1954 Chev 3100 Brake Bleeder

[Darthintel]

Hello,
I've noticed that my wheel brake cylinders have a slotted screw in the brake fluid bleeders, and this seems very strange to me. All for wheel cylinders have this.
Is this normal? See picture.
Thanks

[dsraven]

nope, not normal. prolly done to stop dirt, debris, water etc from getting in and plugging the hole in the bleeder. simply unscrew the bleeder and install a new one with a rubber cap over the end. by the looks of it your truck needs to have the fluid flushed anyway. brake fluid attracts water and causes rust in the wheel cylinders and master cylinder so it should be flushed every year or at least at every brake job. these old trucks don't seem to get much mileage so the brakes last forever. in that case, flush the fluid yearly. if you aren't doing the flush or a brake job then simply leave well enough alone. the bleeders have a habit of breaking off instead of unscrewing so be carefull.

[Darthintel]

Thank you for your response.
Since I just bought this truck and don't know the history, and the previous owner won't answer any questions, I've decided to replace the brake master cylinder as it's leaking and all 4 wheel brake cylinders for peace of mind. I haven't looked at the brakes yet, but will replace everything if needed and flush the entire brake line system with new fluid.
Just wish I had a lift. Putting the truck on 4 jack stands as a minimum.

[dsraven]

yep, jack up and put on stands for sure, not cinder blocks either, they break and collapse.
just as a sidebar, if replacing the master cylinder you might think about doing the dual system conversion. the original master cylinder would run all 4 wheel's brakes as a single circuit. if there were to be a hose rupture or a failure anywhere in the system then you would pump all the fluid out of the master cylinder right away and lose the brakes. the only remaining brake would be the emergency brake which is limited at best. the dual system is what newer vehicles use, since the 60's, and isolate the front and rear brakes as seperate entities using a master cylinder with 2 seperate circuits. if one circuit fails then you have the other. if replacing the master cylinder check the linkage from the pedal down to ensure everything is freely moving, not worn out at pivot points and has some free play when the pedal is at the top of it's travel. there should be a return spring somewhere.
while checking things you should also check the brake hoses. bend them sharply and look for cracks, or simply replace them since they are pretty cheap anyway. check the steel brake lines as well for rusty spots that may fail under pressure.
remember, brake fluid is a pretty good paint remover so be careful. also, wear rubber gloves and eye protection.
post up a few pics, we are always happy to see something new and congrats on the new purchase.

[mr48chev]

There are little rubber caps that go over the bleeder screw end that do the same thing as those screws. That was probably a mechanic's fix way back when so he didn't have to take the screws out and clean out the passageway to get them to work. I lost track of the hundreds of times I did that over the years that I was doing a lot of brake jobs in shops. The caps are kind of spendy at the parts house but you can get a bag of 50 for around 10 bucks on Ebay or Amazon.