'66 Brakes - I'm on suicide watch

[drscope]

Basically when you bench bleed a master, you simply take it out of the box, clamp it in the vise to hold it, pour brake fluid into the fill hole and push the piston. You are simply feeding fluid through it before you bolt it into the car.

Other wise, it is full of air and that air needs to bled all the way through the system in order to get a good pedal. So bench bleeding just means you have less pumping to do when it's installed.

But it can be messy! So remember that brake fluid eats your paint (unless you are using the synthetic stuff). So try to keep your hands, tools, clothes, etc. clean as you work with this stuff.

And when it's finished, a good way to wash away any fluid spills is simply with water.
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Mother Nature is a Mean Evil Bitch!

[craigman]

If it's a dual circut MC, bleed the fronts first.
Also jack up the car front and back so the wheels are hanging below the MC.

[drs1023]

A 1963 Beetle got the best of me some years ago with the same issues. New ..... EVERYTHING and a gallon of brake fluid later, I still had no brakes. Back to the drawing board with all new steel lines and rubber hoses solved the problem, but I admit that this was a labor of gritting my teeth just to be sure I wasn't gonna' get beaten up by a simple brake system.

The most effective one bleed assistant is one I made. I drilled a 3/8" hole in an extra reservoir cap and installed a screw on tire valve. Fill the reservoir and screw on this cap. I use a bicycle pump to put just a few psi of air in the system instead of having someone pump the pedal. Of course, don't let the reservoir run dry and don't pressurize it from an air compressor - you'll find your next weakest link doing that.

[gt350ed]

[outruncat]

Always had issues with the rubber grommet from reservoir to master cylinder sucking air. Installed a whole new system head to toe and spent the time to bleed and configure... petal hit the floorboard the first long drive off the block. Something you really only want to experience once.

I would check around this at sometime. The fluid may be making a liquid seal, but still getting/holding air in the system. Sometimes it doesn't seat right, or has a crack/pinhole, or the reservoir tube not all the way in.

For what its worth... I would recommend eventually upgrading to dual circuit master cylinder and use a 67 reservoir. 67 design looks similar, fits in the same space, and with the dual circuit... give you some extra security if a line fails.

[gt350ed]

[outruncat]

here is a good thread with more info:

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=484617&highlight=reservoir

If you go with the 67 reservoir the hole may need enlarged fit the dual tubes and use a larger mounting strap. You also may have to replace a brake line if you come up short at the connection points.

There are some options depending on what dual circuit master cylinder and reservoir you can use... a few are explained in the link.

[ejonn]

[ejonn]

[ejonn]

[ejonn]

There ya go...

[gt350ed]