Lifestyle changes - Page 37 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

t walgamuth · #**541** 06-13-2019, 10:26 PM

So a couple of things ongoing have had my undivided attention the last month:

A vacancy in my office building which was big enough to make my cash flow near zero.

The other is the vacation rentals, with the higher rate mortgages 6%, insurance and management fees I look lucky to break even. This seems a foolish position to be in so I decided to sell one and pay down the mortgage on the other making it cash flow and easier to carry in a recession.

Today I got a signed lease with a medical tenant in the building and have received an acceptable offer on the rental home I have listed....so that's a load off. Of course the buyer still needs to get financing.

But....Back to figuring out how to correct the weak brakes on my Cobra.

vwnate1 · #**542** 06-13-2019, 11:31 PM

I suppose driving slower isn't an option ?

.

? Are you yet running huge ventilated & cross drilled discs and multi - pot calipers ? .

t walgamuth · #**543** 06-14-2019, 07:05 AM

Four piston calipers. ventilated discs, not drilled.

barry12345 · #**544** 06-14-2019, 10:32 AM

Sometimes it is just pads. I have deglazed a few over the years. It is worth the effort if there apears no other obvious cause.

Perhaps it is a good time to adjust the vacation property issue. Sales of them seem to be starting to slow down in Canada locally. Credit has unofficially tightened up somewhat in Canada as well. Is the probable cause. The paper pushers seem to have gone from one extreme to another.

The last recent resale near ours the people paid far more than it was really worth. I talked to them once as they had a construction crew working on it. It became all too obvious they could do nothing themselves.

We are not starting off on the best footing. Their contractors dumpster truck turned around over part of our property and they have not dealt with the ruts yet. They are deep enough that fill will have to be brought in.

I suspect they are also being victims of the contractor. A new electrical service when the old one was less than ten years old. Same location same amperage. Some other things I noticed but also did not mention. Seem like nice people but at the same time just do not know enough. For example it was all too obvious that the lot is too low for the changing climate conditions.

I elevated with footings and five foot frost walls on the surface. Plus 158 really large loads of fill. Simply because the person we got the property from mentioned that in 1957 the water reached the height of the road behind us. It was not that easy to get a building permit even back then. Totally impossible today for our lot. Our cottage lot is 450 feet deep. Yet there are various current restraints that would deny a current permit. We have a brook on one side of us for example. No new construction is allowed for 90 meters from it or about 300 feet If our lot had not been subdivided before 1980 no building would have been possible or subdividing either. We have a very limited population size. So many of the regulations are overkill.

The place next door has come to a standstill. Americans purchased it as an investment from Rhode Island. It got really storm damaged as it is also at a low elevation. . They hired local contractors but defaulted on payment as the repairs progressed. So no locals will work for them without cash up front. That does not seem to be there.

The cannot sell it as they want all their investment back. Plus their will be liens to satisfy. I actually tried to help them. There is about an acre of dead land connecting to ours. It is totally impossible to get a building permit for it. When we were discussing price. They insist it was a buildable lot.

The last conversation was when I asked them to get a letter from the county that it was possible to get a building permit for it. I also mentioned that if it was buildable I was no longer interested. Simply because it would be worth a lot of money. The arrangement of the properties is such that the land is really only saleable and usable by me as well basically. We really do not need it but if the price where right.

I have enough connections with government departments. Something might be worked out to get a permit. Although I would still consider that a very long shot. Bordering on the impossible. Yet I have a plan. The septic system at our cottage has a two thousand gallon tank and a good situation to enlarge the septic bed. I could pump the waste from that lot over into my septic tank. It would take some effort to sell this to the environment department. It is also possible that amalgamation of the two lots may allow a rental guest cottage to be constructed over there. My wife is curious about all the activity reciently.

I have explained that we are sitting on too much cash in an apparent inflationary enviroment. Tom mentioned a recession. I think there is so much fear of a seriously disturbed economy. The borrowing and spending to support things will possibly go forward. Creating inflation in the process.

Like has already occurred in Canada to some extent. Since 2008 property values are way up here for example. Low interest rates where probably the fundamental cause. Inflation helps some and at the same time harms others. Fortunately our income as an old couple while not indexed to inflation has kept growing with it.

t walgamuth · #**545** 06-14-2019, 10:45 AM

Yes, I believe the pads are too hard....they seem to be for track work not street and autocross. Problem is the configuration of the pads seems only to be available in such racing compounds. I have had no luck so far in finding someone who can make a set for me. I think I am going to buy an all new set of calipers designed to take the most common GM pad out there.

barry12345 · #**546** 06-14-2019, 12:39 PM

You may be able to order a custom set of pad material installed on the blanks. There are many brake specialty places in the hot rod magazines. You might email a couple of them for suggestions.

They wear and I no longer use them. When organic pads where the norm. I had no issues other than dusting. Yet they can fade apparently. Still your car is light and the pad contact area substantial.

Also try a straight line lock up. If the rear tires lock up before the front. You have an equalization problem. I figure you already know all this.

Actually since the pad material went a lot harder. I seldom get away with just changing pads. The pads seem to eat the rotors as well. Organics may grip better or worse when the brakes get wet. Noticeable or not I have no ideal. You want a brake expert to talk to. I am not one.

I really dislike weak brakes on anything.

t walgamuth · #**547** 06-14-2019, 08:08 PM

nothing locks up.

barry12345 · #**548** 06-14-2019, 09:36 PM

That is a fairly light car. Kind of custom built. I think the hydraulic pressure should be measured. A test the experts use.

I would talk to them before spending money. There will be a chart of acceptable pressures. A cheap Harbor freight gauge and a few fitting to hook it up to a brake hose. Perhaps 20.00 should do it.

Once you know the psi values that should be present. I assume it does not have abs. You would see the wires from the sensors. Plus you would feel it if you did.

It may be interesting what this actually is. Also check the calipers perhaps someone put one on the wrong side. The bleeders should be high on the caliper bodies. Otherwise you may have some air you cannot get rid of.

t walgamuth · #**549** 06-14-2019, 10:43 PM

Thanks for your thoughts, Barry!

there is no abs. The brakes feel fine at the pedal, the car stops nice and straight, and the shiny portions on the rotors are very well equalized. I just cannot push the pedal hard enough to get enough stopping action.

blt · #**550** 06-14-2019, 11:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

Thanks for your thoughts, Barry!

there is no abs. The brakes feel fine at the pedal, the car stops nice and straight, and the shiny portions on the rotors are very well equalized. I just cannot push the pedal hard enough to get enough stopping action.

I have a 66 Convertible Mustang with a balanced 292 (0.030 over 289) with Trick flow heads. I figure it weighs about 3400 pounds and puts out 300 to 325 HP.
I have Wilwood 11" vented rooters in front with 4 piston calibers and 10.25 drilled 4 piston calipers in the back.

All manual, no assist. I can lock em up at will. Since my Mustang weighs more and has less HP that is what is important.

I think your problem is the master cylinder, you might not have enough cylinder diameter to drive all of the pistons. It is critical that the rears lock up after the fronts. If you can't lock them up you have the wrong Master cylinder to brake caliper cylinder ratio.

All of this has nothing to do with a porprotioner device that might be installed and/or incorrectly adjusted..

vwnate1 · #**551** 06-14-2019, 11:18 PM

If you cannot lock up all four wheels you cannot possibly modulate the brakes and this is dangerous .

I too would look at the disc pads and rotor surfaces first then the master cylinder .

I'm assuming you have a rock hard and high brake pedal with zero give .

t walgamuth · #**552** 06-15-2019, 11:02 AM

Yes, done and yes.

Thanks for your thoughts!

My problem, I believe is that the pads available for my calipers are too hard for street use and would only work well on a race track. I have changed the master cylinders already to smaller diameter both front and rear. This gives more leverage against the pads. But it still will not work as it should.

I have been unable to find a place where they will build or change my pads to an appropriate street compound.

I am currently looking at changing the calipers to something with a load of choices available for the pads.

t walgamuth · #**553** 06-15-2019, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blt

I have a 66 Convertible Mustang with a balanced 292 (0.030 over 289) with Trick flow heads. I figure it weighs about 3400 pounds and puts out 300 to 325 HP.
I have Wilwood 11" vented rooters in front with 4 piston calibers and 10.25 drilled 4 piston calipers in the back.

All manual, no assist. I can lock em up at will. Since my Mustang weighs more and has less HP that is what is important.

I think your problem is the master cylinder, you might not have enough cylinder diameter to drive all of the pistons. It is critical that the rears lock up after the fronts. If you can't lock them up you have the wrong Master cylinder to brake caliper cylinder ratio.

All of this has nothing to do with a porprotioner device that might be installed and/or incorrectly adjusted..

Sounds like a nice Mustang!

Do you know the diameter of your mc and wheel cylinders?

Dubyagee · #**554** 06-15-2019, 06:39 PM

Smaller master cylinder and bigger wheel cylinders/caliper pistons give more squeeze but more travel in the pedal. Making the wheel cylinder smaller does the opposite.

Is the pedal like stepping on concrete or cheese.

https://www.joesracing.com/master-cylinder-math/

t walgamuth · #**555** 06-15-2019, 10:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dubyagee

Smaller master cylinder and bigger wheel cylinders/caliper pistons give more squeeze but more travel in the pedal. Making the wheel cylinder smaller does the opposite.

Is the pedal like stepping on concrete or cheese.

https://www.joesracing.com/master-cylinder-math/

Concrete with a rubber coating.