proportioning valve rebuild

[moparnation74]

Not to hijack your thread, but I have a 73 steel proportioning valve that I want to rebuild. What would y’all recommend for that? Replace it with a repopped brass one or rebuild the steel one? At this stage I have no idea what the internals of it look like. A 73 Charger is not a high dollar car of course, but I would like to preserve as much originality as possible.

Jason

I personally rebuild everything......unless it is beyond rebuilding. If beyond then I search for an original part to rebuild.

For you the shipping cost is a factor as well.........

 

[Dragon Slayer]

You need to take it apart and see the condition. For 73 should be a combination valve. For disc you have the meter valve, proportioning valve, distribution and warning all in one block. The problem can be small steel parts and springs that rust and dissolve. Unfortunately brake fluid absorbs water and once it gets in and then exposed to air, parts rust away. Some of these parts are not remade. So you would have to harvest them from a good valve, since it is your valve body that has the date code to your car. The Muscle car research web site has procedures and they sell parts. In fact that is where BW gets there parts.

Your valve also needs the one brass seat insert removed which is a long part of the assembly. So you can't damage it in removal. Here are some pics.

 

[Chargerjase]

Jason

I personally rebuild everything......unless it is beyond rebuilding. If beyond then I search for an original part to rebuild.

For you the shipping cost is a factor as well.........

Thanks Justin,
I also rebuild as much as I can. If the parts are available, I will rebuild it. Appreciate your help as always my friend.

 

[Chargerjase]

You need to take it apart and see the condition. For 73 should be a combination valve. For disc you have the meter valve, proportioning valve, distribution and warning all in one block. The problem can be small steel parts and springs that rust and dissolve. Unfortunately brake fluid absorbs water and once it gets in and then exposed to air, parts rust away. Some of these parts are not remade. So you would have to harvest them from a good valve, since it is your valve body that has the date code to your car. The Muscle car research web site has procedures and they sell parts. In fact that is where BW gets there parts.

Your valve also needs the one brass seat insert removed which is a long part of the assembly. So you can't damage it in removal. Here are some pics.

View attachment 746831 View attachment 746832 View attachment 746833 View attachment 746834

Good info, thanks for that.

 

[rich hourigan]

thank you DS, You are correct, I was not calling the valves by their correct names.. I will be sending the 2 valves out for rebuilding this week... I read that Justin cleaned his brass valve up with 0000steel wool but does BW do a cosmetic resto when they rebuild ? I want the valves to shine like they are bran

 

[miller]

Soak in lemon juice.

 

[moparnation74]

thank you DS, You are correct, I was not calling the valves by their correct names.. I will be sending the 2 valves out for rebuilding this week... I read that Justin cleaned his brass valve up with 0000steel wool but does BW do a cosmetic resto when they rebuild ? I want the valves to shine like they are bran

They just clean them up along with the steel bracket. I don’t think I have a picture of it prior to shining it up.

 

[rich hourigan]

Justin, would you recommend that I clean/shine the brass before I send it out? or wait and see what they do and take it from there?

 

[rich hourigan]

I've never tried lemon juice but I've had good results with apple cider vinegar, but that was for rust removal, not sure what it does to the brass

 

[Dragon Slayer]

If your going to hand clean, and again read the MCR tech documents, you could certainly do it after rebuild. If you are going to soak, you would want to do while disassembled. Or you have to plug and ensure the ports are sealed. Final finish after rebuilt without any soaking.

 

[miller]

If you are going to soak, you would want to do while disassembled.

On the 67 model distributor block, I used on my 64, did not tear it down. Didn't believe the lemon juice would harm anything inside, also wanting to clean the inside of the block, too. It had light corrosion at places, besides dull brass. Did pull the one plug.
Won't take off oil/grease, so that needs to be cleaned first.
Usually use lemon juice on many wiring connectors, that are brass, up to a day of soaking, comes out clean, but no shine.

Washed mine out, after the soak, hot soapy water, rinse and let dry.

 

[rich hourigan]

thanks for ALL the replies, i'll post before and after pics in a couple weeks when I get the brake valves back from rebuild... Rich

 

[moparnation74]

Justin, would you recommend that I clean/shine the brass before I send it out? or wait and see what they do and take it from there?

I wouldnt soak it nor restore it before they repair that.....

It will be clean enough so you can make it cosmetically right.

Take it from someone who has done this many times and has a car with actual pics showing the end product.

 

[themechanic]

I wouldn't know what you were talking about stating a "texas shaped" valve either !!

How about ED shaped?

 

[rich hourigan]

justin, after thinking about it i didnt soak it... but i did send it out today, they said 2 week turn around i'll post pics when i get them back

 

[rich hourigan]

I got my valves back from Brake Warehouse. Thank you Justin for the recommendation! Here's a before and after... thanks to all of you for your FBBO support!!!!

 

[Dragon Slayer]

I got my valves back from Brake Warehouse. Thank you Justin for the recommendation! Here's a before and after... thanks to all of you for your FBBO support!!!!View attachment 759349
View attachment 759350

Tough that the steel plug had so much corrosion. If this is for a show car you may want to look for an alternative plug and even sensor. Some blocks used a brass plug vice the steel. Realize you probably want to keep it original. I can check to see if we have any better plugs if you like. I just removed this and restored it from a pretty trashed 69 Belvedere going to the crusher. It started worse then yours, if you look at the brass plug in the first picture. Besides a light media blasting, I used an acid solution we have to treat the steel bracket. Followed by steel wool and mild wire wheel on the brass parts. I soaked the small brass parts in transmission fluid and acetone to soften the tarnish and grime before cleaning with steel wool.