Friday night after work brakes went out on my car. I was at a gas station, I pulled up, it hopped the curb off to the side of the store, but still in the lot, and grazed the concrete base of a light pole. It happened very fast, but right when I hopped the curb, I said to myself "I ain't getting stuck" so I cut the wheel to the right and goosed it to get over the curb. Thankfully I didn't hit anyone, I just had a dude in a man bun stare at me. I did murder a bush though. I parked my car (with the e-brake to stop), went in and got my 12 pack of coke as I intended, and drove to the parts store about a block away with my hazards on in 1st. I bought a the master cylinder gasket (mine was swelled and destroyed) and 2 big bottles of DOT3 fluid. After dicking around for 3 hours trying to figure out why my back brakes were getting no fluid from the gravity bleed (to get the old pepsi-like fluid out), I crawled under there to the prop valve, took of the line going to the rear, cut up an old engine brush, and used the metal shaft of it to shove in the hole to re-center the piston in the valve. Fluid promptly went everywhere and fluid was going to my rear brakes. Huzzah! I'm going to HF today to get a little vacuum dohickey because I have no one to help me bleed the brakes. It's about 8 degrees right now, but it's got to be done. When I install the GN rear end, I'll install speed bleeders, as well as replace all the brake components.
As for why my brakes failed, I think I've chocked it up to 33 year old fluid that looked like pepsi, and possibly old hoses. I had no fluid loss. Booster works, master works, etc. Also, the header panel and headlight bucket were already broken and missing. Only real loss is the bumper, which could within reason be pulled back, and the front bottom market light and it's bezel.
As for why my brakes failed, I think I've chocked it up to 33 year old fluid that looked like pepsi, and possibly old hoses. I had no fluid loss. Booster works, master works, etc. Also, the header panel and headlight bucket were already broken and missing. Only real loss is the bumper, which could within reason be pulled back, and the front bottom market light and it's bezel.
