The repair and replacement of the brake/clutch master cylinder as proved to be an interesting experience. The problem with the brakes were a little spongy but worked well. The first job was to flush the hydraulic system with new hydraulic fluid. The end result of this exercise was No Brakes! Eventually I found that the hydraulic fluid had never been changed and the pistons and bores of the master cylinder were rusty. With limited tools and workshop facilities I decided to order and original spare part from Moss Motors USA. After recovering from the price shock, I replaced the master cylinder. The job took over 9 hours because as every Classic Car owner knows, one job leads to 10 others.
The original master cylinder had been leaking for some time and the fluid had stripped the paint from the top of the bulkhead. So I decided to clean and repaint the area before re-installing the new master cylinder. To repaint the damaged area meant that I had to remove the windscreen wiper motor, the brake and clutch pedal assembly, and the main beam dip switch and cables before I could clean the metalwork. It also meant that I had to clean and repaint the brackets, clutch and brake pedals and metal trims. In addition I found that the bushes on the brake and clutch pedal mechanism had rusted up and required striping down, cleaning, lubricating and reassemble.
By the time that I had completed these additional jobs the paint on the bulkhead was dry. Installation of the all the parts took about 2 hours. Just as I was finishing another good friend and neighbour, Thomas Callahan, turned up to help me bleed the brake and clutch system. And of course undertake the required ROAD TEST!
It seemed as though every job on the MGA took 8 or less hours to complete. This meant that there was always time to take the MGA out for a ROAD TEST! Possibly, during it's eight months in New Jersey the MGA had more road tests that at any other time in its life and I enjoyed every minute.
The brake project became a bit of a joke between us and the staff
at the local pub 'Back in Tyme' at the Governor Morris Hotel because it
seemed as though every Saturday morning was dedicated to fixing or bleeding
the braking system. A special thank you to Thomas.
