[Amc-list] breaks

[Tom Jennings <tomj@xxxxxxx>]

No, I mean breaks, as in the brake line broke when I bent
it. Wow, talk about living on the edge... I actually drove
this thing.

The brake lines in this American were very rusty, so I pulled
them all out. The branch to the right front just snapped off at
the tee, I couldn't even see white steel in the break (brake)
but it musta been there they held pressure.

I just bent up a bunch from straight lengths (no cockeyed
brake switch nonsense to plumb up). I need a new flaring too,
my old crappy KD kit really sucks. I'll probably look for a
good quality one that does only 3/16" as that's all I ever
double-flare. I'll keep the old kit for oddities.

By the way, the 64 master cylinder is an exact replacement for
the 63 EXCEPT the outlet fittings on the 63 are 1/2" or 5/8"
nuts with 3/16" tube.  I'll just do what I did on the other
63 -- use brass reducers.  I measured the pushrod socket depth
and diameter, same. Bolts right up. 1963 part: $220. 1964 part:
$27, new, not rebuilt.

Man was it easy to bend tube for this thing! Everything so
far about this car is easier to work on than the newer stuff
I've owned. The rear brake line took some care to get from
the master cyl to the right "frame rail" but after that it is
almost straight.


So I now save almost everything, including one set of bad
9x2.5" front drums and shoes (!), for correct-part comparisons
and cores. Glad I did. Suuure looks like you could *almost*
put 2/5" drum+shoe on the 2.0" backing plate and hub. Only two
things probably stop this: the top center shoe rest post height
(too short) and wheel cylinder (hits center of 2" shoe, 1/4"
off center for 2.5" shoe).

Turns out, the hub is the same! To keep the brake drum working
curface centered, the 2/5" drum has a center section (that fits
on the hub) that is below flush. The 2" wide drum has the center
section flush with the edge of the drum workin surface.

I pulled the fronts to look at, I will depopulate one side and
place the 2.5" shoes to see where things line up.

This is just a curiosity.  I'm gonna drive the perfectly-good
9x2" setup and switch to disks probably they come up for
replacement in a year or so. And if I stay really cheap-skate,
a 9x2.5" drum setup is not exactly rare or expensive.




AEROKROIL -- I know I sound like a broken record, but that damn
stuff removes anything. There's an element of improvability
("squirt on this bolt and it came right off!") as sometimes
even the worst-looking bolts come right out anyways, special
juice or not -- but since i've used it I have NEVER broken a
bolt/stud or buggered a head in this car or any other.

On this car I removed in the most ordinary way:

* front brake line flare nut to flex hose, both sides
* truly ancient exhaust manifold studs (big flakes of rust)
* rear brake line flare nut to rear axle flex hose
* frozen brake bleeders
* bolt that holds the oil filler neck to exhaust manifold
* exhaust hanger bolts

more stuff I can't recall

Exhaust manifold bolts are notorious. All three came right out.
All I could reach with the spray was the end that was flush with
the back of the tapped flange, that was enough. Once I got it
out the rust extended 4 - 5 threads down, and it still came out.
I took them out with a box-end wrench.
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