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1949 Limousine: a wild ride today

Started by jaxops, March 15, 2020, 12:45:48 PM

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jaxops

I had to move the 49 limousine to my house from the shop as they are moving to a new location.  The mechanic forgot to mention that the brakes needed fluid.  Oh I found out at the 2nd stop light!!! :o  Thank God for looking out for me and the working hand brake!  Luckily it was a short run and there was no traffic today.

We'll be getting that serviced next alright. I had to change my shirt when I got home.  That takes years off of one's life.
1970 Buick Electra Convertible
1956 Cadillac Series 75 Limousine
1949 Cadillac Series 75 Imperial Limousine
1979 Lincoln Continental
AACA, Cadillac-LaSalle Club #24591, ASWOA

dochawk

eeks!

decades ago, I learned about "brake fade" the hard way, coming down the Santa Cruz mountains with four people in my superbeetle.

I thought that I had swerved out of my lane on a curve, which made no sense.

On the next, I could see that I did.

I figured out that I was having trouble braking, so I just kind of crawled down the rest of the mountain . . .'

1972 Eldorado convertible,  1997 Eldorado ETC (now awaiting parts swap from '95 donor), 1993 Fleetwood but no 1926 (yet)

wrench

Good thing you remembered the ‘emergency brake’ when you were faced with making quick decisions.

I was not so quick witted when the brakes went out on me many years ago when I was a wee lad.

My foot went to the floor during a panic stop and I swerved right to avoid the vehicle in front of me and sideswiped a telephone pole with the right front fender and then I rolled across a 7-11 parking lot and saw an empty parking spot in front of the store. I bounced up and over the curb in front of the store, across the little bit of sidewalk, hit the low wall and watched the glass window rattle for a second, then ricocheted backwards and then I remembered the emergency brake so when it rolled backwards off the curb, I pulled it just as I occupied the space.

It was a good save! No one got hurt and no property damage except for the scrape on my right front fender.

That was about 40 years ago and ever since then I have had a special affinity for functioning parking/ emergency brakes.
1951 Series 62 Sedan
1969 Eldorado
1970 Eldorado (Triple Black w/power roof)
1958 Apache 3/4 ton 4x4
2005 F250
2014 FLHP
2014 SRX

jaxops

Good Lord!  That was burned into your memory alright!  Glad you weren't hurt! :o
1970 Buick Electra Convertible
1956 Cadillac Series 75 Limousine
1949 Cadillac Series 75 Imperial Limousine
1979 Lincoln Continental
AACA, Cadillac-LaSalle Club #24591, ASWOA

David Greenburg

You’re lucky all you had to change was your shirt!  Many years ago I was on the way to a concert in Baltimore in my ‘60 Impala (single circuit brakes, of course).  I was on a limited access parkway (45-50 mph) with occasional traffic lights. One turned red and the pedal went straight to the floor.  Somehow made it through the intersection, and I too managed to roll a stop in a 7-11 parking lot.  But not before the Baltimore cop who had been behind me lit me up. This was in the mid-70’s and let’s just say my hair and that of my friends was not short. The officer no doubt though he had caught a car full of wasted freaks, but immediately calmed down when I suggested that he try the brake pedal.  Ever since, I’ve been a big fan of adding dual circuits to my old cars.
David Greenburg
'60 Eldorado Seville
'61 Fleetwood Sixty Special

dochawk

I constantly use the handbrake in cars that have one--most of where I've lived over the years hasn't been flat enough to keep cars still at lights and signs.

And it's kind of natural sometimes to use it for the last bit of a stop (or is that newly my just making sure it can?  ???)

I'd hate to have to resort to foot brake in a sudden stop.

odd sidetone from my last driving at mecum:  aside from engaging the transmission, the handbrake is the primary brake on a Model T.  The foot pedal just clamps a band down around the engine!

[I expect that the early 1 cylinder Cadillacs were similar]

1972 Eldorado convertible,  1997 Eldorado ETC (now awaiting parts swap from '95 donor), 1993 Fleetwood but no 1926 (yet)

jaxops

Dave- that's what I was afraid was going to happen.  We were lucky.  I now have a new appreciation for the hand brake.  I like Dochawk's comment about the band on the Model-T.  I've seen that but never drove a Model-T.
1970 Buick Electra Convertible
1956 Cadillac Series 75 Limousine
1949 Cadillac Series 75 Imperial Limousine
1979 Lincoln Continental
AACA, Cadillac-LaSalle Club #24591, ASWOA

dochawk

"psychotic" is a fair term . . .

*someday*, I'll get handed one to drive that is actually working properly . . . the one the year before couldn't completely disengage from forward--not with the handbrake, nor with the clutch pedal, both of which are supposed to give access to neutral.

So when it overshot the space where I was parking it putting it into reverse resulted in leaps of a few feet and stall, to be repeated multiple times  ::)
1972 Eldorado convertible,  1997 Eldorado ETC (now awaiting parts swap from '95 donor), 1993 Fleetwood but no 1926 (yet)

jaxops

1970 Buick Electra Convertible
1956 Cadillac Series 75 Limousine
1949 Cadillac Series 75 Imperial Limousine
1979 Lincoln Continental
AACA, Cadillac-LaSalle Club #24591, ASWOA

jaxops

It turned out that 3 of the 4 brake cylinders were leaking all of the brake fluid out.  I just received a replacement set of 4 from Caddy Daddy so in they go and a changeout of the brake shoes.
1970 Buick Electra Convertible
1956 Cadillac Series 75 Limousine
1949 Cadillac Series 75 Imperial Limousine
1979 Lincoln Continental
AACA, Cadillac-LaSalle Club #24591, ASWOA

jaxops

Many thanks for the replies.  We ended up filling the brake master from underneath.  A little messy but we got it done.  I like the remote master idea!
1970 Buick Electra Convertible
1956 Cadillac Series 75 Limousine
1949 Cadillac Series 75 Imperial Limousine
1979 Lincoln Continental
AACA, Cadillac-LaSalle Club #24591, ASWOA