Brought a mk1 60s as a sell on project.

The car had been sat for a year or so with no brake fluid in it. I have replaced the rear cylinders as they were solid and have bled the brakes. Now when the engine is off the brakes feel fine. When you start the engine the pedal moves about 3" (75cm for the younger ones) before any braking force applies.

Is it the master cylinder or could the vacuum unit need adjustment/replacement.

LMAO! 3 inches nearly a metre now?

Either air in the system or normal, my brakes travel quite a bit before any braking force is felt on all 3 of my mk2's

bredsticz said:

LMAO! 3 inches nearly a metre now?

Either air in the system or normal, my brakes travel quite a bit before any braking force is felt on all 3 of my mk2's

Click to expand...

lmao at the 3inch!!!

A duff master cylinder usually means the brakes wont bleed because the master is sucking in air. It could be the flexible hoses stretching.

Put your fist around each hose while someone presses the pedal down firmly. If you can feel more stretch than the hose simply going hard from the pressure it needs replacing.

doh 75mm!!!
My other mk1s have all had pretty firm brake pedals after ive replaced the rear cylinders and then bled the system.

If the hoses stretched then they would do it all the time not just when the engine was running. Thats why i thought the master cylinder or vacuum unit.

If the pedal is hard with the engine off its unlikely to be air in the system.
The vacuum unit puts on a lot more force & soon finds any compliance in the system. Until proven otherwise it's the hoses.
TBH I would change them anyway. The rear slaves were shot so the hoses wont be far behind. This might be all the warning you get before one bursts.