Hi, I have a 1974 Chevy. And i just moved it from the back ally to the front so people wont smash into it and steal ****. But anyways when i was pulling out of the ally i almost drove right into the next ally. I had to drive off to the side into deep snow just so i didnt slide any further. It's icy here but the breaks seem to not work fully.. i need to press them hard for it to even start breaking.. i havent tried to 'pump' the breaks before stop.. the trucks unplated so took me a day to gain the courage to drive it to the front (I live in a heavily police monitored area but they seem to avoid the ally's.learned my lesson last winter when some punk flipped over my 74 Kawasaki restored bike and broke stuff that took me months to find. )

 

Okay, so ... what's up?

You almost slid into the next alleyway. Do the brakes work at all? Try pumping them to see if the pedal is firm, or does it go all the way down.

 

/It has no resistance til about 80% of the pedal is pushed down(basically is really light like i can pinkie push it down without bending my pinkie. The breaks do work but you need to push the pedal down hard for it to even start engage breaking. I did a test on what i could since there is other cars. I reverse to line up with my property and when i engaged the pedal to stop at a certain point it still didn't engage/rolled backwards for about 3-4 feet before stopping (on a un-icy area moved another truck away from there and it left the dry pavement.) I bought the truck to fix it up and lift it. The owner was able to drive here and from what he told me was. "new brake pads and caliper"

-I suck at explaining things. Im more of a do it myself guy rather then explain to others on what todo. But this im stumped on im thinking break fluid is low/pooched or there is a really bad leak somewhere. I'll check when it get's warmer out but ill check here til then for any idea's that come from you guys.

 

Yeah you have a blown brake line. On a truck that old, it's probably one of the hard steel lines that run to each wheel.

How I understand it, you have steel lines going from your baster cylinder into a combination valve, then to your two front disc brakes. Then from each wheel well up front, there is a flexible hose that runs to each caliper. In the rear, there is a single steel line that goes to a splitter block that runs to the rear, and a flexible hose that goes to your axle. Then off the axle you get two steel lines that go to each wheel cylinder.

Sounds like you only have hydraulic pressure in half your system. Do not drive the truck anymore, you have no brake pressure! Give the truck a really good look over for leaks, and you might have a helper set in the truck and pump the brake pedal while you look around for where the leak is.

Good luck!

 

I couldn't see any leaks. I'v checked the wiring it seemed to be in good condition. All the pressure/gauges in the truck are normal. Only one that shows it a 'red' brake light appears sometimes when i apply the break sometimes it doesn't. Im unable to locate the brake line fill to see if there is even fluid in it.

Im thinking of throwing it in shop. i can do decent engine repair and body repair (with what i have at my disposal) but first time i'v ever ran into brake problems.

 

If your brake(!) light ever comes on, then you have a leak in your hydraulic brake system. It could be the master cylinder, but I doubt it if the brake warning light is coming on.

Pull the rear wheels and the drums and look inside for leaking wheel cylinders. Same for the front, pull the wheels and examine the brake hoses for cracks, tears, rips, threads sticking out. If you find any of the above, replace the brake hose. Also look at your front brake pads for brake fluid on them. If your caliper is leaking, it could be coming out past the seal. You might want to lay under the truck and take a good look at your rear axle for leaking lines.

If your truck has had brake work done to it recently, then you might want to look at all the new line flairs to see if they're seeping. A bad flair can also cause a leak.
Fact is, you have a hydraulic failure. It's up to you to find it, but I can only suggest where to look. Brakes are a decently simple system on these trucks.

 

Sounds like a master cylinder...., but check teh rear brake cylinders for leaks. And also make sure the rear brakes are adjusted properly.

 

A buddy & I checked out the truck. We're both assuming it's the brake line has air in it 'Everything else seemed proper and that's what we could think of because loss of pressure on the brake pedal'. I forgot to add it had 'brake pads * criplers' Can't recall the correct word' installed a month or so ago' So im guessing the Shop forgot to properly drain the air from the lines 'As always fix stuff and screw with your other parts so you'll come running back like a meth fiend and give them more work' Anyone could give me a rough estimate it would usually cost? Im in Sk, CANADA if that changes the prices. I phoned around and all 'shops' in my location that i could get the truck 'safely' too want me to pay inspection fee before hand and such before they would touch the truck / wont give me an over the phone rough estimate id be happy if they said something along the lines 50$ - 125$.' But does someone have a clue what is would usally cost just to get the lines flushed/bled. The Master Cylinder is full of fluid so im assuming there is no leaks. even under the truck iv left it on iv did tests to encourage any leaks to spill out onto the cardboard box under the truck but nothing.

 

Honestly, if you're willing to give it a shot, we can help you. It's easy!

You start by having a helper pump the brake pedal and holding it down to the floor. Then, you start by opening up the bleeder valve to the farthest away caliper/cylinder. The pedal will go all the way to the floor and have the helper hold it there. Close the bleeder valve, and repeat for each wheel starting with the right rear, left rear, right front, left front. Make sure to always have plenty of fluid in the master cylinder! When you stop hearing air, or seeing bubbles come out of the bleeder screw after a couple of bleeds, then you can stop bleeding that brake. You can typically get it done in about 3-5 bleeds. Make sure to protect your eyes, as brake fluid doesn't feel very good.

If your bleeder valves are super rusty, it might be best to let a shop deal with the whole process. Bleeder screws can be a huge pain to get loose. There are tricks that help, but sometimes if the screws are stuck, you just need a new caliper/cylinder.

 

I youtubed a few videos, And yeah seems pretty easy.
I would do it at my house but i have no garage and it's pretty cold out. and it would be brutal since i only have a few lifts here and id bad laying on my back in half a foot of snow and still pretty squished since the ones i have are ment just to remove and replace tires. So im just gonna bring it work and get a couple of my buddys there to help me skid steer lift it and then we'll do it in the compound building.

I thank you guys for helping me narrow down the issue.