Why We Always Change Brake Fluid

Failed clutch slave cylinder

Failed Slutch Slave Cylinder

If you haven’t already done so, this would be a good year to change your brake fluid.  What you’re looking at here on the left is a very good example of the consequences for failing to do so.  It’s an E-type clutch slave cylinder (yes that’s right, hydraulic clutches use the same fluid) which finally cried out ‘No Mas’.  Unfortunately for the owner it failed while he was on the way here.   We’re trying to move all of our customers onto an ‘even’ year rotation, makes scheduling the service easier to remember.

dual circuit brake master cylinder

Stopping Power: Dual circuit master cylinder

Last week we told you about adding brake redundency to a drum-braked Morgan +4 which had suffered an unusual brake failure when a wheel cylinder split in two.  Appended hereto is a photo of that master cylinder after Butch was done with the conversion last week.

Everything is nice and tidy, except possibly for a piece of 1/2″ heater hose, apparently plugged off, and hanging just above the fuel pump.

dented fender

fender damage

fender after repair

repairs complete

Last week we also owned up to a small oopsie’ which apparently occurred here last winter.  Well we own our mistakes, even the ones we don’t know about, so Monday morning I hustled the green Plus 4 down to Jay at Windham Coach & Carriage in Brattleboro (802-254-1114) for a little bump job and Thursday he called up to say “come & get it”.  We’ll reinstall the car in the owner’s garage this weekend.

Bentley Mk VI on test

Butch heads out

With repairs complete and a brand new inspection sticker on the windshield, we’re about to hand off the Mk6 Bentley to one of our favorite automotive journalists for an extended road test report.  Interestingly, this Behemouth of The Highway is actually a narrower car than the contemporary Jaguar sedans.

license plate misaligment

near miss with new Trailex

Keep your eye out for it in a future edition of Hemmings Sports & Exotics.  In other automotive collision news, our new Trailex aluminum trailer is quite a bit bigger than the old one.  This has occasioned the adoption of a new backing protocol because its Home 20 (see CB radio: home 20) is in the barn.

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