Between rain showers this weekend I had planned to do the rear brakes, including new hoses, replace the master cylinder, and bleed the system so I could take the car to work one day this week and maybe get it inspected as well. As it turns out, I only had time to do the passenger’s side rear brake. I figured it was better to take my time anyway since this was the first time I was doing it. I spent some of the time cleaning the windows as well. The paper towels were black when I was done. Amazing how much dirt had built up on the windows. I think Wilson feels a little better now.
I didn’t really have much of a problem getting the passenger side rear brakes done. It was pretty much all according to the book. It was a few hours past dark by the time I was done and I was actually going to get started on the other side, but when I pulled the drum off I saw that the grease seal had been leaking. When I thought about it for a minute, I realized that this could be the reason why there was so much oil over everything near the transmission on that side of the car. The majority of caked dirt was on the back of the backing plate, and the whole area was caked with about a half-inch of dirt. It’s possible that the grease seal failed and the grease leaked out the back (like it’s supposed to) and covered everything, then the dirt was attracted to that. I didn’t have a seal kit, so I packed up everything, spent a few more minutes examining the fuse panel to see if I could find out why fuse 1 keeps blowing, and eventually wheeled Wilson back into the garage. One other thing — those brake hardware kits from CIP1 are a waste of money for the Type 3’s. They said they’re Type 3 kits, but none of the hardware fit. The retaining springs were too long, the retaining pins too short, and I suppose I could’ve used the new upper springs, but I figured as long as I was reusing all the old hardware anyway, why not use the old springs too?
The local Auto Barn had a grease seal, so I bought it and thought I’d get started on the other wheel today. When I took the old one off, there was no shim or O-ring underneath. I was a little surprised as I expected these would be like the bug axles. I have a request out to the list to see if this is how it should be. I finished up the brakes on the driver’s side and put everything away until next time. I still have to replace the rear hoses and I’m thinking that’s going to be a major pain since they’re very hard to get at. After that, I have to replace the master cylinder and then just bleed the system and I should be ready to roll. As soon as I track down that electrical issue I think I can get Wilson inspected. I also picked up a new headlight, as the left low beam is out. I was going to pick up two of the Sylvania extra life halogens, but I figured if I could save a few bucks right now, that was a good thing. My thumb is killing me right now because I accidentally hit it with the hammer while trying to get the handbrake lever pin in. I hit it lightly with the hammer and missed… My whole thumb is black. The proud scars of a Type 3 owner!