> I too have been sorely disappointed in the braking capability of
> my roadster...
Personal opinion...
Properly set up, the Roadster brakes are quite good. A host of
problems with 40 year old hydraulics may occur, but the basic design
and implementation are quite solid.
The front calipers are identical to Jaguar and Studebaker of the
generation. And the 'Stude weighs in at two tons, so a one ton
Roadster shouldn't have a problem slowing down :-)
One 'gotcha' is a too-thin rotor, resulting in the pad hitting the
bridge and not the rotor. Firm pedal, no stopping power.
Old rubber hoses will sap all the braking force as well, as they will
expand a bit under pressure and steal the PSI.
The later cars, with the dual cylinder, have a non-serviceable valve
inside the piston assembly. If this valve doesn't fully seat, the fluid
pumps internally in the cylinder and doesn't generate braking pressure.
Especially if the brake system ever sat 'dry', the master is probably
not up to snuff. They used to be expensive, nowadays they're in the
"you want HOW MUCH for that?!??" range.
If all the parts are good, the brakes are great. If major parts need
replacement, I imagine it's a cost savings to do the Volvo (or
another) swap.
> Does anyone know what the bleeder valves on the master are used for?
They're used to bleed the master :-)
To bench bleed the master, gently clamp it in a vice, put hoses from
the bleeder outlets to squirt back into each reservoir, add fluid and
pump pump pump. This works the air out of all the nooks and crannies.
-- John
John F Sandhoff sandhoff@csus.edu Sacramento, CA
p.s. Old-timer hint: remove the plastic cover from the front
steel crossover tubes. The pipe rusts underneath it and one day
you'll lose your front brakes. I was always skeptical about that
actually happening - 'til one day when I lost my front brakes...
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