Hub Flip... now that I am here... now what?

[scootertrs]

I will be doing a hub flip on my deuce and thought thta this may be the ideal time to bring the bearing and braking system up to as new spec or better. My initial plan was to remove all wheel cylinders, rubber howses, master cylinder and air pumps for either replace or rebuild. I would also inspect the brake shoes and replace as necessary.

In your experience, are wheel cylinders rebuildable on a deuce RELIABLY? I know that aftermarket cylinders mostly are taiwanese or chinese... The fact that we use dot 5 should minimize the corrosion in the original cylinder bores , but I have never done one.

Of course, hub bearings will be inspected and all seals (inner and outer qill be replaced. I like doing jobs once and I plan to keep my fire truck a long time.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

 

[AceHigh]

For $26 each I would buy new cylinders. They are made in the US.

Wheel Cylinder For M35 2.5 Ton Series Trucks, 7348976 / 7411010

Product Description

Wheel cylinder (front or rear, left or right) for all M35 series (M35A1, M35A2, M35A3) 2-1/2 ton trucks. p/n 7348976, 7411010, 4419. New/unused, not a rebuild. Made in USA.

3 lb

 

[badgmc56]

New parts are always nice but if you do it right, rebuilding wheel cylinders and the master cylinder are very reliable. Rebuilt the system on my m-37 and had no problems for six years. Sold the truck and it still had good brakes. Did my m-211 also with no problems. You need to hone correctly and make sure you have the right size cups and dust covers. Before you do anything, make sure the bleeder can be freed up.

 

[cattlerepairman]

I just went through that and asked myself the same. Decided for new brake cylinders. Reasoning: Old wheel cylinder needs to come out, cleaned, disassembled, honed, bleeder freed up, cleaned, reassembled, put back in.
You spend at least 10 minutes, probably more, on each one. You still need new copper washers for the banjo fitting and probably new rubber cups for the bleeder or even some new bleeder fittings (to replace the ones with the well rounded edges...). The two jobs (handling brake drum, hubs, cleaning the grime off everything) and rebuilding brake cylinders are not compatible, dirt-wise. You need to clean up your hands or change gloves and move to a clean work surface before you open up the cylinder.

Is it worth it? Was not worth it for me. For $26 you get a new cylinder complete with new hardware. Pop it in - done.

You can always keep a few old ones and rebuild them on your own time as spares.

 

[gringeltaube]

Chin... or US, reb. or new, DOT3 or DOT5.... my : put a liberal amount of silicone grease between pistons and rubber dust shields before installing. Same for the MC.
Corrosion (-> stuck pistons) often originates right there due to water condensation. Not to mention (liquid) water entering because the cup is damaged or fits to loose in the cylinder's groove or around push rods. In some cases I have gone so far to even glue and seal those cups in place with some PU adhesive sealant!


G.

 

[GoHot229]

I'd bet the wheel cylinders are do'able again, Id try them with a kit. There is an article with pictures here on SS of the hub flip, pretty detailed as I recall, mabe someone here remembers the post.

 

[AceHigh]

I have 2 cylinders. The one on the left was from Erik's and came naked, just the cylinder. The one on the right, maybe from OD Iron or Saturn, came with lots of new fittings.