Brake speed bleeders

[BadAndy]

Got some speed bleeders and stainless brake lines from Summit yesterday...any special tools required for swapping them out? What's the best kind of brake fluid to use? I have stock type rotors and pads for now...

[MFE]

The stock lines can be a real b**** to separate where they connect to the car's hard lines.  If you're not careful you can twist the hard line and then you're hurtin'.  So soak those connections with PB blaster well in advance of the job and don't be afraid to break out the propane torch to heat the fitting.  As for brake fluid, I don't think you can beat Valvoline SynPower for bang for the buck, it's DOT 4 rated and about as cheap as bottled water.

[BadAndy]

Noted.

Do I have to drain the fluid system before removing the lines?

[Chowder Head]

You could but won't that make it harder since there will be a crap load more air?

Speed bleeders should be a snap.  I'm looking at one of my new Cobra calipers and it looks like a 3/8 sized piece.  Should be able to just unscrew old ones and put speedbleeders in.

And I second on the fluid.  I just picked up myself 3 of the big 32oz bottles for pretty damn cheap.  And I'm sure you know not to let that MC run dry.

I'm in the same boat as you as my brake kit came with new SS lines so I was also thinking about the best way to take those out too.

[Bwhitty799]

Where the hell are your pics of the brakes Chow??

[J. D.]

I'm running Russell speed bleeders on Fred. 

Although it makes for an easier one-man operation bleeding the brakes, I'm not 100 percent confident they bled all the way.  I need to go in there again with a second person to watch for air.  Brakes need to be pumped once to feel right, when the car sits for any length of time.

[Chowder Head]

Where the hell are your pics of the brakes Chow??

You really want to see crappy cell phone pics of your standard Mach 1/Cobra brakes?

[BadAndy]

Speed bleeders went in without a problem and got the lines bled quickly. The f***ing hard line connection wouldn't come off at all. I soaked them in penetrating oil for a while then put the propane torch on them and still won't budge.

[J. D.]

The hardline connection is going to snap pretty hard when it finally breaks free.  It's not just going to start backing out slowly.  You're going to sit there thinking the worst, and then it's just going to POP loose out of nowhere.

I was pretty scared I'd bend or strip something when I did mine. 

Do what the others suggest and soak the living daylights out of it overnight.  Things like this it pays to be patient about.

[quake101]

This is all good info! I would like some pictures of the process also! Maybe even a tech article? Please?

I have some SS lines just waiting to be installed.

[JadeGT]

I did a lot of research (Searching on various forums) on speed bleeders. About half the people who have them love them and half hate them. The problems are getting the threads to seal and not let air back in and the check valves in the speed bleeders corrode and quit working after a while. I decided not to buy them for my Mach 1/Cobra brake upgrade.

[JadeGT]

Here are the pics of mine. Made a huge difference in braking but only when you get on the brakes hard. It isn't something you notice with everyday driving.

So I did this today and it was very easy. I used the FRPP Mach 1 kit with stainless steel lines. The cost was $400 plus shipping.
1. Do not allow the Master cylinder to run dry if you have ABS/TCS.
2. The hard line on the driver's side is larger than the pass side. ( A moment of panic. I thought they sent the wrong line.)
3. Make sure the dust shields clear the new rotor because mine didn't. It is a very easy fix, they are just tin that can be bent by hand, but it sure did make some racket on the test drive.
4. The pads don't cover the entire machined area of the rotor. If you paint the rotors make sure you paint this area or you end up with a rust stripe.


BTW the Mach 1/Bullitt/Cobra brakes are the same. The only difference is the color/powered coating.


The before pics.





Here are the Mach 1 brakes.





I didn't feel like shedding out big money for zinc washed rotors. So I masked off the swept area and painted these. I used caliper paint and wiped it down with paint thinner before paniting.









Do not drop one rotor onto the other, freshly painted, rotor.



When you remove the tape and clean the swept area prior to installation make sure you don't get brake cleaner on the paint. It will remove it.

The old vs new



After

[Chowder Head]

Damn, nice job with the painting.  I have the exact same kind and didn't even think about that.

Question, do you know if that type of caliper paint will resist surface glaze rust?  Who knows, I might do this next time the rotors are off.