac knowing that it needed attention. So I had a complete manual system with no leaks. I raised each wheel off the ground and adjusted the shoes so I had trouble spinning the wheel, rotated the wheel backward and forward to help center the shoes, readjusted as needed to have them scuffing the drums. I had a helper at the brake peddle as I cracked each bleeder, longest line first to the shortest last, with the wheels off the ground I could then try to spin each wheel, if there was no brake drag I re-adjusted for light scuffing, after driving a few short test trips I re-bled in the same order. The truck had a very high firm peddle and no leaks, I used it with manual brakes until I re-built the Hydro-Vac. After mounting the Hydro-Vac I re-connected the lines as original and gravity bled the hydro- Vac, the system is working real well.

Are you following the service manual instructions on bleeding the brake system?

Mike B

I have replaced or rebuilt all the cylinders that were leaking, had the hydrovac rebuilt, new master cylinder that came with the truck. I didnt replace any rubber lines since it was a firetruck and they looked fine. Besides using a pressure bleeder like the manual says, i followed those instructions for bleeding. Adjust for drag, farthest bleeder-in. If the master isnt quite big enough bore would that do it? I never checked the bore, just assumed it was right.
Never had trouble bleeding brakes, this is frustrating me XD

I bled my 2 ton with a home-made pressure bleeder, ended up doing it a 2nd time, before I got a good brake pedal. What bore is the master cylinder that came with the truck? On my 2 ton, the outside of the master looks like the same one that was on my 1//2 ton Suburban.