Re: [VAL] Surge Brakes

[Gary Meeker <gmeeker@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

When my wife and I picked up our '56 Bubble in Delaware at the beginning of 
its trip to California last spring it had only the original breakaway 
hydraulic brake system and the lines were full of rust.  The brakes would 
not have worked even for their intended emergency purpose.  Since we were 
towing with our rather lightweight Toyota Tacoma, my wife insisted (and I 
readily agreed) that we needed to somehow get brakes on the trailer before 
we went very far.  Fortunately the next day we found Stewart Natof of the 
Washington DC Unit of WBCCI.  Stewart, a Bambi owner and retired mechanical 
engineer, led us to Contemporary Classics in Silver Spring, MD, a shop 
which specializes in street rods and specialty cars.  Stewart and the shop 
owner engineered a hydraulic brake retrofit for the Bubble.  The shop 
dropped everything else they were working on and in two days we were on our 
way west.  The original brake pads and drums were retained but the wheel 
cylinders, stainless steel lines, and hydraulic actuator are new.  Our 
original trailer coupler was sawed off and the actuator welded on in its 
place.  The Atwood actuator features a mechanical lock-out feature for 
backing up.  It works great and we made it to California without 
incident.  Thanks Stewart!

Gary Meeker
WBCCI/VAC #3781
1956 Airstream Bubble
Sacramento, CA