Hydraulic brake issues; pedal to the floor

[hemi68charger]

Hey gang.....
As they say, nothing worth a hill-of-beans comes easy. I got the hemi running this weekend.. BUT, I have a brake issues..... I have a brand new Hemi-Booster/master cylinder assemble, all new lines, rebuilt calipers, new proportioning and safety valve. I have been bled the master cylinder and the complete system. I have done a round-trip twice and as far as I see, the air bubbles are gone. There are NO leaks anywhere. But, the pedal goes all the way to the floor and if I pump it a few times, I'll get some forward brakes. I friend of mine suggest that the problem could be a non-centered situation with the piston assembly inside the safety valve. I mentioned I, as my son is putting pressure on the pedal, loosen the input fitting from each of the reservoirs, one at a time and let it bleed. He stated I should hear or feel a pop of the piston assembly centering itself ( there are springs on the top and bottom side of the piston assembly. Anyone done this before? I get plenty of fluid when I bleed the brakes, it is just that I gain no pressure...

[ws23rt]

Are the rear brake shoes adjusted up close to the drums? 

[Charger-Bodie]

I've heard of a lot of people have trouble with the repop valves. Do you have the originals?

Did you bench bleed the master?

[hemi68charger]

Are the rear brake shoes adjusted up close to the drums? 

Yeapers..... nice and snug, but not to much........

I've heard of a lot of people have trouble with the repop valves. Do you have the originals?

Did you bench bleed the master?

I have to find the original, I was thinking about that today......... Man, I hope I didn't pitch it !!!

And Yeapers, bench bled the master cylinder...

Stinks on the repop valves......... If there has been experience, then I may be the next victim.

[MaximRecoil]

The calipers; can they fit on either side of the car? If so, do you have them on the sides of the car that they are supposed to go on?

In some cases, calipers can fit and work on either side of the car, but there is only one side in which the bleeder screw ends up in the correct position. The bleeder screw should be at the top of the caliper; if it is off to the side of the caliper, air can get trapped above the bleeder screw and you'll never get it out with conventional bleeding, meaning the pedal will always go to the floor. The solution in such a case is to swap the calipers to the other side of the car, obviously, but if you can't do that due to hose routing issues or whatever, you can remove the calipers, block them off with e.g., a steel plate held in place with a C-clamp and tilt them so that the bleeder screw is at the top while you bleed each one.

Also, have you made sure that your pushrod is the right length for your master cylinder (the one in my '69 is adjustable; I don't know if they all are or not)? It should be just making contact with, or very close to just making contact with, the master cylinder's plunger when not touching the brake pedal. If the pushrod is too short, you can have a case where the pedal will always go to the floor.

[hemi68charger]

The calipers; can they fit on either side of the car? If so, do you have them on the sides of the car that they are supposed to go on?

In some cases, calipers can fit and work on either side of the car, but there is only one side in which the bleeder screw ends up in the correct position. The bleeder screw should be at the top of the caliper; if it is off to the side of the caliper, air can get trapped above the bleeder screw and you'll never get it out with conventional bleeding, meaning the pedal will always go to the floor. The solution in such a case is to swap the calipers to the other side of the car, obviously, but if you can't do that due to hose routing issues or whatever, you can remove the calipers, block them off with e.g., a steel plate held in place with a C-clamp and tilt them so that the bleeder screw is at the top while you bleed each one.

Also, have you made sure that your pushrod is the right length for your master cylinder (the one in my '69 is adjustable; I don't know if they all are or not)? It should be just making contact with, or very close to just making contact with, the master cylinder's plunger when not touching the brake pedal. If the pushrod is too short, you can have a case where the pedal will always go to the floor.

I believe I have discovered my problem, and I feel like a dork. I know much better.......... Anywho, I have inadvertantly switched the bleeder screw for the transition tube on the caliper. This positioned the bleeder screw at the bottom of the caliper and from what I understand, that is a big no-no. Apparently because of this, there is probably a big air pocket at the top of the caliper? Hence, no way of ever firming up the pedal........