New Clutch Slave-Cylinder

Took the old slave-cylinder off from the clutch and got the new one out of it's wax-paper for the first time since it was bought in 1989 and the rubber and piston look spot on. The rubber-hose is also in good nick, but the threads at either end had become a bit rusty and I had to clean them up with a wire-brush. The lever to the clutch-piston looks in good order too, but I suspect it will take more than the hydraulics alone to un-seize the clutch-plate after so many years.

 

With the clutch now complete along with the brakes I threw the master cylinder back in, which was a bit over zealous, as it had to come straight back off to allow work on the bulkhead. Good job really as a test of the master-cylinder revealed a seriously fluid leak from the clutch side plunger-rubber. It was also full of a grey sludge, so after a swill-out and letting the silicone brake-fluid soak in we left the master-cylinder for the time being in the hope that the fluid will swell the rubbers and create a seal against the leak - if not it'll need a new set of rubbers for £10 or, if were feeling flush, maybe a whole new unit for £109.

Brakes + Clutch finished.

The brakes are now on all four wheels, all copper-pipes are laid out and the master cylinder, which also operates the clutch as well, is now in place in its newly painted bracket and the clutch slave-cylinder is in place ready for us to unstick the clutch-plate and the car's hydraulic system is ready to rock.

What a shame the master-cylinder and the under-bonnet copper-pipes must be removed again to work on rubbing down, protecting and repainting the bulkhead, in which the newly restored heater unit sits, and the firewall joining it to the cockpit / dashboard, so we'll have to delay filling the system with fluid and testing it until the master-cylinder is firmly in place.