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Is there a certain kind of bleeder screw that I have to use for the caliper because exsisting ones are stripped?
bleeder screws
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Michael Mayben
IHPA Tech Moderator - Retired & No Longer Online
Remove the damaged bleeder screws and take 'em to the parts house. They can fix ya up with replacements of the correct thread size.
Since ya mentioned this rig is a bastard made up from various donors, no telling what calipers might be installed.
Since ya mentioned this rig is a bastard made up from various donors, no telling what calipers might be installed.
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Hey there michael! Ya know I tried and tried to get them damn things off but they are being a son of a gun to remove you got any tricks I should try? They a bit stripped and channel locks aint working.
Michael Mayben
IHPA Tech Moderator - Retired & No Longer Online
Three items in the toll arsenal will remove them:
1) much patience and finesse applied to each one according to it's needs.
2) ginyoowine "vise grip" pliers (peterson/channelock) of a pattern that allows full clamping on what remains of the nipple/flats and allows at least a 30* arc of "turn" to break the nipple loose.
3) heat...in the form of a propane torch with a "pencil" tip.
Some penetrant of some sort (I vastly prefer kroil over any other type of penetrant, though pb blaster works ok in comparison) May help if applied in small doses. But normally the bleeders aren't seized in their thread but rather in their tapered seat. So a penetrant usually is not effective.
Before completely rounding off the bleeder, carefully manipulate the visegrips onto the remains of the nipple in a fashion that causes them to "cam" in the direction of loosening (counterclockwise) so they won't have a tendency to spring open under force.
Then apply heat directly to the boss where the nipple is threaded in...idea is to expand the cast iron wheel cylinder boss just enough that the steel bleeder nipple can be broken loose. It won't take a lot of heat to effect this expansion and if done very carefully it won't create any damage to the wheel cylinder either. The secret is spot heat right at the nipple boss, not heating the entire cylinder.
Worst case is...you will end up replacing the wheel cylinder...which will be needed anyway if the vise grip and heat technique doesn't work.
I've removed many nipples in this same manner over the years, some from wheel cylinders or calipers that had been declared scrap. In fact, just three weeks ago I had to do the same on the d70 dualy axle drum brake system I'm rebuilding for my own rig. The wheel cylinders survived just fine, but I gotta admit...that was much easier due to the fact that the axle is in the fixture and not mounted in a truck!
You must be patient when doing stuff like this and not try and rush through it and make the sitch worse!
One other tip...when ya install the replacement bleeders, wrap the threads with three wraps of teflon tape...not to seal the threads as they don't need to be sealed...but to prevent future issues...and the bleeder nipples don't need to be really cranked, just snugged in place so the taper can "seat. And if ya use a mityvac hand vacuum pump/bleeder system, ya gotta do this anyway to temporarily seal the threads so a vacuum can be formed without a bypass.
1) much patience and finesse applied to each one according to it's needs.
2) ginyoowine "vise grip" pliers (peterson/channelock) of a pattern that allows full clamping on what remains of the nipple/flats and allows at least a 30* arc of "turn" to break the nipple loose.
3) heat...in the form of a propane torch with a "pencil" tip.
Some penetrant of some sort (I vastly prefer kroil over any other type of penetrant, though pb blaster works ok in comparison) May help if applied in small doses. But normally the bleeders aren't seized in their thread but rather in their tapered seat. So a penetrant usually is not effective.
Before completely rounding off the bleeder, carefully manipulate the visegrips onto the remains of the nipple in a fashion that causes them to "cam" in the direction of loosening (counterclockwise) so they won't have a tendency to spring open under force.
Then apply heat directly to the boss where the nipple is threaded in...idea is to expand the cast iron wheel cylinder boss just enough that the steel bleeder nipple can be broken loose. It won't take a lot of heat to effect this expansion and if done very carefully it won't create any damage to the wheel cylinder either. The secret is spot heat right at the nipple boss, not heating the entire cylinder.
Worst case is...you will end up replacing the wheel cylinder...which will be needed anyway if the vise grip and heat technique doesn't work.
I've removed many nipples in this same manner over the years, some from wheel cylinders or calipers that had been declared scrap. In fact, just three weeks ago I had to do the same on the d70 dualy axle drum brake system I'm rebuilding for my own rig. The wheel cylinders survived just fine, but I gotta admit...that was much easier due to the fact that the axle is in the fixture and not mounted in a truck!
You must be patient when doing stuff like this and not try and rush through it and make the sitch worse!
One other tip...when ya install the replacement bleeders, wrap the threads with three wraps of teflon tape...not to seal the threads as they don't need to be sealed...but to prevent future issues...and the bleeder nipples don't need to be really cranked, just snugged in place so the taper can "seat. And if ya use a mityvac hand vacuum pump/bleeder system, ya gotta do this anyway to temporarily seal the threads so a vacuum can be formed without a bypass.
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I gonna try out the heat and vise grip at first light. I figure for the back I can change out the rear wheel cylinders that are very cheap but I just need to bleed them so I have some temp. Stopping power. Thanks again michael! I cant wait to get this one on the road!!!