Alright I'm running a 1979 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham. I got a great deal on the car as it was only $700+ after taxes, registration, etc. It's a beautiful car, with few annoying problems here and there. I plan to get it restored to the way it was when it first rolled off the lot.

I'm currently working on getting it inspected, and money is tight. I'm expecting to drop $2000 on it altogether mechanically. One of the big problems are the brakes. When I brake, I have to apply pressure to the brake to slow it down approaching the light, then once I close within 15 feet, I have to floor it the rest of the way to stop it completely. I thought that the pads were worn out, but when I jacked it up and took off the wheels, I noticed that the rear brakes have about 1/3 of the pad remaining while the front brakes have about 1/2 of the brakes remaining. The rotors are good too.

I checked the brake fluid and it's fine. I figured that maybe the brake line needed to be flushed and replaced with fresh fluid, but when I took it to a car-savvy friend, he said that the brake line is very rusted and needs to be replaced outright.

I'm not sure what the solution is, but assuming I have to have the entire brake line replaced, how much is it gonna cost me? Worst case scenario if I go to a GM dealer?

Thanks for your time in advance. Any help on this would be great. I'm a Cadillac newcomer.

 

Sounds like you are not comfortable working on cars. With both the steering and the brakes malfunctioning, I would TOW it soon to a indepentant shop and pay to diagnose both issues. Stay off the road till this car both stops and steers!!!

 

Just my two cents. Having an old car is fun but paying someone to work on it is not. Get a shop manual and roll up your sleeves. The two problems you have are not hard to repair but the brake lines will be very time consuming and therefore expensive. Brake lines are cheap cheap cheap but labour at $75+ per hour is not. A lot of shops don't work on old cars just because they are so labour intensive. If you are not able to work on your old car I am afraid you will soon empty your bank account and then some. If this is not a hobby car but is your primary mode of transport then you have no choice I suspect other than to have it repaired.

I speak honestly, I own 5 cars, one is 35 years old and the next oldest is my Fleetwood at 16 years. Neither are driven on a regular basis. They are for fun.

 

No one should learn brake repairs by themselves. Could be a dangerous experience. What is your level of experience?

 

30+ years.

 

I got a couple of decades experience .. but .. i'm still dreading the day I change out the rear pads on the Allante. Why? personally, it is frustrating to me that in these cars I must run to the tools counter and buy a new tool every time I need to work on something - often not cheap.
I saw this trend in the 80s cars & trucks.

The days of give me a two screwdrivers, a monkey wrench and a 7/8, 3/8, 1/2 set of open end wrenches and a crescent wrench and I can do just about everything on the car, are longggg gone.

I also have a 5 ft tall Proto tool box, full of obsolete tools that costed thousands of $$$ that work nicely on cars of the 60s and 70s .. and now collect dust. As I trimmed my stable, my oldest is now an 86 Stang.



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Boys, we're talking about a 1979 Fleetwood here, GM front V8 engine rear wheel drive. Rear drums front disc. This system was used on every GM car since 1967 or so. It doesn't get any easier.

My point is simply this, if you have a 30 year old hobby car you better be able to turn wrenches.

If you have a 30 year old car that you rely on for every day use you better be ready to empty your bank account.

 

ohhhhh ... i better put my glasses back on. just re-read tehe opening post.


I am gonna take a WILDDDD GUESS !

not sure why we are talking about pads.

SAFETY FIRST !

1st FLUSH FLUSH FLUSH at every wheel.
2nd REPLACE the master cylinder AND the BOOSTER.
3rd replace the lines at each wheel.
3rd a. replace the center flex line that feeds the two rear wheels.
4th REPLACE the brake cylinders at each wheel & bleed brakes.
5th ADJUST the BRAKES!

NOW you can work on the rest of the car.

post progress, estimate about 3 years for the project and add a couple more for delays and budget adjustments.



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And three years labour at $75 per hour is $468,000! That's my point!

 

Do stealth's advice to the letter.