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T-Series No brakes or clutch - fix it strategy

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jjbunn

jjbunn

Jedi Knight
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There is a leak from somewhere around the clutch and brake cylinders in my '73 BGT, and I'm not sure what the best way to approach it is.

Here is a photo of the pedals connections to the cylinders, after I removed the cover.
https://static.flickr.com/26/264390886_1ca9af709b.jpg

It's wet with hydraulic fluid, which suggests a leak. I disconnected the upper brake line, and could see little dribbles of fluid when I moved the pedal mechanism, but the flow seemed very weak.

To find the leak should I remove the cylinders one by one, or should I remove the whole assembly containing the cylinders?

I really need to move the car off the street and into my back yard. The handbrake seems to be very ineffective, and so I am reluctant to start the car up, put her into gear and drive into the yard if I have no front/rear brakes and a dicky handbrake :-(

Thanks for any advice.
 
Julian - is your lot fairly flat? If so, use the transmission as a brake...that photo tells me to pull the entire pedal assembly & replace both master cylinders.
 
The rear brakes may need adjusting which will require a special tool but should tighten up the rear brakes enough to make the hand brake effective.

What part of Pasadena are you from?
 
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/iagree.gif adjust the rear shoes all the way up to make the handbrake most effective.
 
Thanks for the advice. I'll take a look at the handbrake adjustment first. Even though the clutch appears to be inoperative (pedal goes to floor with no resistance), I can select first gear (engine off). I wonder if I'm going to do damage if I try to select first once the engine is running.

Stewart, I'm in east Pasadena, just east of Sierra Madre, south of Del Mar.

Julian
 
My approach would be: Get the car to the back yard by begging cajoling, bribing, at least three people to PUSH it where you need it to be, and disassemble the pedal box completely.

If the clutch pedal goes to the board you can grind the tranny into uselessness if you try to stuff it into gear when running... and still have to push it to where you can work on it.

It appears that leak has been going on for a WHILE from the condition of it. The Haynes or Bentley manual will explain step-by-step proceedure. Cleaning up the rust and rebuilding/refinishing the pedal box will keep it from turning into a structure problem. Replace both units. Probably the clutch slave as well.
 
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/iagree.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/iagree.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/iagree.gif
with all the above posts.


but if for some reason you can not find anyone to help you push the car, and you really need to move it with no clutch and no brakes, i would unplug the distributor, put the car in 1st gear, and crank the engine, letting the battery and starter push you along.

This is a last resort, as it will seriously tax the starter/battery.

(Heck, it may even use up some of that Lucas Smoke.... oh, never mind about that /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif)

Rob
 
That is indeed a nasty pic. A rather easy fix though.
 
Should the master cylinders be rebuilt or replaced with new?? Mine are of unknown (prob. similar) condition.
 
Looks to me like time for new or a professional rebuild, bet they are pitted inside. After all it has been a long long while since they were new.
 
From that photo, I'd toss both of them & get new!
 
I intend to dismount the mount, then the cylinders, and take a careful look. I ordered a set of repair seals etc. for both from Moss. The cylinders themselves are very expensive, and so I will be very keen to refurbish them if at all possible! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
 
There are some tricks to getting the cylinders apart...when you get there, ask & we'll tell you what you need to do...but, you'll need a drill, a 1/16" bit & a couple of long, thin screws
 
along with a cylinder hone, and a willingness to "bite th' bullet" and purchase new units... but it's worth trying to resurrect the old ones first.
 
I've also been looking at the price of a new one and trying to decide what to do. Interestingly, Moss lists the non servo model through roadster #360300 but I have #364848 with this model (at least I think I do)
 
The price for the dual non-servo brake cylinder at Moss is $350. This is $50 more than I paid for the car!

If I do need to replace the cylinder, and I'm not concerned about originality, I'm wondering if a cheaper, common variety cylinder could be substituted? Or am I being naive?
 
I see the dual line non servo master cylinder (part number 180-765) listed for $209.95 _ am I looking at the wrong part here?
 
I removed the pedal box complete with both master cylinders. I tried to get it out with the two pedals still attached, but it wouldn't go, so I removed the clutch pedal. Here's a pic:

https://static.flickr.com/94/266397364_1469b6da9a_o.jpg

There are two bolts behind the dash that have to be removed. There is also a rubber cover for an access hole. I've no idea why access from the footwell into the rear of the pedal box would be needed. Pic here:

https://static.flickr.com/83/266397526_1a34c5999c_o.jpg

I cleaned up all the grunge you can see in that photo. Should I treat the area with something?

My box of parts from Moss arrived this afternoon, which is pretty amazing since I only placed my order yesterday. I'll update with more pics once I have dismounted the clutch and brake cylinders from the pedal box.

Julian
 
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