74 vette- Possible Brake Issues
 

Hi All-

I am the new owner of a 74 vette and very excited about that but I have some concerns about the brakes. The brake pedal feels ok when pressing (not spongey) and if I stop the car slowly (normal) it stops fine. When I hit the brakes hard to stop the car swerves left and right. The previous owner said the brakes may need to be bled. Any suggestions on what to look for on this issue? Brakes just need to be bled or may caliper issue? the owner said he replaced the master cylinder and calipers. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Since you are experiancing left AND right swerving,
you might check out your ball joints on your steering.
You may very well have some loose joints.

Thanks for the advice. I will have that checked out. Any idea if that would be a major undertaking to tighten or have fixed if needed? I am a novice when it comes to car repair and knew I would be "learning on the job" for this one. I tried to find the best car for my price range knowing I would have to find a skillied mechanic to help with with bigger items needing care. I am trying to use the Internet to the fullest for assistance. I'm not driving the car till I have this issue resolved. Seems too dangerous to drive like that.

Since you are a novice, I suggest that you take the car to a front end shop and have it checked out. Maybe take it to a couple of dif places for "second opinions" and estimates for repairs.

I agree. I'm going to do that this week. Thanks for the opinion.

Mechanic said ball joints looked good but the brake hoses were in bad shape and were collapsing when the brake was hit hard.

....and I bet your headlights are low on fluid too....LOL

The brake hoses experiance PRESSURE when you apply the brakes.
They would EXPAND, not COLLAPSE.

Get another opinion.

Try this,....
Do you have a floor jack?

Jack one front wheel off of the ground and then try and wiggle the wheel by hand.
Top and bottom, then side to side.

Do this with each front wheel, one at a time.
If you experiance excessive movement then you have steering componant issues.
Worse case is worn wheel bearings, or loose and in need of adjustment.

The only possible brake prob I can think of is if you have warped rotors.
This can be checked by using a dial indicator to check "run out".
A good shop should know to check this.

Lol that's funny. I hear ya on that one.i was a little misstated on that one. What he was saying was that the brake hoses were old and rotting on the inside so they were not letting fluid go through all 4 at the same time. I've been to this garage a lot of time and I actually do trust them. Never had any problems using them. Hopefully this isn't the first!! I appreciate your advice.

Sorry, I ain't buyin' that one either.

Think about it,...
If the inside, which is being constantly lubed/oiled by brake fluid, is old and rotting, then the outside, being exposed to the elements, should be almost non existant.

It won't hurt to change your brake line hoses, but I bet cha a shiny new nickle that ain't the prob.

Steering rod ends, ball joints, idler arm ends, steering box, or warped rotors. In an extreme case, wheel bearings, but you would have other driving issues too, with that.

I'd get another opinion,...

Got the car back and the brakes are good to go. Seems like it was a combination of things. I did need to redo the front and rear suspension (I saw what was needed first hand) and in doing so I had the brake hoses as well as all bushings etc replaced. I feel better about the underneath of the car at this point and it rides alot better too.