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Sunday, February 27, 2011

Manual Brakes- Redo

The original brake design just wasn't cutting it. The actual problem was the distance between the master cylinders and the pedal was too far. To cover the distance we designed a push rod, which inevitably became the problem by deflecting the force and binding the master cylinders.
So back to the drawing board, and by "drawing board" I mean The Offroad Connection, my secret weapon. They mounted the M.C.'s on the firewall on a new plate. Now the M.C.'s are directly in contact with the pedal, thus no deflection.

Pro's:
-Well #1 for me is safety. If the motor dies I'll still have brakes.
-Two master cylinders, one per axle, insures the second level of safety.
-Room under the hood, which in the near future will become exclusive property. (I.e. coilovers)
-Cosmetic improvement. If you don't think so, look at the last two pictures.

Cons:
-Installation.
-Trying to install the Master Cylinders
-Generally speaking the installation process of the Master Cylinders.

Seriously speaking though, if you don't "push" on your brake pedal when you have manual brakes, you don't stop. Your stopping power is directly related to the size of your calves. No power assistance means no assistance. That does not mean "no" brakes. Actually it's quite the opposite. Now I can lock all four tires up. In addition, I love the feel of the pedal, I feel more in touch with the vehicle.

Before I turned it over to The Offroad Connection I fabbed up another push rod that integrated clevices from Wilwood Brakes and a heim joint to help balance the allthread balance bar. Little did I know it wasn't going to work.


The upper part of this picture shows the balance bar and clevices.


The master cylinders coming through the firewall.


New setup equipped with #4 stainless lines.


Old setup.