13 replies to this topic

[Ben_O]

Hi,

My project has ground to a bit of a halt at the moment due to financial reasons so I am using my time to get some of the parts refurbished. 

I have started on the brake master cylinder and clutch master cylinder.

My question is how far can they be stripped?

They are both red raw with rust and the pistons have seized up but im confident they can be refurbished still.

So far I have started to strip the clutch cylinder and have removed the circlip and push rod and freed up the piston which now operates perfectly but does the piston come out? if so how?

Next I want to start on the brake master but I need to know the best method of removing the reservoir tank. I can see that there is a roll pin to remove and then the tank pops off the rubber seals but what is the best method of removing the pin as it needs to come out the opposite way from the only way to get a hammer and drift at it. 

 

The brake master is a yellow tag item and the clutch master is a lockhead one, oh and the car is an 84 model.

 

Any help on this would be truly appreciated.

 

Ben

[Jmccrary]

Seems straight forward according to the book...but removing it is a bit of a pita from what I have been told...I hope to find out this weekend with a black tag.

[Barman]

Hi,

My project has ground to a bit of a halt at the moment due to financial reasons so I am using my time to get some of the parts refurbished. 

I have started on the brake master cylinder and clutch master cylinder.

My question is how far can they be stripped?

They are both red raw with rust and the pistons have seized up but im confident they can be refurbished still.

So far I have started to strip the clutch cylinder and have removed the circlip and push rod and freed up the piston which now operates perfectly but does the piston come out? if so how?

Next I want to start on the brake master but I need to know the best method of removing the reservoir tank. I can see that there is a roll pin to remove and then the tank pops off the rubber seals but what is the best method of removing the pin as it needs to come out the opposite way from the only way to get a hammer and drift at it. 

 

The brake master is a yellow tag item and the clutch master is a lockhead one, oh and the car is an 84 model.

 

Any help on this would be truly appreciated.

 

Ben

 

Have you got the re-build kits?

 

They come with instructions if I remember rightly....

[Ben_O]

Seems straight forward according to the book...but removing it is a bit of a pita from what I have been told...I hope to find out this weekend with a black tag.

 

 

 

Hi,

My project has ground to a bit of a halt at the moment due to financial reasons so I am using my time to get some of the parts refurbished. 

I have started on the brake master cylinder and clutch master cylinder.

My question is how far can they be stripped?

They are both red raw with rust and the pistons have seized up but im confident they can be refurbished still.

So far I have started to strip the clutch cylinder and have removed the circlip and push rod and freed up the piston which now operates perfectly but does the piston come out? if so how?

Next I want to start on the brake master but I need to know the best method of removing the reservoir tank. I can see that there is a roll pin to remove and then the tank pops off the rubber seals but what is the best method of removing the pin as it needs to come out the opposite way from the only way to get a hammer and drift at it. 

 

The brake master is a yellow tag item and the clutch master is a lockhead one, oh and the car is an 84 model.

 

Any help on this would be truly appreciated.

 

Ben

 

Have you got the re-build kits?

 

They come with instructions if I remember rightly....

 

Cheers,

jmccrary, I don't have a workshop manual for the car so i'm just playing it by ear. Perhaps you would let me know how you get on?

 

barman, I haven't bought the rebuild kits yet. I was planning to just get them stripped and de-rusted, then clean them/paint them and then carefully pack them away until I have cash again for the kits.

 

Cheers guys

 

Ben

[MR J]

I rebuilt mine recently, it is a fairly simple job and the rebuild kit from Minispares came with instructions.

 

Although if yours are seized then I'd throw them away, the bores will be pitted and you will more than likely score them removing the pistons. They are your brakes after all.

[Ben_O]

That's good advice MR J.

I intend to strip them down and have a look, if they turn out to be pitted inside they will go in the bin. At the moment looking at them, they only seem to be crusty around the base where it bolts to the car, The pistons look good and move freely and feel like they are very springy but obviously I will need to check inside for sure. After cleaning the surface rust off around the base, there appears to be only slight pitting there so hopefully the insides will be ok.

As I intend to sell the car when its done it is important to me that everything is tip top condition.

 

Cheers

Ben

[johnnyblaze]

what i do with mine is strip completely then submerge in engine degreaser over night this gets all the thick build up out from the inside of the can, im talking lockheed ones , wash out with soapy water then blow dry with compressd air then put in the hot water cupboard to dry any water left anywhere , then a hone on the bore, fit the new bits and hey presto they work bloody fantastic

[Ben_O]

Cheers for this, I will do that. I pushed the piston right in today with a padded screwdriver and the bore looks great so should be ripe for refurbishment!

[johnnyblaze]

yes as long as there is no pitting or not bad enough you cant hone out then they are good to rekit, the 1st one i ever did i just honed and kitted but it dont work to well thats when i noticed the black sludge inside so striped it and did the procedure i explaind above and its mint still going strong, have done a few more since and have 2 to do now .

[tiger99]

DO NOT HONE THE BORES! If the bores are not PERFECT the cylinders are scrap.

 

Honing increases the clearance between piston and bore, and as a result the lip of the seal can turn back under pressure into the gap, causing instant brake failure.

[johnnyblaze]

thats kind of a big call you just pulled out, if you say that , then why would there be rebuild kits and howcome so many people in the world rebuild cylinders , including professional garages , yes if you rebuild 1 and it fails fair enuff then its obviously to far gone so a replacement or sleeve needs fitting, but i will and alot of others will say to give a rekit a go, you cant just take a cly and say oh damn its leaking oh well it was new 12months ago better bin it, thats pritty dumb when they cost so much, 

[tiger99]

I never said anything about not using rebuild kits, I just said that the bore must not be honed. If the bore is perfect, and in my experience it is about half the time, a rebuild kit is what is required. If the bore is not perfect, the cylinder is scrap, and where brakes are concerned, safety MUST take precedence over cost. Only complete and utter fools take chances with brakes.

 

I suggest that you read more carefully before criticising, and don't imagine that people have said things which they have not.

 

By the way, very few garages now overhaul hydraulic cylinders, firstly because the mechanics were either doing it wrongly or more likely in inadequately clean conditions, such that they failed again soon after, and secondly for fear of legalliability.

[johnnyblaze]

well im coming from the background ive come from 2 generations of mechinics my grandfather was doing his trade on 30s cars , back when things were rebuilt not hiffed and thats been passed down through my father and to me, same as you still give the wheel clyinders a hone and new seals, im not talking sitting there and mowing out 5thou god only fools that you are talking of would do that , a quick deglaze is all good, new seals and its fine

[Ben_O]

Interesting points here.

Personally I will just take a look at the bore and if it is any less than perfect I will probably just replace it. I do agree that there is no harm in de-glazing the bore before fitting a rebuild kit but as I plan to sell the car when the restoration is complete it would probably be as well to replace it if there is any pitting. My knowledge of mechanics is fairly limited to the basics and I mainly wanted  to have a go at rebuilding them for the satisfaction of it and the experience gained over a money saving exercise.

Thanks very much for the comments, they are very helpful

All I need to know now is how to remove the pistons and also the best way to remove the roll pin holding the fluid reservoir to the brake master. 

 

Cheers

 

Ben