Rebuilding The Hydraulics
October 2014

Since the car wasn't quite ready for Monterey, the pace of progress has slowed. I'm still sorting out minor things. During a short test drive, the brakes slowly locked up, despite having rebuilt front calipers. I decided I'd better rebuild the entire braking system. And while I'm at it, I may as well do the clutch hydraulics too. Not much to show, but here is the brake master cylinder. It's a Benditalia 7/8" (22.2mm) dual line system.

The clutch master is just one piston, compared to the dual-piston, dual-line brake system pictured above. The clutch slave is even simpler with just one rubber seal. All are being replaced, along with the brake balancer and all flexible hoses. That should resolve any brake issues. And I won't have to worry about the clutch system either.

The rear calipers are much like the front, only smaller. While the front has 40mm pistons, the rears are 34mm. Brake calipers get dirty! The one on the left has been cleaned up and wire brushed to remove most of the dirt and grime. The dismantled one has been bead-blasted, after masking off the critical surfaces. After a thorough cleaning, including all passages and grooves for the new seals, it will be painted like the fronts.

The eight pistons were dirty and had hard deposits stuck to them. So did the bores. This certainly hindered movement. The sides were taped up, they were bead-blasted, and then the sides were polished. Fortunately all surfaces are perfect with no pitting.

I'll get both master cylinders, clutch slave, and calipers all cleaned and painted. When all the new rubber bits arrive I'll reassemble and reinstall. I'm looking forward to that!

Oct 20

The calipers have been thoroughly cleaned and painted with high-temp paint (same as the fronts). The new kits arrived from FCP Euro with great support from Brian Tucker, who helped find the right kits for both front and rear. Here is one half, ready for reassembly.

Oct 28

Finished rear calipers with new seals and dust boots, ready to install on the car. Just waiting for new brake hoses before putting them on.