Ok, so I have determined I need a new master cylinder & brake booster too. I am thinking about buying a pressure or vaccum bleeder to make it easy. Anyone have experience with these? There are numerous kits out there-- from $50 to $300 and up. I am considering the 'cheap' $50 vaccuum pump one, because I can always use a vaccuum pump for other tasks-- but if it doesn't work well, that defeats the purpose of buying it to begin with. Anyone have any suggestions? Also, what about the 'speed bleeder' screws-- anyone have experience with those?

Thanks
Clifford

 

I have the mityvac silverline pump. It makes it so easy to bleed brakes. If you use the speed bleeders then you will need to bench bleed the new master cylinder.
The mityvac was around $50 and is made by lincoln in the USA.

 

Regardless of what bleeder you may buy, you should always bleed a master cylinder before installing it. Most masters come with the bleeder kit right in the box anyways. All you have to do is put the master in a vice and fill it with fluid. Use the kit to bleed all the air out of the master and then install it. The bleeder kit simply screws into the brake line ports on the master and then has lines that run back into the fluid catch on top usually with clear plastic lines. You just easily push on the piston with a philips screwdriver and watch the air get "bled" out of the lines back into the master. Easy-squeezy and you'll have a much better chance of NOT having air stuck in the system when you're done!