Hi all,

I have a 1953 Olds 98 with power brakes.
Recently, the brake pedal has been EXTREMELY hard to depress.
I can hear a hissing sound when I press the pedal so I assume there's a vacuum leak.

Will a rebuilding kit correct this issue?

I've not done much with brakes other than simple bleeding so any advice would certainly help me!
thanks,
Casey

 

It's probably the booster. Those old Bendix and/or GM Moraine boosters can be a bear to rebuild successfully. While you can buy a kit, you might want to consider having one of the guys you can find in Hemmings rebuild it. Isn't going to be cheap, but better done by someone used to doing it all the time.

 

Update:
I bought a rebuild kit for my master cylinder and I rebuilt it yesterday.
The rebuild itself wasn't too difficult since I had the setp-by-step process from the shop manual in front of me.
I discovered that the internal vacuum hose had split open and that's why i didn't have the vacuum boost the power brakes require.

I went further though and replaced all the seals in the kit. The master cylinder itself was filthy so I'l glad I did it.

removing the master cylinder and installing it in the car were the hardest parts of the process due to tight fit, etc.

The brakes feel like a new car now!!

I do have a leak where the brake line attaches to the master cylinder. It only leaks when I apply pressure to the brakes.

Has anyone run into this? I've tried everything but it still leaks.

thanks,
Casey