Well, I’ve tried to get my wheel cylinder bleeder screws out to no avail as they are rusted and locked up. Former owner attempts to loosen them have flattened and stripped off the heads, so I’ve decided to replace the wheel cylinders, which is the right thing to do anyway. With that said, I am curious to hear recommendations on where to get them for a 1949 one ton Chevy. Thanks for any input!
Check out this search listing Rock Auto. They show 3800 front and rear wheel cylinders in-stock.
~ Dan 1951 Chevy 3 window 3100 Follow this story in the DITY Gallery "My Grandpa Carl's Truck and How it Became Mine" 1966 Chevelle (Wife's Hot Rod) | 2013 Chevy Silverado (Current daily driver) US Army MSG Retired (1977-1998) | Com Fac Maint Lead Tech Retired (1998-2021)
~ Dan 1951 Chevy 3 window 3100 Follow this story in the DITY Gallery "My Grandpa Carl's Truck and How it Became Mine" 1966 Chevelle (Wife's Hot Rod) | 2013 Chevy Silverado (Current daily driver) US Army MSG Retired (1977-1998) | Com Fac Maint Lead Tech Retired (1998-2021)
An acetylene torch and a few drops of KROIL will get those bleeder screws out in a few minutes. Then you can rebuild the cylinders for a fraction of the cost of replacing them. 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!
Jerry, I agree about being able to get the bleeders out, but rebuilding the cylinders is an iffy proposition. And if they are pitted and needed to be sleeved, which is highly likely, that probably costs more than replacements. (I have not priced sleeving wheel cylinders.)
Kevin 1951 Chevy 3100 work truck Follow this saga in Project Journal Photos 1929 Ford pickup restored from the ground up. | 1929 Ford Special Coupe (First car) Busting rust since the mid-60's If you're smart enough to take it apart, you darn well better be smart enough to put it back together.
I keep forgetting that 99%+ of the guys on this website don't have a lathe, a press, and a tool post grinder 50 feet out the back door. Sleeving master and/or wheel cylinders is "machinist 101" to me. I've been rebuilding and modifying stuff for 65 years- - - -and it just doesn't occur to me that everybody doesn't do that! LOL! 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!
When you get these,or even if you repair your own make sure to use some antisieze compound on the screw adjusters, front and rear.
If these freeze up you run the risk of stripping the little nubbins on the wheels in the backing plate that engage the big cast gear that rides on the end of the wheel cylinder. If that happens you won't be able to back the brakes off enough to get the drums off without a fight. If you can get one loose then back that shoe off completely and you may be able to get the drum off. This also speaks to having the drums turned to get rid of the ridge at the edge. Then you have a better chance of getting the drums off when the adjusters go bad. But DO NOT let the machinist grind the shoe area of the drum. These are NLA from any source and you want to preserve them as long as possible even if they're a bit scored or warped. I've found that if you get them good and hot on a down hill they will go back to round if they're warped. When they are hot DO NOT apply the emergency brake. That's how they get warped in the first place.
I have used anti-sieze on the pistons also, which are aluminum in a steel or cast iron bore, because there are no seals to keep water out of the interior of the cylinder. I don't know how it gets in there but I do know in a damp climate the aluminum will fester and seize on the cast cylinder. Then that shoe stops working. If you slam on the brakes on a gravel road and only three wheels skid then you know which wheel cylinder has seized.
1951 3800 1-ton "Earning its keep from the get-go" In the DITY Gallery 1962 261 (w/cam, Fenton headers, 2 carbs, MSD ign.), SM420 & Brown-Lipe 6231A 3spd aux. trans, stock axles & brakes. Owned since 1971.
