manual brakes(front brakes locking up!!!)

[polchiks1980malibu]

I got a problem... I went to a bigger cam in my '80 malibu classic, which meant that my power brakes would no longer serve any use. I went with a wilwood tandem master cylinder ( part # 260-9439) I got the proper rod length, set every line up to where it should go, and bled the brakes. As i drove the car up and down my street a couple of times to test the brakes, i noticed that the brake pedal got stiffer and stiffer with each stop to a point where i couldn't even move the car when it is in first gear. It turns out that the front brakes are getting pressure to them but never releasing it back into the master cylinder. I checked my line lock and it is working find (it also does this when the line lock is disconnected), I re-bench bled the master cylinder and it is working properly, and my front brake lines are good as well. One concern i have is that the master cylinder does not sit even with the car. The nose of it sticks up higher than the back, but there is always an ample amount of fluid in the front resevoir.
I don't know what the problem is!!!! Do i level the master cylinder out with the car? Do i put in an adjustable distribution block?? Any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated...

 

[LS6 Tommy]

You've got something going on. An adjustable proportioning valve won't help. They can only reduce rear brake pressure, not front. I'm not even sure what to tell you to try. Having the MC off level won't hurt as long as there's enough fluid in it.

Sorry I can't make any other suggestions.

Tommy

 

[Ribbedroof]

Sounds to me like the rod is slightly too long, allowing minimal pressure to be applied.

I have also had sticky calipers that would do that due to car sitting for an extended period of time. The seals wouldn't pull the piston back in, presumably from a small rust ring in the bore due to condensation in the fluid..

 

[LS6 Tommy]

Do you have a return spring on the pedal?

Tommy

 

[polchiks1980malibu]

No return spring. It never did, but the pedal still returns.

 

[polchiks1980malibu]

Right now i'm thinking of going with the steel concepts manual brake kit that everyone's been talking about on this website. The only that that has changed with the whole brake system since the last time it was working is the master cylinder. Maybe the rod lenght is to short to the point of when when you get off the brake pedal, it (the rod) is not long enough to draw the fluid out of the caliper's. MAybe starting fresh with a new set up is the key here...

 

[LS6 Tommy]

No return spring. It never did, but the pedal still returns.

Try putting one one & see if your front brakes don't drag... I think. Just a thought.

Tommy

 

[red barn]

My 64 malibu did the same thing when I switched from a single reservoir master cylinder to a dual. In my case there was a spacer that went between the master cylinder and the firewall that I forgot to put back in. Same thing as the rod being to long.

 

[wiseman79]

Right now i'm thinking of going with the steel concepts manual brake kit that everyone's been talking about on this website. The only that that has changed with the whole brake system since the last time it was working is the master cylinder. Maybe the rod lenght is to short to the point of when when you get off the brake pedal, it (the rod) is not long enough to draw the fluid out of the caliper's. MAybe starting fresh with a new set up is the key here...

Rod being too short wouldn't be the case, with no return spring the recoil would be in the MC, so it would push back againt the pedal, not the pedal pulling back from the MC. I would agree that the rod could be too long however.