53 kaiser brakes

[Orphanauto]

I just recieved my new 53 kaiser Manhattan, ok, new to me, haha, anyway, It sat for 15 years, the brakes are not very good. A shop bleed them before I got it, but when I push down on the brake pedal, it seems it just slows the car down, and it's hard to press on. I've  had alot of 40's-50's cars, so I know they are not like today brakes. My question is, I would like to replace the mastercylinder and wheel cylinders with new ( I prefer new to rebuilt because of the age). Can anyone tell me the part numbers to ask for, or a place that sells them? Thanks....

[jreeder41]

A lot of the parts you can get from your local Napa or most other part stores. We got our brake shoes and rebuild kits from them.

[Logan]

I am currrently rebuilding the brakes on my '53 Dragon.  I ordered a complete overhaul kit including wheel and master cylinder rebuild kits, shoes and hoses from Kanter. http://www.kanter.com///productdetail.aspx?Tg=554157&Mak=Kaiser-Frazer&Yr=53&Dv=1&Dpt=1100&Sb=0&Vdr=&Itm=&MDv=1&MDpt=0&MSb=0&Cat=7&Prc=36

[custom]

cross reference from kaiserbill:    http://kaiserbill.com/Parts-Cross-Reference/Parts-Cross-Reference.pdf

[Orphanauto]

Thank-you so much for all the info guys, that was so helpful. one more question, I drove the car today for the 1st time, when I hit apply the brakes, I have to press hard, and then it slows down, stops slowly ( I am use to old cars, so I know they are not like today, but these are not that good.  I'm thinking bad mastercylinder, anyway, the questiion is, It pulls to the right when I step on the brakes, any ideas? shoe out of adjustment, or perhaps bad hose, or wheel cylinder? thanks...

[Fabian 51K]

Your brake hoses are probably bad, I have had several Kaisers that due to age the rubber inside of the hose turns into a kind of check valve not allowing even preasure causing the brake to lock up. Any good hydraulic shop can fabricate new brake hoses for you. I had my wheel and master cylinders resleaved and rebuilt by a company in Virginia called Whitepost Restorations, they garantee the work for as long as you own the car. DO NOT use silicone based brake fluid it will eat every piece of rubber in your cylinders causing them to leak and fail. DOT 3 is the perferd brake fluid.

Fabian

[montefrazer]

After sitting for 15 years, I think the aluminum pistons in the brake cylinders have corroded from moisture in the brake fluid and fused to the cylinder walls. This causes poor braking and pulling to the side where a wheel cylinder still works. If you have good pedal pressure and the car rolls freely in neutral, the master and hoses are good. Replacing everything is a good idea. You will know everything is good then.

[carsngolf]

I had to replace the flex lines on my '65 Porsche 911 because one of them actually starting dragging a wheel.  As it turned out, a hose had deteriorated in the interior so much that it wouldn't allow the fluid to return after the pedal was applied.  It struck me as very weird as I would have thought just the reverse might have happened if it was badly deteriorated.
Jerry Weiland

[Orphanauto]

thanks for the post, please keep them coming. When I hit the brakes hard, it pulls to the right, then stops pulling when I let up. I went to the local oreilly's and tried the Wagner part numbers in the 3rd post, most didn't work anymore. I think I will replace most parts. Does anyone have any part numbers they have used recently that have worked?

[Gordie]

After you replace your shoes and cylinders your brakes should be fine but they will never be like power brakes.

[54 Kaiser]

Thank-you so much for all the info guys, that was so helpful. one more question, I drove the car today for the 1st time, when I hit apply the brakes, I have to press hard, and then it slows down, stops slowly ( I am use to old cars, so I know they are not like today, but these are not that good.  I'm thinking bad mastercylinder, anyway, the questiion is, It pulls to the right when I step on the brakes, any ideas? shoe out of adjustment, or perhaps bad hose, or wheel cylinder? thanks...

FWIW, I've got the same thing on my '54 Manhattan. When I bought it 3 years ago, it sailed through the mechanical inspection. The garage pulled all four wheels and found NEW shoes, wheel cylinders, Master cylinder, all the rubber connecting hoses and one replaced steel line. (The underside of the car is literally rust free. It came from an estate sale where the car had been garaged and maintained with 20 other collector cars for something like 25 years. It looks as if the car had been oiled on a regular basis.)

The drums were all clean as well. Good machining. Yet the car is VERY hard to stop.

Is it possible someone had the shoes relined and whoever did it used too hard a brake material for the shoes???

I ask because I ran into this a few years back with aftermarket pads on a VW Jetta. I could lift myself off the seat pushing the brake pedal and not lock up the brakes on the highway. And these were power disks on a light car. I put up with them for six months and then bought a set of factory pads from the VW dealer. ONLY changed the pads. Rotors and claipers were untouched. Damn near put myself through the windshield the first time I punched the brakes on a test drive.

[joefrazer]

Chances are, the lining material is too hard for the drum surface. The original asbestos type linings were soft and gave alot of bite...but not alot of life. They also tended to fade under repeated hard stops. So, a harder material was developed and that's what's used today. AutoZone now carries KF brake shoes...you can order a set under part number 173. I just got a set and they seem softer than NAPA's blend.

[54 Kaiser]

Went to the autozone site. If I pick the make and model of car I only get wheel cylinder kits.

If I put in part number 173, I get several pictures of different items. It shows front and rear shoes. BUT, whether I select the pic of the front OR rear shoes, I only get the front shoes showing up. (At $17.00!!!!) 

Is there a different number for the rear shoes?

[ben-tex]

Front and rear take the same shoes. I don't know about the autozone numbers but RS53 was the napa number bdfore computers took over the world.

[54 Kaiser]

Thanks guys! For $35 and a saturdays work it may get me some decent braking power.