Three man bleeding team? I am not surprised. This explains a lot of frustration in my youth.

I have the GMC159 front/rear split master cylinder installed on my car and have always bled my brakes using the same method as a car with a single circuit brake system; me under the car and my wife, wrapped in her robe, reading a book while operating the brake pedal.  “Down, up”...”huh?”... “Down, up”...”what?”...”You are pushing the brake pedal, right?”...“Did you say down?”

Just to update a solution to our problem. It turned out we had at least one worn and bulging rear brake hose on the car which prevented us from getting a nice solid consistent pedal pressure.
New hoses and all is well.
Thanks for the replies.
Pete

Also remember that if your car has the original "wide cap" design split circuit master cylinder, you need to bleed both brakes on the circuit at the same time. That wasn't standard on the UK built 66 S, but was an ST option for retrofit kit, and may have been fitted in some markets such as Italy and Canada.

Quote:

One tip that ST spelled out is that once this tandem master GMC159 is installed, one needs to bleed BOTH front and rear cylinders AT THE SAME TIME. These bold instructions are on the original sheet, and read: "Three operators and two sets of bleeder equipment will be required."

In my case, I learned the same bleed order as Howard and Chuck, furthest to closest.  The advice I gave above was not so much about bleeding order, as purging air from the system from font to back BEFORE bleeding.  On a couple of cars we could not chase air out of the system by bleeding alone... we needed to purge big amounts of air first because the system had been open and dry.

I would not want to think of myself or have anyone think I see myself as an expect. I practice and study everyday. I have run into people who think one or the other is the only way. To be honest I never got real brakes on my single leading shoe 850 as a kid. But coming from a 1930 Model A Ford with mechanical brakes it was a step up. I ended up putting what the old guys called juice brakes on the Model A. I don't think the order in which the brakes are bled is the issue. Since the issue always seems to be at the rear doing the rear first is the best approach? Steve (CTR)

Same. LR/RR/LF/RF for both LHD and RHD.

Ditto!

Now I'm confused.

For decades I've been bleeding brakes on British cars starting furthest away from the master cylinder and working inward, ending closest to the master. That's how I first learned after reading a workshop manual, and I've done it that way ever since. I just checked my (purple) Haynes Manual for '59-'69 Mini, and it states the same, furthest to closest (LR/RR/LF/RF). 

Now I reading from some of our more experienced contributors that we should be bleeding starting closest to the master and working outward.

I'd like to hear more on this from some of the experts.

+1 for an EZ Bleed, great tool

Not much to add, rears need to be well adjusted, I have resorted to adjusting them full tight, then bleeding, then backing off until they turn freely. Also, pulling the handbrake on and off can help to set the shoes in the drum, prior to bleeding.

When the pedal is hard after the second pump, does it hold pressure? You may be chasing an air bubble that is actually master cylinder problem. Pump the pedal and push hard for a minute of so, if the pedal moves at all, it may be a master problem.

I had a nice long talk with Caparro last year (AP Lockheed) while fiddle-faffing with the brakes on Gertie, and they suggested that a bleed nipple at the highest point of the system would make bleeding things much easier.  Having installed a spur with a bleed nipple above the top of the master cylinder pipe has certainly helped the feel of the pedal.

Thanks for the advice gents.  We are or have been doing most everything listed with the exception of raising up the rear, which I will try tomorrow when we re-attack.

Usually with air in the system which it seems like you may have i usually find it in the rear somewhere. Make sure you get the car as high as possible in the rear so the air will travel that way. You will need to bleed it at every point where a brake line attaches again to find the air bubble and just bleed towards the farthest point from the driver.

If you put new shoes in...make sure they are adjusted properly.
If the calipers had been off the car....were they put back on the correct sides with the bleeder up top?

I guess there are as many ways as people doing it. I work alone so must wait for someone to wander by to do the pedal. I put the car in the air on jack stands remove the wheels, remove the bleeders and grease the threads ( with brake grease ) replace and fit clear pvc tubing over each and run the other ends into a clear water bottle or the like. Fill the master get someone to pump the brake gently and bleed the master at the top of the master. This is called bench bleed when done on the bench. To avoid a possible mess I do it on the car. I open all the bleeds and wait to see if it will gravity bleed. If and as each starts dripping I close it and check master and when all drip which doesn't always happen I close them and get a pumper. I have one guy I won't let pump, he does a three slam, slam ,slam and hold. I go with three gentle pumps and hold with a firm pressure. Right front, left front, right rear, left rear. I do suggest you use the Mintex brake shoes as I find the cheap ones do not follow the radius of the drums. Not many brake shops still have a radius cutter. As mentioned the brake bias valve can be a problem if the pedal is pumped fast and hard cutting off fluid pressure to the rears. I have several with all new brake parts to bleed in the next couple of weeks. Steve (CTR)

You said you have to pump the pedal once and on the second pump the pedal is firm.  How firm?  Is it rock solid or springy?  If it is a truly firm pedal on the second pump, make sure the rear shoes are adjusted properly (a slight bit of audible drag when an elevated wheel is spun).  The rear wheel should stop spinning within about one revolution when turned by hand.

If the pedal is springy... did you put new shoes on?  If so, the shoes have to be put on in the correct position.  Yes, there is a difference in the shoes.

If the system was opened and all the fluid has been replaced, do as Minimans suggested.  Moving from front to back and to each wheel... start with the fittings closest to the master cylinder.  Crack them open and pump gently until fluid comes out.  Then tighten the fitting and move to the next one down the line.  Do that carefully to make sure no air is trapped.

Keep in mind that the valve Werewolf mentioned will close off fluid flow to the rear wheels if you pump the pedal rapidly or with a lot of effort.  Pump the pedal slowly.  Use the flush method.  Do not use the "pump, pump, pump - open the bleed nipple" method.

Bleed the unions at the servo in and out very carefully one pump at a time..

I use EZI-Bleed on mine
You Tube of Gunson Ezi-Bleed

ping.. cooper tune racing about the brakes..  you might just need to brake spilter value. Spend the money and get  the proper  OEM Lockheed Girling ones which is about $250. I think their website is www.girlingauto.com   later bc

Have a 1966 Cooper S in the shop for misc work and we can not get the brakes to bleed. One pump to the floor and then a good pedal.
We've tried all the tricks we've learned over the years, bleeding the lines working outward from the master, but there must be a trick to these cars we are missing.
Any tips?