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MG Midget and Sprite General - Tandem master cylinder finish

I've just got my (spare) tandem master cylinder back from a resleeving and rebuild at Past Parts necause the one in the car feels like the clutch side is beginning to degrade.

It's been blasted back to bare metal and whilst I'm not an originality freak I do like to have my car looking as period as possible.

I'd value your thoughts on what the original finish on these would have beeen. Were they left bare metal to rust or were they painted and if so what colour? I can't believe they were plated as I've never seen one with a hint of any plating on it.

Cheers

Jeremy
Jeremy Cogman

Jeremy. When I did mine, I did it satin black which looks OK and period enough for me. I'm sure they were never plated (I presume you mean with Cadmium). I've just looked in Terry Horler's book and if you have it, there's a picture on page 29 of a Frogeye and in that it appears to be black or very dark bare metal with a grey or plated top. However, on the next page on a different Frog it looks to be very clean bare metal.

Bernie.
b higginson

Is it iron? They probably never did anything to it if it is, as cast iron is fairly corrosion resistant (especially compared to the mild steel body!)

Put another way, could you imagine BMC spending a few extra pence on tarting up a clutch cylinder when the car will be scrapped within 5 years of rolling off the production line because the bodyshell has rotted?

Not really answering the question as such, just trying to think of plausable ideas

Malcolm
Malcolm Le Chevalier

Malcolm. Yes they are iron and you make a good point about it being less prone to corrosion, so I think you probably have answered the question. They probably were just left bare. I've still got my original one somewhere, so if they were painted it should still have at least a little of the paint left on it. I'll look.

Bernie.
b higginson

glad I could help with some logical thinking! It's probably the first time I have had some sort of useful input to a thread! ha ha

Cheers,
Malcolm
Malcolm Le Chevalier

just oil the exterior with some light oil and tou will get the dark metal look wanted.

Malcom is reasoning correctly.
Engine's for example where just quickly sprayed when they where together including a lot of bolt on pieces people now adays polish or what ever.

If you keep thinking of a 1 year waranty low build costs and the idea that it should have been scrapped after 5 to 10 you can determin most finishes
Onno Könemann

Yep. Just dug out my old one. No paint at all. Makes sense if you think about it. All that's been said above, plus the fact that any brake fluid spillage is soon going to make a mess of the paint, so why paint it?

Bernie.
b higginson

Thanks for your input folks, I'll just oil it. Thanks particularly to Bernie for his efforts.
Jeremy Cogman

Hiya Jeremy,
I sent a tandem master cylinder to Past Parts and they re-sleeved mine with stainless steel. I fitted it to my Frogeye. I used ordinary mineral based brake fluid. After just some 3-4 months I noticed brake fluid leaking from the pistons. It made a right mess of my paintwork. I contacted them, explained the problem and sent it back to them to be fixed. They reported the problem was that one of the piston seals had been cut on a rough edge in the ss cylinder. I was happy that they sorted the problem out. They sent the repaired master cylinder back to me. I refitted the master cylinder and sent off a second tandem cylinder for re-sleeving. This time for a '64 Midget. I had it back, fitted it but this time used silicon brake fluid. In the meantime my Frogeye cylinder started leaking again. More paint knackered!. Also the master cylinder in my '64 Midget has also now started leaking silicon albeit this doesn't strip the paint. I haven't contacted them again. I will be going elsewhere now. Let us know how you get on.
Neil
Neil K

Frost now sell a brake fluid resistant paint for master cylinders..
http://www.frost.co.uk/aumotive-brakes-tools/eastwood-brake-grey-paint.html

£17 for an aerosol seems a bit steep though, especially if you only need to use a small amount.
graeme jackson

This thread was discussed on 09/09/2011

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