Speedbleeders

[Farace]

I know these things have gotten much praise here in the past. I'm going to add to it anyway. I've had a spongy pedal the whole time I've owned my Spider. I know it shouldn't be this way; automotive journalists at the time the car was built praised the Alfa's brakes as being better than any save for the Pantera. No, this couldn't be right. So what did I do? I bought a Gunson Eezibleed. Didn't help, no doubt partly because it's damned near impossible to get a good seal on the master cylinder due to there being three caps that have to maintain pressure.

I hesitated to get Speedbleeders because it seemed like a lot of money for some fancy bleed screws. But I finally broke down and bought some. I'm glad I did. Alfa recommends bleeding a front and rear caliper simultaneously (at least on 105/115 vehicles, and probably on others). Kind of hard to do with two persons, impossible with one. With the Speedbleeders installed, all I had to do was crack a front and rear, put drain tubes/catch cans on both, and pump away. Close them up and repeat on the other side. No helper needed (wife now being ex-wife, son being only six, helpers can be hard for me to come by anyway). Ten minutes later, I've got the firmest pedal I've had in the five or six years I've owned the car. Any of you guys still fighting a spongy pedal, give these a try, and bleed a front and rear at the same time. (I was tempted to bleed all four wheels simultaneously, but I didn't know if the pressure would favor one side over the other.)

Maybe I'll be able to learn to heel and toe now?

[ECARRILLO]

What type - brand did you buy?

[Farace]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ECARRILLO What type - brand did you buy?

[Tifosi]

There's a few manufactures making them, but Speed Bleeders are the original, and IMO the best designed. (after all, they hold the patent so any others are either a licenced replica, a knock off or don't work quite the same way)

Be careful of that clutch one Farace. I dunno if I got a bad one or what, but finding a wrench to fit that little SOB was all but an act of God for me. T'wasn't metric, t'wasn't SAE. If I didn't know better I'd say it was a Whitworth wrench size (1/4" is about the closest I found)

Best bet: find a wrench that fits before installing it so you don't have to lay under the car with half a toolbox trying different sizes like I did.

Beyond that, they're the greatest thing since sliced bread. Just don't forget to put fresh neversieze on the threads every year or so like the instructions suggest.

[Farace]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tifosi Be careful of that clutch one Farace. I dunno if I got a bad one or what, but finding a wrench to fit that little SOB was all but an act of God for me. T'wasn't metric, t'wasn't SAE. If I didn't know better I'd say it was a Whitworth wrench size (1/4" is about the closest I found) Best bet: find a wrench that fits before installing it so you don't have to lay under the car with half a toolbox trying different sizes like I did.

[rcess]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tifosi Be careful of that clutch one Farace. I dunno if I got a bad one or what, but finding a wrench to fit that little SOB was all but an act of God for me. T'wasn't metric, t'wasn't SAE. If I didn't know better I'd say it was a Whitworth wrench size (1/4" is about the closest I found)

[TorW]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rcess I just put a Speed Bleeder on the clutch slave cylinder of my '69 Spider last week, and yes, that wrench size was something else. Like Tifosi, I found that a 1/4" wrench worked.

[Farace]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TorW The bleed screw hex is supposed to be 7 mm, which translates to .27 - .28 inches. If I'm right and your 1/4" wrench did fit, the wrench must have "gone Chinese" already

[TorW]

Ok, I see. It never crossed my metric mind at all. I can definitely see the utility in having imperial heads and metric threads since "everybody" has imperial tools anyway.

I use a similar bleeder gadget; a clear plastic hose with check valves at the far end. Costs the equivalent of seven-something dollars, and the hose fits really tight on the bleed screw. I've used it to bleed both the brakes and the clutch alone.



Now, if someone could invent a Speed Bleeder-like bleed screw which could sit permanently on the car ...

[Tifosi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TorW Now, if someone could invent a Speed Bleeder-like bleed screw which could sit permanently on the car

[rcess]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TorW The bleed screw hex is supposed to be 7 mm, which translates to .27 - .28 inches. If I'm right and your 1/4" wrench did fit, the wrench must have "gone Chinese" already

[Alex]

While we're on the subject, I've spoken to Richard Norris at Classic Alfa to produce extra early 105 brake fluid reservoir caps (at a cheap price) so that these can be fitted with a nipple to fit to the Eezibleed system, as this size is not catered for by any of the available sealing caps. He was positive on that idea, so watch this space.

[BlpltGTV]

I got a set of Russel Speed Bleeders from Summit racing for a grand total of $24.71 with shipping. Front part # is Rus-639620 (8mmX1.25) and the rears RUS-939570 (7mmX1.0) They work great.

Will

[SurfCity Alfa]

Just wanted to cast my vote for the speed bleeders, I just received a set from Centerline yesterday and put them in and bled the system last evening...great results, best (shortest) pedal travel I've ever had...

[Alfapwr]

I got them for the Super racer too. Real easy to use. Bought from Centerline.