# '46 CJ2A Brake problems



## RSpecianjr (Jan 20, 2010)

Hey everyone,

I recently got my dream car! haha Its a 1946 Willys CJ2A. It seems to be in decent shape, but the brakes don't work well at all. 

The orginal brakes are drum brakes. The previous owner did a conversion on the front two brakes. There seems to be a little bit of resistance when I press the pedal down, but it does not stop.

I've never worked with any type of vehicle before, but am eager to roll up my sleeves and get my hands dirty. I just don't know where to start = ).

Advice?

Many thanks,

Robert D. Specian Jr.


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## octaneman (May 13, 2009)

When you say that the brakes don't work what exactly do you mean by that ? Is the pedal stiff or does it go to the floor ? The master cylinders on cars from the 40's and 50's only had a single line that went to the whole system via a proportioning valve. There was no brake booster for power assist so the pedal is hard even with engine running. Since the system was modified from the original set up, you will have to tell us a little more about the front end that was modified. 

1) Has the master cylinder been modified to accommodate a brake booster? 

2) Does the master have a single or duel line output ? 

3) Was the jeep running when you got it or was it sitting outdoors for a long period of time ? 

4) From what other vehicle was the disk system taken from ? 


Its important to get as much info as possible because allot of the troubleshooting will depend on the system that was modified. If the jeep has been sitting for a long time the calipers could be seized or the master isn't giving enough pressure because of leaks. 

Take pics if you can and post them it will help allot.


Here's a link for your repair manual: The CJ2A Owner's Manual

post back your findings.


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## MPR (Aug 28, 2010)

Wait for octaneman's specific advice but you are eventually going to do something like this:

YouTube - How To Bleed Brakes

You may have to replace brake lines, rebuild the master cylinder, and/or rebuild the brake cylinders too. However, all this is part of the fun of owning an old Jeep. I used to have a 51 Willys but had to sell it to pay for college.

Edit: Now I've made myself sad -- I sure do miss that old Willys. :sigh:


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## wolfen1086 (Oct 4, 2007)

Step 1 download the manual Octane linked you too.
Step 2 make sure the wheel cylinders and or calipers , and brake lines, and proportioning valve are in working condition.
Step 3 make sure the shoes, and or pads are in good condition.
step 4 is only if 2 and 3 are done, fill the master cylinder and bleed the brakes, until theirs no more air in the system, and the pedal is stiff,but having a Jeep with manual brakes is like driving a 76 Chevy C20 with manual brakes, they just don't stop on a dime. you might have to just get used to that part. but either way it ends up Welcome to the wonderful world of Jeeps, just wait til ya find out what that baby is capable of doing. Mines a 2001 TJ model.



I would have posted this from my computer but I was already on the phone so I did this form there since the computer is grabbing more updates (again)


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## RSpecianjr (Jan 20, 2010)

Hey,

Thanks for posting guys! I will get pictures as soon as I have time, might go buy a better camera because mine is a bit of a POS haha.

Octaneman - I will try my best to get the information you want. From the paperwork I have gone through and just from my memory

The pedal goes all the way to the floor, but there is a little bit of pressure. The previous owner had said that the rear brakes were grabby and that there was a problem with the front brake line swelling closed.

The parts that I have information on:

Front center flex brake hose form '79 dodge van 
Wheel flex hoses from either '85 S-10 2wd or '85 Jimmy 4wd
Calipers from '85 Jimmy 4wd

He mentions a MC from a '98 Ford Windstar but says its not used.

1. There is no brake booster in place. There is paperwork here on a dual reservoir MC and I have one MC stored under the passenger seat (my guess is the Windstar MC is stored).

2. I will have to check again to see if there is one or two lines coming out.

3. It was sitting outside for a while.

4. All the parts that I know for sure where they came from are listed above. There is a disc brake conversion sheet with some handwritten prices like a shopping cart. Looks like it was from this website: Early CJ Disk Brake Swap « Earlycj5.com

There is another printed sheet that has the same parts. Here is the website its printed from: Early Jeep Disk Brake Conversion - Timeless Tech Drum to Disc - Jp Magazine

Again, I will get pictures of everything when as soon as I can. I don't currently have any jacks, its planned for this week. Recommendations on a good solid jack? Keep in mind the short bus which I officially get this friday(Short Bus Modifications).

MPR - Thanks! I don't ever want to sell this baby = ). She is my dream car haha. 

Wolfen - Not sure how to test anything = / I am a complete beginner, so if you could provide more detail on how, that would be quite amazing = ). 

Many thanks,

Robert D. Specian Jr.


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## wolfen1086 (Oct 4, 2007)

Checking parts is easy, remove a caliper and using a piece or wood over the piston and a BIG pair of channel lock pliers compress the piston back into the bore, if it goes in its good if it doesn't its stuck ( bad), Wheel cylinders are a little different they should be compressible by hand not needing pliers. the Master cylinder is a little different the only way to know about that is press the brake pedal if it moved and theirs no fluid pouring out anywhere the MC is probably good, now it could be bypassing fluid due to worn out O rings inside in that case I recommend just replacing it and not rebuilding it, in most states you can't get rebuild kits for MC's anymore cause some idiot somewhere put a seal on backwards and killed a couple in a car.
I wish you lived here in Va Beach, I could teach ya lots about those brakes.


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