Need part numbers for C15A brakes

[Bob Carriere]

Hi Derek

Hope you have noticed that Geoff has reviced an old parts listing form a few years ago....... from experience most of the numbers are good as is or they will get you referrenced to modern numbers. The wheel cyl. numbers are correct and literaly off the shelf items.....

I have kept an old oil seal....large 5 incher from an old front axle.... It is a National and has a number... will dig it out and post the number.... and will need to call my seal guy to see what number/brand he sold me the last time... I believe he maintains computer files of everything I bought from him....

For brake parts go to a specialized large truck shop.... you will have better luck than a NAPA or others like them.

The Marmlberg shop in Ottawa has/had an old 6 inch thick manual that contained all the casting mark records and black outline silhouettes of brake cylinders and master cyl. I have no idea where they got it from but if I bring in old parts they can match the outline and get to a part number/brand. My friends Dad use to work there...... after his valve job at 65... they kept him on 3 days a week just to source old parts...... but like many he has since passed on.

Boob

....still diggin' out of the snow...... still have to do the equipment shed roof before it collapses...

[sapper740]

Originally Posted by Bob Carriere

Hi Derek

Hope you have noticed that Geoff has reviced an old parts listing form a few years ago....... from experience most of the numbers are good as is or they will get you referrenced to modern numbers. The wheel cyl. numbers are correct and literaly off the shelf items.....

I have kept an old oil seal....large 5 incher from an old front axle.... It is a National and has a number... will dig it out and post the number.... and will need to call my seal guy to see what number/brand he sold me the last time... I believe he maintains computer files of everything I bought from him....

For brake parts go to a specialized large truck shop.... you will have better luck than a NAPA or others like them.

The Marmlberg shop in Ottawa has/had an old 6 inch thick manual that contained all the casting mark records and black outline silhouettes of brake cylinders and master cyl. I have no idea where they got it from but if I bring in old parts they can match the outline and get to a part number/brand. My friends Dad use to work there...... after his valve job at 65... they kept him on 3 days a week just to source old parts...... but like many he has since passed on.

Boob

....still diggin' out of the snow...... still have to do the equipment shed roof before it collapses...

Thanks Bob, your post directed me quite nicely to that thread. I'm pleased to see that the parts store has ordered the correct front wheel cylinders (part no. 4571) so they should fit when they get here. They're charging me $65.24 each for rebuilt wheel cylinders which is a lot less than having them resleeved with s.s. I was going to wait until I had the front brakes done before turning the truck around and doing the back to check the rear wheel cylinders but I'm confident those numbers are correct so I can go ahead and order them. Unfortunately, I have a bunch of pricks to deal with from the Home Owner's Association so I have to be tactical when working on my truck.

Question for everyone; is there any advantage for someone like me who spends extended periods of time working out of town (up to 3 months) to use a DOT 5 brake fluid (silicone) which apparently disperses moisture better so it doesn't collect in the wheel cylinders over the standard DOT 3 or DOT 4? Or would completely changing the brake fluid every couple of years solve that problem?

Thanks, Derek.

[Dale Law]

Hello Everyone,

There seems to be many debates on this topic. As some people are aware of my vehicles. Not only do I have a CMP, I also collect and restore antique cars. I overhauled the brake system on my 1958 Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner in 1986 and used Silicone Brake Fluid. I am in Regina, Sask where the weather only allows me to drive my car 6 months of the year. So far, I have put 75,000 miles on the car and have not had any problems of any sort. The key to using Silicone Brake fluid is that the system has to be free of any old brake fluid. If you are reusing any brake lines they need to be flushed out. If you are re-using cylinders or parts of, then these parts have to be cleaned as well including the cups.

I trust that this information will be helpful in answering questions about storage and reliability.

Regards,
Dale

[sapper740]

Originally Posted by Dale Law

Hello Everyone,

There seems to be many debates on this topic. As some people are aware of my vehicles. Not only do I have a CMP, I also collect and restore antique cars. I overhauled the brake system on my 1958 Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner in 1986 and used Silicone Brake Fluid. I am in Regina, Sask where the weather only allows me to drive my car 6 months of the year. So far, I have put 75,000 miles on the car and have not had any problems of any sort. The key to using Silicone Brake fluid is that the system has to be free of any old brake fluid. If you are reusing any brake lines they need to be flushed out. If you are re-using cylinders or parts of, then these parts have to be cleaned as well including the cups.

I trust that this information will be helpful in answering questions about storage and reliability.

Regards,
Dale

Thanks Dale, you've convinced me that silicone is the way to go and now is the time with everything apart making flushing the lines easy. I assume simply blowing them out with compressed air should suffice? Derek.

[Bob Carriere]

Hi Derek

According to everything I have read on many Forum..... the only way to use "silly-cone" is to start with a full fresh brand new system..... that implies brake line steel and rubber, cylinders... all five of them.... Dale is correct the time to try it out is when you are starting from the ground up.

How good will it be...... depends who you read ro talk to.... some say it is not worth the trouble and cost and that on the long run it si cheaper to use the standard Dot 3 or 5......

Note that a lot of modern vehicle..... Ford Lincoln and not Ford trucks have the silicone stuff......

I say with caution that I have read.... a lot.... but little experience.... I have done my system with army surplus silicone and so far ti seems to work fine........ but the truck has not yet been driven...... my practical experience is verty limited.......

Again from what I have read if you plan on using a mixture of old parts you need to flush the lines with alcohol..... methyl or ethyl I am not sure.... but not the drinking kind anyways...... you might want to do a search on the web...

Since you are doing a major brake job you might want to consider changing the lines....... that will be you weakest link........ all depends on the condition of the truck system..... the suckers can rust from the inside from water in the low bend areas. If you do not change the line you might want consider staying with regular Dot 3 / 4.

In all the years I have played with Dodge M37 and 43 we always had no brakes left after they sat for 3 or 4 Winter months..... we never changed the fluid..... we bleed until they worked again........ which probably amounted to the same thing.

Good luck and keep us posted of your decision/results.

[Bob Carriere]

Just to follow up on my previous shovelling ditty......

Grant and I.... well Grant anyways as I supervised..... removed about 4 + feet of hard pack snow from the roof of the equipment shed late this afternoon...... we expect some mild weather and rain..... if it soaked into the roof snow it might have collapsed..... 3 ladies were killed in a paper palnt yesterday near MOntreal when the roof caved in.

Anyways I don't know how many tons of snow Grant removed but before his deed was done I had to crawl on my knees to get inside the shed..... after he removed the snow the roof sprang back up and I could walk inside standing up!!!!!

BooBee

[Dale Law]

Hello Everyone,

After reading Bob's reply, I forgot to mention something. My car was not a ground up restoration, therefore the brake lines were left in the framework. I used Methyl Hydrate to flush the lines and then blew it out with compressed air.

On my F15a, I have only completed my front brakes and at the master cylinder, plugged the Y block for the rear and filled the system with the Silicone Brake Fluid. I will be completing the rear this summer.

Regards,
Dale