pull the wheels off, don't try and do a 1/2 way job with forklift brakes, just bite the bullet and do it right, one time only. you may only have to sand off the rust, (if it was me I would change the wheel cylinders, after a few years it will need it) but wouldn't be better to be sure than to have someone hurt?
you do have free-play on the shaft that pushes the spool into the master cylinder when it is "at rest", correct?
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