Dodge Disaster

[Tony B]

Just got back from Jersey. Katy the WC54 over there has been stationary for eighteen months due to illness, so went over to run her. Did all the checks, everything free, got her running , went to move. A bit of a binding. So a bit of revs and BANG, she moved, but no brakes!!

 

I've got the master cylinder off, and it looks like the last man who saw it was the one that built it. Anyway that will be off for rebuild, but as all Dodge owners know, the American genius let themselves down when the sited the Damn thing! Does anyone know if there is a remote resivoir available, or has anyone cobbled one?

[Gordon_M]

Tony, Tony, Tony, if only you'd buy a VC like me you'd have a lot more room to work under the hood.:stop:

 

There is a remote reservoir available, but you'll have a heck of a time finding it, and it isn't military. Dodge did a MOPAR accessory remote for the 39-47 series which mounted on the firewall for just this situation. I have an image somewhere, but it isn't great.

 

The reservoir was glass, with a metal lid and hose to lead down to a master cylinder cap that was basically a dummy with a hole through it. Uncle Sam wouldn't have fitted it - he might have had a metal equivalent but never seen one.

 

Just fit a new master cylinder and do a by-the-book adjustment and bleed, you'll be fine.

 

My WC 53 brakes worked perfectly from the day I got the truck till the day I sold it - never did more than check the fluid.

 

My WC56 brakes always worked fine, for about a day after bleeding. I replaced master cylinder, wheel cylinders, lines, hoses, but it was always the same.

 

Gordon

[Tony B]

Thanks Gordon! :n00b:A quick trip through a friend's scrap box has produced a reducing blank and an airline fitting that replaces the top plug nicely. The plan is to get an ordinary resovoir and fit discretly. The other beauty is it will allow a presure bleeder to be used. The cylinder is off to Past parts as soon as I can. I'll keep everyone up to date. I'll lay good money as soon as the new master goes on the wheel cylinders will leack.

[Gordon_M]

Young Steve Rivers at Dallas Autos should be able to sell you a new master cylinder off the shelf, job done.

 

You can put the old one in storage for when you really need to get it sleeved, but that'll be a year or three yet. Dodge cylinders are always a problem and not cheap to rework. The master cylinder has the internal relief holes which need to be put in, and the wheel cylinders are stepped-bore which can be endless grief.

 

Think your self lucky you have a standard truck. You can still buy new wheel cylinders for 1/2 and 3/4 ton WCs, owing to the large amount made, but all the civilian trucks (and militarised civilian ones like mine) used slightly different stepped bore sizes for 1/2, 3/4, and 1 ton.

 

It turns out that the stepped bore cylinders used on the civilian one ton are unique to that vehicle and no longer available, so you really HAVE to get the originals reworked which is quite expensive. I don't remember the step sizes, but it's actually only one end of those cylinders which gives grief on bore size and seal availability. My two one tons were both standard civilian trucks used by the military (1939 TD20 and very late 1940 WD21) The 1939 truck was absolutely factory and everything was kept original on that by rework and rebuild, but the 1940 truck is getting a mixture of 1940, 41, and 42 springs, hubs, wheels and shocks as I've putting a 1940 drive line on the front axle.

 

Anyway, just buy a new M/C and shelf the old one?

[Tony B]

Thanks for info, I'll give Steve a ring see what he has. There is the slight problem of the English Channel bettween me and the vehicle, so service work does need a bit of planning.

[Gordon_M]

The Channel might still be in the way, but you are closer to Steve's place than I am...:cool2:

 

i just buy new from him when I need it.

 

Feel free to hone out the bore of the original and check it. (There are always rust spots at the bottom of the bore which need to be honed away - the only usability criteria is how much metal you have to clean off and whether that takes the bore beyond the usable diameter for the seal / piston)

[Tony B]

I leave brake parts to the experts.:-D I've contacted Steve, the cost for the whole set of cyl;inders is £265, not scary really. The pipes will need flushing and I can make any up needed. Shoes if needed I can get relined on the Island. The whole set up loooks original. Lucky it only went in the yard. Pastparts quote bettwen £55 and £110 plus vat master cylinder rebuild. They do a superb job. If no new parts are available, as in the QL, there a good answer. The major headache is were the master cylinder is sited. Reading the manual there is a reference to a 'Brake filling Tool' pressurised to 25 lb, so I'm assuming a pressure bleeder. By luck and design the top of the resovoir takes a standard gass thread reducer, into this is screwd an air line fitting, so a remote resovoir can be mounted. I think I'll just attach the end to the pressure bleed kit. and stay with the current resovoir. Worked OK on the WC51, and the fittings wern't as sophisticated.

[Grasshopper]

We mounted a remote resevoir in the cab of our M55 using a similar method to yours. Reducer, air fittings and a used CVRT resevoir tucked in the corner of the cab by the drivers seat. Means we don't have to lift the floor plate to check the fluid now.

[Tony B]

We mounted a remote resevoir in the cab of our M55 using a similar method to yours. Reducer, air fittings and a used CVRT resevoir tucked in the corner of the cab by the drivers seat. Means we don't have to lift the floor plate to check the fluid now.

Hum hadn't thought of an internal mount. Wouldn't see it then from engine bay, thanks for idea!. :iloveyou: