We tend to worry about getting our Jeeps to run, but getting them to stop is really more critical. Don't scrimp on brake lines. The old lines were empty and the hermeticity of the system was compromised. Brake fluid is hygroscopic - it pulls water out of the atmosphere. Water sitting in old steel lines makes rust and pitting. Just after I inherited the '48 from my Dad, I blew a steel brake line on the front end where it crossed under the radiator. The rusted spot failed, and I don't remember these 50-years later if it was from the inside or outside - but I remember the excitement of the pedal feeling like a rotten peach under my foot.Originally Posted by Mark J
I have a 1957 CJ3, dead in the garage for 24 years now. The brake fluid all leaked out. I have an entire kit for new original brakes I'd like to install. My question is - can I just flush the heck out of the lines and keep the originals? Or is there the chance that gunk in the lines will mess up my new wheel cylinders? I tried looking this up on the forum but keep getting "database error" all the time.
You don't need to upgrade to disc brakes, but as GmWillys suggests, a dual reservoir master cylinder isn't a bad idea if you can work it in.
A couple of weeks ago we went through the discussion of brake fluid and the consensus of the group is that the new compatible DOT5.1 fluid is the best choice for Jeeps that will sit a lot. It is non-hygroscopic and if you get in a pinch and have to add DOT-3 fluid, it is compatible with it. Yeah, it's expensive, but you don't need all that much and you change it every 5 or 6 years.
As the phone commercial talking about "pretty good" reminds us; If the brakes don't work, something will stop us.
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