[wmurrell]

Looking for some advice. I purchased a factory “numbers matching” tripower/4spd ’65 convertible back in 1989. Car had relative low mileage (~66K). For the first couple of years, I drove it a fair amount and then parked it around 1991. Engine was tired (3.90 rear w/close ratio transmission proved to be a strain on the motor) and the rear engine seal had started to leak.
Here is the challenge…Car has been sitting in a heated garage under a cover since and I have decided to try to get it road worthy again this year. I haven’t even tried to start it yet and I have already noticed that the tires are shot & the exhaust is falling apart. Also, when I parked it…The engine was beginning to smoke, the brakes were marginal and the suspension was getting loose. Good news is the body still has all the original number matching sheet metal and is essentially a solid rust-free car.

At this point, I am just trying to get the car to a level where it is a safe & reliable driver for the weekends. My plan is to keep the car bone stock and as much original Pontiac as possible. I am going to try to get it started this coming week and then I want to tackle the brakes first. Car has the metallic brake drum option. I am going to have a local shop do the work and was wondering what I should have done. Assuming that I need to have the master & wheel cylinders rebuilt, fluid flushed/replaced, new shoes (Does anyone manufacture after market brake shoes that are similar to the original metallic pads?), etc.

Any specific advice on what I should do to have the brakes brought up to safe level and what I need to look out for?

[Skip Fix]

You might think of converting the master cylinder to a dual reservoir like they did in '67. That way if half the system fails the other half can still generate pressure.

The newer aluminized or even better stainless exhaust systems do not rust as bad as the old ones.

[jtea64]

Based on my experience with ruptured brake lines on these cars, I would replace all the steel lines. Preformed kits are available in steel or stainless. I recently replaced the long front to back line on 64 conv without any big effort.

[Skip Fix]

Since I just replaced my brake lines a real pain unless the body is off and motor out. I used the prebent ones as templates and the front to rear 3 pieces with couplers and the one over to passenger front 2 pieces with a coupler. The front one was the real pain to do.

[geeteeohguy]

I would replace the two front rubber brake hoses, the one rear rubber brake hose, all 4 wheel cylinders, and the master cylinder. I would then bleed and adjust the brakes. I would NOT replace the steel brake lines if the car is as rust free as you say. BOTH my '65 and '67 GTO's are running their original brake lines and fuel lines and gas tanks with zero issues. These cars have never been rusty and have never been out of service, though. Registered and driven every year for the past 54 years. After you get the brakes done and the tires and exhaust squared away, you can determine exactly what you want to do with that tired engine of yours. My vote would be to keep it original and do a basic overhaul. I'm a guy who hates spending money on unnecessary parts and loves to save money by fixing only what needs to be fixed to enjoy the vehicle.

[John V.]

Bill, I replaced all the brake and fuel lines with stainless lines bought from The Right Stuff about 25 years earlier. My car was from a dry climate in Idaho and the original steel lines are in pretty good shape with no rust. I think I kept all of them. Probably would have cleaned up nicely but since it was a body off frame and I already had the new SS lines they got installed. If your lines are rust free, I agree keep them, just replace hoses.

I kept my single master, dual is definitely a safety upgrade. Your call, I am content to keep my original.

On the wheel cylinders, the guy doing the assembly work for me was to rebuild my originals which I wanted to keep for the numbers.

I bought Bendix rebuild kits about 25 years ago and supplied them to him.

However, the left front leaked. On disassembly, I discovered lots of grit and corrosion in the bore. I was very disappointed. My guy apparently didn't hone the bore at all and it isn't obvious that he even attempted to clean it. Just threw the new/old rebuild kit at them so it was no wonder it leaked.

After honing it myself, I decided that I should have it sleeved because of deep pits that were never going to hone out. After a google search, I found Mark Frappier in Mass. He uses 303 SS bar stock to sleeve them. The well-known guys use brass or stainless steel tubing. I wanted bar stock. Mark turned it around in 7 days and the bore looks excellent.

I am stressed to think my other 3 will also leak. If I had to do it over again, I would have sent all 4 to Mark for the sleeves and rebuilt them myself.

I was happy to find the Bendix kits at Rock Auto, they are closing them out. Figuring I might need to redo the other 3 one day, I bought all 4 kits. If '65 is the same, the 1-1/8" front kit is 66881, the rear is 15/16" p/n 66886. Dirt cheap but they don't have many kits left (other brands are available for more money).

You can buy new wheel cylinders for cheap vs. sleeving the originals, but I watched a YouTube video where a guy purchased a new made in China wheel cylinder for his late model and the seals leaked right out of the box. His video showed how to rebuild and he commented that next time he would hone and rebuild them beforehand to save the trouble of installing twice.

Corrosion and pitting from moisture in the brake fluid and sitting a long time caused deep pits on the one I had sleeved. Just beware. If they clean up with a hone, you'll be golden with a new kit installed. Any doubt, then have them sleeved or get new replacements.

The original metallic linings were a "thing" in the 50s and 60s, I've posted about them on this forum in the past. Search "sintered iron", might find the thread.

They were a true sintered iron material. Later, semi-metallic brake linings were in vogue. Sintered iron linings had exceptional fade resistance. But they worked best when hot. They were good for demanding and repeated brake application but for every day driving, they had drawbacks. Pontiac recommended Power Brake option with the metallic linings because of the high pedal effort when cold.

The drum surface was specific for metallic linings, mirror smooth vs. what would be used for organic linings.

I would guess they are impossible to find in brake shoes today although I think disc brake pads might be found for some race applications and sintered metal shoes might still be used in semi truck applications. If you could find the lining material you might be able to find somebody that would reline your original shoes.

Again, from 25 years ago, I bought Bendix shoes with organic linings. They are riveted.

I was sick to see the left front shoes coated and soaked by brake fluid as they had all of 2 miles of driving on them. I was determined to clean and reuse them and based on my first drive yesterday, I believe they are fine.

I don't think the Bendix is even a brand today. If I was buying today, I would look for riveted shoes but not sure what to suggest for lining composition. If you could find new production shoes with riveted semi-metallic linings, that might be as close to the original sintered iron metallic linings as you will find.

Unless you plan to do some really spirited driving, say, on a road course, I don't believe the sintered iron linings would provide shorter stopping distance and because of the high pedal effort, unless you have Power Brakes, could be longer stopping distance.

A good quality modern brake lining will likely stop you just as quick as the original sintered iron linings did. You can always swap to large disc brakes to greatly improve your brakes. But for me, I stuck with drums. If I was interested in improved safety, I'd drive a modern car with ABS, traction control, air bags, crush zones, etc. I wouldn't be driving a '64 GTO convertible. Mine has been restored the way it was built, no seat belts, no outside mirror, undersized brakes, etc. It has virtually no road feel and I'm not very comfortable driving it. I keep my eye out for an original set of seat belts, if I find a set for cheap, I would install them. But even that won't make it a whole lot safer to drive!

Best wishes on getting yours on the road, you won't regret it.

[Jerry H.]

My experience with the 'metallic' linings are that you may not even need to replace them, unless they go bad just from age. I've pulled down the brakes on a couple of cars with well over 100k and they looked hardly worn. I simply turned the drums and made a few hard stops to mate them up.

[wmurrell]

Thanks for all the input! The first thing I have to do is get the car running. I am sure that will be a long day!

Once I get it running, I am going after the brakes first. Since the majority of components are numbers matching...My plan is to keep it as original as possible. My racing days are over, so I am just trying to get it reliable. Never occurred to me that the metallic brakes may still be essentially intact. Car has almost 69K miles on it, so it is probably a long shot.

[455GRIN]

Sounds like a very fun car, good luck.