Ford Blitz Restoration/Rebuild

[Bob Carriere]

When I rebuilt my C15a brake system I got new wheel cylinders and the master cyl. was sleeved in SS. All lines are new SS and rubber flex. Going on 4 years .... no leak no problems.

Each Spring after sitting for months in the sea container it only needs one pump of the peddle to bring it up again.

I may actually flush and reset the system this year for the first time.

I use the surplus USA military purple brake fluid.

***** on the flaring of new brake lines may I suggest you buy the best flaring tool you can afford it will save you time, material and a lot of aggravation.

Cheers
PS.... have you heard of the guy addicted to brake fluid...? claims he can stop any time !!!!!

[Private_collector]

Thanks Bob, I like the sounds of that testimonial.

Dont have worries about my brake flaring, I didnt do it. I gave that job to the local hydraulics shop.

I thought I had replied to you posting yesterday, but for some reason it did not appear. I may have had another internet connection problem. Should have checked it came up before I turned the computer off. Sorry.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Just re-did my brakes:

new master and two rear cylinders;
refurbished front ones;
new rubber brake lines;
existing copper brake lines cleaned.

I choose to use DOT-4 brake fluid, have heard about silicone fluid leaking around seals and flared lines because of it's properties. I did not want to risk leakage and I am happy with flushing the system every two years or so.

HTH,
Hanno

[Private_collector]

Hanno,

The guy/s who told you about the leaking, were they the one it happened to, or the heard it from someone else scenario?

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Private_collector

The guy/s who told you about the leaking, were they the one it happened to, or the heard it from someone else scenario?

Tony,

Heard it myself from first hand experience: the guy had to tin-plate his flares so they bedded-in better in the seats of the brake cylinders.

But if you renewed everything you'll be fine with silicone.

Hanno

[Private_collector]

My Ford stamp has arrived.
Ford stamp.jpg
I want to remove the oval, but fear my eyesight is not good enough to do cleanly.
A jeweller friend will shave it for me if I want him to.

Any tips on rebuilding the 11" Ford pressure plate assembly? New one is only $40USD, but another $70 or more to send. I dont believe mine is bad. I just want to examine all the pieces closely, before I feel it can be trusted enough to go into the engine.

I'm part way through a voyage of discovery with regards to oil flow in the French Flathead block. Because those engines were designed to run a governor and hour/rev meter, there are some openings above oil pump which I will be blocking off. On the weekend I will insert my borescope into the oil passages and compare the French block against an original Ford offering. Internally should be identical, so am just double checking route for the oil lines to & from external filter

[Tony Wheeler]

Originally Posted by Private_collector

On the weekend I will insert my borescope into the oil passages and compare the French block against an original Ford offering. Internally should be identical, so am just double checking route for the oil lines to & from external filter

Looks like you're right Tony, the only difference being the return pipe from the filter. Presumably it's designed to lubricate the governor drive gears before draining into the sump. Also they swapped holes for the oil pressure sender, presumably because it no longer fits in the standard position. Certainly the standard sender unit would not fit in that confined space.

It's interesting they stuck with the partial flow filter, despite this being the militarized block. If you have a look in the Ford manual you'll see they designed a full flow system for the CMP, with a bypass valve in case the filter became blocked. A bushing was inserted in the vertical passage to separate it from the horizontal passage, and a third passage was drilled for the oil filter return pipe, exactly where today's hot rodders drill the passage for conversion to full flow filtration. They seem to think they invented this mod, evidently they haven't heard of CMPs! Interestingly though I've never seen the full flow system on a CMP motor in Australia. It's always the partial flow system with the filter return pipe to the oil pan, and the third passage is always plugged. I wonder if they used the full flow system elsewhere, or whether it was abandoned for some reason. Certainly it's not necessary, and of course the rear main bearing and No.4 crankpin are fed directly from the oil pump anyway.

frenchflat.jpg