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Master cylinder partially dismantled...



...currently on hold because of a damaged reservoir. Whoop whoop.

Had some more time so went into the Manroom to get started on the brake master cylinder. I wasn't overly optimistic having seen the state of it underneath the rubber boot. There was a bit of surface rust and the piston didn't seem to move much, but the circlip came out easily enough. The piston however, needed more persuasion. A few energetic taps on a plank of wood saw it finally on the move. Given the horrible black brake fluid that came out, I think it had been sat for a hell of a long time, not just the few months that it was in my garage.

That said, the state of the bore was absolutely fine - I couldn't see any scoring or rust. Have bunged up all the holes using a combination of old brake pipes and grommets, I gave the main body of the cylinder a really good clean with the wire brush, the primed and painted it in satin black. I will reassemble next time.

Hmmm. This doesn't look too promising...



All apart. There was nasty black brake fluid in there. Yuck.



Cleaned up and grommeted.

Satin black. Works nicely.

I have had a frustrating day. Not because things have gone wrong particularly; it's just that I have had issues being unable to find stuff I thought I had. I am waiting on some red rubber grease to arrive so I can finish off my master cylinder. That's been put on the back burner. Instead I thought I'd turn my attention to the dashboard area. When I first bought the car I tore out the old dashboard, intent on building something different. I am still doing just that, but I will be using a modified version of the original dash cover (which was a bit awful...). I did however cut out the supports to it so these will need reinstating. The first thing I needed to do was to make up some basic fibreglass panels to then be pieced together. I decided that the easiest way to do the long top dash rail would be to use the metal bar that was once part of the vent system and cover it with tape and card so I could use it as a template. So after several minutes' cutting and taping, I couldn't find any fibreglass or resin. Great.

I then put one of my Christmas prezzies to good use and starting sanding the main dash cover with my new mouse sander. I did this with a view to P40-ing any imperfections afterwards. I want to use as little filler as possible as of course I will be cutting holes in it, and then hopefully using a crackle finish paint. So I spent a while sanding and cleaning it ready for the nest application of P40. Which I also can't find. So I will now have to order both some resin and some P40, which means I will probably find both as soon as they arrive. Whoop whoop.

Taped-up metal bar prior to the applicant of non-existent fibreglass.



Dash cover before hitting it with the mouse.



And cleaned, ready for the application of non-existent P40. Nuts.

A mouse sander! I'd never heard of that but now I've googled it I want one!

Some great pictures and stories on your progress. Keep them coming! Same to anyone else too in the process. A picture speaks a thousand words.

Very kind words manifold - thank you! And Geoff - I love my mouse sander - not expensive either

I had a small (and I mean small!) packet in the post containing my 18g pot of red rubber grease (slightly bigger than a £2 coin!!). I had also grabbed a full propane gas cylinder on the way home from work so I could use my heater - it's difficult to work in the garage when you can't feel your hands.

It was time to finish off the master cylinder. I cleaned everything up using brake cleaner then proceeded to remove the old seals and the washer from the secondary piston. The seals were a bit stubborn (probably the originals) but a bit of persuasion with a tiny screwdriver saw them off. The new seals were surprisingly easy to fit; I made sure that they went on the right way up. Then it was back into the main body with the secondary piston - it was pushed up as far as possible and the locking pin was pushed in to stop it falling out again. A pair of new seals went onto the outside where the reservoir mounts with a bit more red grease. The primary piston was even easier. I applied red grease as directed & again pushed it fully home. It was a bit fiddly getting the circlip in but after a couple of quid in the swear box (only kidding - I don't have one - I'd never be able to afford any parts...), in it popped. More red grease and the main seal went on. Finally, I clipped in the reservoir and tapped in the roll pin with a smear of copper slip. Aside from a bit of tidying and new brake pipes to be fitted, it's done. And I am a happy boy - Mojo is back in room!

Secondary (top) piston removed and seals off.



All the insides done, new main seal on the bottom.



Finished - all it needs are new brake pipes and a car to attach it to...

I received both my new fibreglass resin and tub of P40 in the post then promptly found my other ones round at Tink's. Still, I would've need more anyway...

I need to modify my top rail template as the dash itself is 6cm wider. Nothing a bit of wood and judicious use of parcel tape couldn't cure. Once cured, the new rail was a bit flimsy so I have added more fibreglass as well as some strips of metal. I will then screw it to the sides before fibreglassing the sides and adding some upright supports. The dashboard was simpler - I just gave it a skim of P40 to deal with all the holes and imperfections. There are always some that I will have missed, but one skim is never enough... More to follow.

Template full of resin & csm.



Beefing it up with more resin, csm & metal.



Dash after skim of P40. Smoothness will follow...

It's been an interesting, if somewhat frustrating morning. I finished the top rail cross piece and fitted it, only to discover that a) I couldn't fit the dash over it and b) I didn't really need it anyway... Let me explain:

Having peeled the cross piece off the parcel tape-covered workmate, I drilled a couple of holes and fitted it across the dash. I then had a root around in my bits box and found a couple of brackets from the old MG F dash I was going to use. These fitted perfectly as supports. I drilled out a couple of holes and bolted them to the cross piece and lower dash rail. I then offered up the dash cover and found that it wouldn't fit at all. Both the cross piece and the uprights fouled the now modified dash. Not only that, but where I had filled in the "glovebox" hole and centre section, it now fouled on the lower rail as well. Amazingly I didn't scream or set fire to anything. (Since my bearing issues I seem to be much more relaxed...) I applied some much needed modification to the bottom rail using the Dremel.

Then I grabbed the dash cover and fitted it, using the two screw holes at the bottom on each side. I will need to modify it slightly to add two more mounting points, but because the dash is now so much stiffer after the alterations, there should be no need for additional bracing. The downside is that I also need to construct a dash top to include the screen vents. There was one that came with the car, but in usual 1980s kit car fashion, it doesn't come anywhere near to fitting properly. I think I am going to need to get creative... All suggestions welcomed!

Cross piece fitted fine.



MG F brackets were a perfect fit after redrilling a couple of holes...



... but the whole set up was binned as it got in the way. So did this.

Dash now fits. Dash top doesn't. Not even close...