At 06:14 AM 11/4/97 -0500, you wrote:
>
>My Spitfire is now up on stands for its' long winter nap, seatless for
>recovering, doorless (Hi, Joe!) for re-skinning and new hardware and
>half-carpetless for a new set (The PO used some very strong glue!). I
>have a 78/79 Spitfire (Car says 78, Government says 79 - found out the
>hard way not to contradict the lady at the motor vehicle bureau) with
>the trademark, spilled-some-brakefluid-lost-some-paint on the "shelf"
>
>I had planned to fix the master/clutch cylinder shelf. I have removed
>most of the flaking paint and rust (surface only -phew!). What's the
>best way to proceed ? gently reposition the cylinders (I don't really
>want to disconnect and bleed but I will bite the bullet if recommended)
>and sandblast ? or wire brush ? how should I protect for the future ?
>
>The car is a daily driver (weather permitting) and I am more interested
>in longevity and smiles-per-mile rather than concours.
>
>Tips ? Advice ?
>
>Thanks,
>
>Andrew Miller
>79 Spitfire
>
>
Andrew,
I asked myself, and the list the same question when I was getting my brakes
fixed on my TR-3. I had to re-build my master cylinders, so there was no
question of to bleed or not to bleed. The conclusion I came to was to pull
out the master cylinders and thouroghly clean up the box, then I re-painted it
and filled my hydraulics with DOT-5 brake fluid. It is silicone based and
doesn't melt paint. It costs about four times as much as DOT-3, but we're
talking about $7 vs. $1.69. You may not want to go this route, since you
would have to thouroughly flush out your brake lines when changing fluids.
Jim Harroun
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