UPDATE:
Rosie the '41 Firetruck has had her brake master cylinder rebuilt. Found it leaking out the boot, puddling on the floor. Shame. Total, Complete, Pain in the A$$ to remove, in my humble estimation. Blind nuts holding the master to a stand-off on the frame, have to take out the whole she-bang (6 bolts from the frame, 2 more for the vacuum-assist appendage, 3 cotter-pin linkages, brake line and brake-light hook-up). :mad: :mad:
Any-who, had to use some serious flame-wrench to get the end-cap off the cylinder. Got the kit from Chevs of the 40s, honed out the cylinder a little, cleaned it up, kitted it, bench-bled it, installed it, cussed a lot, installed it, cussed some more, installed it, bled the system at the first "T". Pretty good pedal. Done.
Also, got the floor panel and toe board in with most of the seals, ie: the starter bellows, pedal felt,etc. Front sheet metal and bumper are on, still lacking the hood.
Drove it to fill up this afternoon. Bad News: I've become spoiled by driving my recently-returned 1968 Open Cab Seagrave. That huge 817 straight six, Five Speed overdrive, and air-ride seat make it a relative dream to drive.
Rosie, by comparison, is sluggish, slow, loud, and grindy. BUT, the refinished seat is comfortable, the engine runs relatively smooth, doesn't overheat, and the oil pressure reads well. If I can get the horn working right and the emergency brake to actually hold the truck on a modest hill, I'll feel better.
Mantra: "It's the Journey, not the destination. It's the Journey, not the destination. It's the Journey, . . . "
-Michael
