rear brake cylinder vs sheared bleeder valve dilemma

[lintcollector]

Trying to bleed the brakes last fall/winter we ran into a might bit of an issue. The bleeder valve was rusted solid, so it came off in the ratchet. Waited until it was warmer, and promptly had the same result on the other driver side.

While it's nice to have things match, I've tried to drill out & use both an Irwin and another other mickey mouse brand broken screw remover, no offense intended to Walt Disney & Friends. I used the "rust remover" WD-40 and PBBlaster to try and get the sheared off bleeder screw out of the back. Nothing has worked, other than my daughter learning a new word or two. She resembled this:

I can get the rear brake cylinders off both sides and replace them ($12 AutoZone or $70 LMCTruck) or find someone with a torch & try to warm the rusted bleeder screw free.

Will heat ruin the innards of the cylinder? Is there another way to break that nifty sheared part free?

The below pics are:

1) Before neat words were uttered
2) After trying to fix/free the sheared off rear cylinder
3) Pretty original I'd like to keep because old is cool

[Steeveedee]

Trash it and buy new parts. If the bleeder is that rusted, the innards are also garbage. A kit would be required, along with a cylinder hone (if you don't have one) to clean up the pitting and glaze inside the cylinders. Looking at that corroded brake line, I'd also replace that. In fact, I'd personally go through the whole hydraulic system. That kind of old may be cool, but in my mind it is the negative of safe. Keep the patina on the outsides of the fenders!

I have a truck that has spent its life in California, but I'm going to go through the rest of the system and replace the steel lines. They are almost 50 years old, and I think that they are due. Everything else has been replaced, already.

[RustyPile]

^^^ What he said.. Your picture clearly shows bleeder valves aren't the only rusted beyond safe use items.. "Cool" isn't even a close consideration here.. Get rid of those wheel cylinders and brake lines.. Go through the complete brake system, replacing any and all safety related items.. The $400 I spent last year on the brakes on my truck is the best money I've spent.. The truck stops on a dime and that's the coolest part of my truck....