How long does it take....

[Hal9000]

For the stock brakes to go bad when a vehicle is sitting? My bronco hasn't been run for years (maybe decades). In my spare time I've been working on getting it ready to go again. Last weekend I did the brakes and I was amazed at how wrecked they were! The M/C was bad, the lines were swollen, and every wheel cylinder was frozen up or leaking. What a mess!

Anyway, I just wanted to see if anybody had an idea of how long that would have taken. The bronco has spent it's whole life in the arid southwest if that matters.

 

[br0nc0xrapt0r]

yeah most of that stuff goes rotten due to the rubber seals/parts getting dried out.

I let my 78 sit for 2 years the gal that bought it said she has replaced every single brake part on it except the pedal.

 

[fatboy]

Depends on how it sits as well. My 70 I just brought home last week was in storage since 1994 (heated) and the brakes are all but perfect on it. Pulls a little to the left when I brake but other than that it's great. This is it by the way, I know it has nothing to do with this thread but I like to post her up!

 

[TN1776]

My Rig's brake lines were in decent, functional shape when I bought it about 2.5 years ago. Sometime during tear down/paint/mods things went bad. I too ended up replacing lots of lines, etc. The rear wheel cylinders both started leaking as soon as I started driving the rig, which ruined the rear shoes, and the list goes on.

 

[broncnaz]

It really depends on any maintenance done in the past and current conditions. I'd bet most stock brake lines would be in that condition after all they are probably at least 32 years old. Brake fluid is hydroscopic even sitting in the desert the system will attract moisture especailly if heated during the day and cooled off at night. That said my 71's brakes were not to bad off when I got it but the wheel cylinders and MC were leaking or corroded so I changed them but the brake lines looked good but I know there is some crap in the system still as my brake warning light stays on now since the valve is stuck one way or the other not sure which way but I've just about tried everything to unstick it with no luck yet. Maybe I'll fix it when I convert the frant axle to discs.

 

[Viperwolf1]

It really depends on any maintenance done in the past and current conditions. I'd bet most stock brake lines would be in that condition after all they are probably at least 32 years old. Brake fluid is hydroscopic even sitting in the desert the system will attract moisture especailly if heated during the day and cooled off at night. That said my 71's brakes were not to bad off when I got it but the wheel cylinders and MC were leaking or corroded so I changed them but the brake lines looked good but I know there is some crap in the system still as my brake warning light stays on now since the valve is stuck one way or the other not sure which way but I've just about tried everything to unstick it with no luck yet. Maybe I'll fix it when I convert the frant axle to discs.

I had to physically pull the plunger out of mine to unstick it.

 

[Hal9000]

Strangely, the rubber seals were OK. The pot metal plungers in the wheel cylinders had frozen in place with corrosion and goo. Also there was a ton of junk in the cylinders themselves that got in between the seal and the cylinder and ruined the seal.....

I'm just getting the vehicle running and plan to replace the brakes and axles right away, so I just disassembled and cleaned the cylinders, but the lines needed to be replaced no matter what.

I'm sure the vehicle was stored outdoors, and really "parked" is a better description than "stored". I think that it was just going to hell and somebody decided to stop driving it rather than fix it.

The good news is that once I install my floor shifter it should be driveable again (The column shift linkage is totally shot).