Fun with brakes page ! Originally, I wasn't going to make a "fun with brakes" page, because what could possibly be different with a gas Chevette, and a Diesel Chevette ?
PLENTY !!
When I first got the car, the brakes were dismal at best. Since the car had been sitting some time, I figured that a complete brake job should fix most of the problem. It quickly became obvious however that I had a power assist problem. The vacuum pump didn't check out, at first, because I didn't check it out correctly. So I suspected it as a problem from the start.
After completing a rear brake job, including replacing the rear shoes, rear wheel cylinders, turning the rear drums, replacing the rear brake lines, I turned my attention to the front. I pulled the rotors off one Saturday morning, took them in to be turned, and asked for my 1981 Chevette Diesel brake pads. After some frantic searching, my buddies at the parts store informed me that the 1981 Chevette Diesel uses a unique part number, all by itself, and they would get them in later that day. No problem, I had other things to do, and I was pretty sure the massive weight of the Chevette would not collapse the jack stands if the car had to sit on them for a couple of hours. Upon completion of the front brakes, the car stopped considerably better. Mr. Alex Quirk remarked that he thought the brakes of this car were pretty good. I knew however that the power assist not functioning was still a problem, and would tackle that issue as soon as I could.
However........ from time to time, the power assist would work ! It was rare, and usually only lasted for a few minutes, but this caused me some confusion. After some careful checking though, it was obvious the power brake booster was the culprit. This part had to of course be special ordered ( how many 1981 Diesel Chevette's are left anyway ? :-). One of my regular customers owed me a favor, so I had one of his technicians install the booster. The thing would have been a bear to tackle, buried as it was, and I really didn't feel like fighting with the thing. Strangely, after installation, the brakes were no better ! At the time, the weather was very cold, and I didn't check his work, other than to glance at the installation. Now I was really confused. After a couple of days, I decided to test the booster with an electric vacuum pump I have for carburetors. When I removed the hose from the check valve, I discovered that the "technician" had accidentally broken off the extra nipples that the aftermarket check valve had. After replacing this, I had POWER BRAKES ! This was quite a pleasant departure from having to stand on the brakes all the time. But the most helpful feature was the effortless pressure required to hold the massive torque of the powerful Diesel engine* at bay when stopped ! No longer was it necessary to put a cramp in your leg when waiting at long stop lights. I am unhappy about the "mushy" feel of the brake pedal, but at least it is now easy to stop the car. I have to remind myself when going from any of my other cars not to cram the pedal to the floor when pulling out of the driveway. There is very little effort required to push the pedal down, and almost no resistance like a normal car would have. You have to "regulate" the position of the pedal in relation to the amount of stopping power you want. It's kind of hard to explain. I'll bet Diesel Chevette owners would understand.
The brakes are now merely pitiful when compared to a "normal" car. I have noted for years that people complain about the brakes on Chevette's, and rightly so. I wish I had standard brakes. The 1977 Chevette I had years ago had very good brakes, I thought, and they were not power.
* yes, I'm kidding about the "massive torque and power of the Diesel engine" !