hmsports

Ok, so I went out and tried to pry it - no good. At this point... out comes the BFH. I figured that the pedal presses on the concave end - so I took a 12" long 3/8" rod and whacked it a few times into the piston. That loosened it from the rusted up groadie end. A few squirts of miracle oil and then I just pressed down using the rod and then quickly removed the rod. After several times, the piston jumped out the end - well, at least the first half. The second part is still way in there. I'm letting it soak overnight and will try some other means of gentle persuasion tomorrow.

I think I could probably upgrade to a newer master, but figured... "hey, how hard can it be to bebuild one". The end had some corrosion/rust which I was able to scrape off. All the stop bolts have been removed. I'll shine a light into the hole the see if I can get a bit of hard rod (I have some dental tools) and pry it a tiny bit. I'm not sure if its rusted in or not - don't know how much air pressure it will take - or if it will work. Who needs brakes anyway... Thanks for responding, 2Many. Rick

I'm rebuilding my brake master cylinder - Tokiko off a '71. I have all the fittings removed as well as the set screws. My manual doesn't say how to get the pistons out. There's no place to get a grip on it. The only exposed end is a concave cup. Anyone have any suggestions? Should I try to use air like you do for caliper pistons? Thanks, Rick

Steve, Someone else sent me an email this morning about them - if they don't get back to me, you can have 'em - I'll check - I may have another one sitting around.

Just got a line from Zed where there are three E31 heads for sale - all around $150 - go here

Zed, Thanks for the line on the three E31s! To check the ratio of an installed rear, jack the car up and support it safely. Put a mark on the rear flange of the driveshaft then have someone turn a rear wheel one revolution. Count how many times the driveshaft goes past your mark. You have to kind of guess-timate from here. If it is just under 4 times, you probably have a 3.9 - if it's 3 3/4, then is a 3.7, over 4, then a 4.11, less than 3 1/2 - 3.3 - right at 3 1/2, its a 3.5 (I can never remember the corect hundredths place decimal - sorry) I had a line of a Subaru with an R180 with a 3.7 in it - the lady (term used losely here) who runs the junk yard hauled it before I got back from the bank.

Hey, why worry about getting too high compression when 104 octane at $4 a gallon isn't much more expensive the street fuel?! :classic:

I'll agree with 2Many on the adjust and see method here. If the valves have been out of adjustment a long time, you may have started to burn the valves or have caused detination problems with the pistons or seats (this would most likely take a long time to do). As long as you aren't seeing any - or much - blue smoke you should be okay here. Do a compression check. That may help determine where, or if, there is any damage to your valves - a leak down test may also be helpful. But, the first step would be to simply adjust the valves and get a feel for how things are running. Probably a good idea to adjust your carbs while you're at it - misadjusted valves will breath differently. BTW - nice clean looking engine! Rick

Most aftermarket cool looking wheels will cost you in the area of $250 and up each. There's a company in called Wheels America that repairs any type of rim and they have repaired rims for sale - all have been remanufactured & refinished and come with a lifetime guarantee. They are in the range of $140 - $175 each. The guy who owns the company is a racer with the SCCA and is very good. They have locations in Texas, NY, CA and FL. Their website it Wheels America. Or call them at 888-4-FIX-RIM.

What I mean by bare is just the casting - no valves, springs, cam, rockers, etc. You can get a complete Rebello E-31 head for between $1500 and $2000. My stock E-31 rebuild cost me about $800 - but I had the casting from an old engine. It's very hard to say what a complete head would cost - and what condition it would be in. Just start posting and searching the internet. I'm sure someone on this site has one they wouldn't mind parting with. Sorry I couldn't be more specific.

I've been told that a good E-31 head - bare - would cost me about $150.

You are correct about the urethane dams in that they will deflect at speed. Royce's suggestion is right on. You can fashion a brace out of aluminum that lays at the bottom and fasten it from below with some rivets. This will keep the lip sturdy enough so it won't bend at speed but still let it flex when you hit the parking spot bumpers or speed bumps.

2ManyZs enlightened me last week that the E-88 can be made better by milling it down to raise the compression some. Most racers swear by the E-31 and that's what the major engine builders use. They are getting harder to find. Hope that's what you wanted. Rick

Raise all four corners of your car and support it on jack stands. Try to make sure it is level - and solidly and safely supported. If I remember correctly, the inspection/fill port is on the passenger side of the transmission. And again, I can't recall if the plug takes a 1/2" ratchet post or an allen wrench to remove. Either way, carefully remove the plug - I'm sure your manuals have details on doing this. The fluid level should be such that any more in the transmission would cause it to run out of the hole. If you have a suction canister, you can suck some of the old fluid out to check its condition. You might just want to drain it anyway. The drain plug looks like the inspection plug but it is on the bottom of the transmission. You may want to replace it with a good quality synthetic gear lube. I'm sure there are others on the site that have recommendations for this. If your old fluid is real gummy, you may have to clean the transmission out. I'm not sure of the best way to do this - maybe someone else can assist here. Good luck.

Check out Eastwood Company. They have all the right stuff for any type of polishing and restoring. Find out what you need and then check around for prices. I'm not sure they are the cheapest, but they have everything.

When was the last time you checked or changed your transmission fluid? It almost seems like it is old and viscous - once things heat up, it flows easier. This may be a good first place to start. Rick

yeah, and I think every man likes a little 'kitten' too:D