First things first, we need to stop!

With Leif off the tow truck and home for a few weeks, I hadn't done much more than look at her and think about what I was going to do, or at least try to do.

Leif is a long term project and, to be honest, I am in no rush to get her back on the road.  If I want to go for a drive, or hang out with some fellow enthusiasts and car club members I will take my beloved UGU. I will admit that this luxury of choice makes me feel not only very spoilt, but very thankful for my understanding wife.

I have no illusions that Leif will be some amazingly comfy and thrilling vehicle to drive, or that she will be some sort of show vehicle or extreme off-roader; this project for me is all about the process, with no timeframe and no predetermined outcome.

From the moment Leif arrived on the back of the tow truck I knew there was an issue with her brakes, as the brake pedal would go all the way to the floor with no resistance and no stopping power at all, highlighting the first job I needed to attend to.

Brake pedal goes all the way to the floor with no resistance

(Check out those safety boots haha!)

Having moved Leif from the front to the back of the Tyro Workshop I had worked out that if you pumped the brake pedal in rapid succession, after the seventh or eighth pump there was enough brake pressure to stop from a slow roll.  This, combined with the knowledge that the previous owner had recently replaced the master cylinder made me believe that there was air in the system.

I reached for my repair manual and went on-line to see how to fix the problem.

The process of bleeding the brakes is really very simple even if you are doing it on your own as I was.  (If you have a friend close by that you can ask to pump the brake pedal as you lie under the vehicle and do the messy bit, it would be even easier), however doing this on my own I did some research and bought a vacuum pump off Ebay.

New tools.  Vacuum pump and new brake/clutch fluid

I located and examined all Leif's bleed nipples. Over the next two days whilst I waited for the vacuum pump to arrive I gave them a good soaking with penetrating oil to try and free them up as they were seized solid.  This duration seemed to be the perfect amount of time for the oil to do its work, and by the time I had figured out how to use my new tool the bolts were nice and free.

To get started I removed the lid from the fluid reservoir and filled it to the brim with new brake/clutch fluid.  This would later allow me to see if the level had dropped.

I will admit there were various opinions about the order in which to bleed the brakes, but I followed the brake lines to the back end and connected the vacuum pump to the passenger side wheel after deciding it was the one furthest from the master cylinder.

I squeezed the pump to get pressure into the tube and watched the gauge to make sure there were no leeks before opening the bleed nipple.  If you can't get a airtight seal I did read that grease could be used around the end of the tube to seal it to the bleed nipple, but I didn't need to do that.

Vacuum pump tube connected to a well soaked bleed nipple

With the bleed nipple open I filled the pumps reservoir in accordance with the product instructions, and locked off the nipple before disconnecting the pump having seen no bubbles escape into the fluid.  I moved onto the other rear wheel, then passenger front before finishing on the front driver's side.  Between each wheel bleed I returned to the reservoir and topped up the fluid making sure that no air could re-enter the system.  I also checked the brake pedal to see if there was any resistance; to my delight there was now a bit.

I had seen a few bubbles come out during the process but it was not until I got to the front driver's side when I witnessed a lot of bubbles escaping into the vacuum pumps reservoir.

Vacuum pump doing its thing on the front driver's side

Bubbles in the system

With the brakes bled and the reservoir full again, I was so pleased to have a nice firm brake pedal.  I jumped behind the wheel and slowly drove around the block checking that everything was working and, to my relief, it was.

It is pretty nerve racking driving a vehicle for the first time, knowing that the only way of stopping it is via something you have just done, also for the first time.  With that said, the feeling of exhiliration when it all works as it should is very, very satisfying!

Lets hope this sets the tone as I continue on this restoration journey.