Topic: 68 Master Cylinder/Lid Finish

[66427]

My Booster and Master Cylinder are out being restored.
If I'm correct the Booster is originally finished in semi gloss black?
Master cylinder and lid are ?
If it matters Mid Feb 68 New Jersey car
Thanks Dave

[J_Speegle]

Booster, master cylinder (complete with lid) all semi-gloss black as unit painted before it was installed on the car

[Bob Gaines]

Booster, master cylinder (complete with lid) all semi-gloss black as unit painted before it was installed on the car

and bail wire .

[dkknab]

I don't have a booster but am I to read this as meaning my brake master cylinder,  cap,  and bail wire are all to be painted semi gloss black on my 68 Metuchen car?

While we're at it can you direct me to a list of firewall finishes? I've searched some to no avail.

PS per the MCA concours judging sheet it says the master cylinder could be black or cast iron finish and the cap black or zinc-dichromate finish.

[Bossbill]

GG. Master Cylinder, Power Brake Unit and Rigid Brake Lines:
Master Cylinder: Semi-gloss black.
Cap: Manual Semi-gloss black or zinc-dichromate with debossed warning.
Power Brake Booster: All Semi-gloss black including master cylinder cap.

If I read this right the manual brake cap is allowed to be unpainted?

[dkknab]

Here's the current situation with my master cylinder. I've cleaned up the cap mostly. Can't tell through all the rust if it was originally painted black or just left cast iron finish. Also the cap had not indication of being painted - it was just dirty and rusty.

[Bob Gaines]

 I know that the vent on the cap of a disc brake cap was a 1970 and later thing. If the same holds true to the non disc cap then the vent seen under the bail wire in the picture indicates that the cap has been changed sometime in the past.

[J_Speegle]

I don't have a booster but am I to read this as meaning my brake master cylinder,  cap,  and bail wire are all to be painted semi gloss black on my 68 Metuchen car?

Yes - all of it

While we're at it can you direct me to a list of firewall finishes? I've searched some to no avail.

Firewall would have been painted then parts install on it (steering column, brake lines and master cylinder, electrical, heater and so on) then spray sealant/adhesive sprayed over most if not all of those areas to insure water and vapors could not pass through from engine compartment to interior

PS per the MCA concours judging sheet it says the master cylinder could be black or cast iron finish and the cap black or zinc-dichromate finish.

 

Please understand that MCA rules does not always reflect how the cars were actually built all the time. Plenty of examples where how each plant and their suppliers did things differently plus you have the issue of older details that are already applied to cars that have been restored a while back and still show and the reluctance at times to deal with that. If you do build the car as it was actually built you should do fine and IMHO it will reflect how the car was really built 

[J_Speegle]

It has been mentioned how paints don't stick well to plated finishes when compared to bare metal. Same can be said of aluminum

Also did notice in my pictures there are a fair amount of new (NOS) caps on cars. Fairly popular update for owners. They were cheap and looked much much better

Couple of pictures showing style and in some cases black paint still visible. Plenty of rusty, old looking ones I choose not to post at the time





From one of the examples in the Unrestored Picture section

[ruppstang]

IMHO manual brake master cylinders were natural cast and the lids were zinc dichromate. This is what I found on our 68 unrestored San Jose car.

[dkknab]

With the amount of rust on my master cylinder it would not surprise me if it was not painted black initially. I think the only way to at least make it presentable though is to paint it black after treating the rust.  Otherwise a new master cylinder would be in order to get it back to the unpainted condition I think.

[Bob Gaines]

IMHO manual brake master cylinders were natural cast and the lids were zinc dichromate. This is what I found on our 68 unrestored San Jose car.

It is my understanding that the lids change from zinc dichromate gold to silver zinc was a early late 68 transition. 

[dkknab]

Looking at the pictures posted by Jeff, and according to Bob, it does appear my lid and possibly master cylinder is not the original or at least the cap was changed. So at least I could get the proper cap. Any suggestions on who has this cap in either the silver zinc or zinc dichromate version?

[tim_morrison82]

My San Jose booster had drip marks from the painting process that was dripping horizontal, giving me the opinion the booster was painted off the car and hung up to drip dry. I'll try and dig out photos from my archive. Build date was mid Dec 67. Also had an unusual sticker on the master cylinder lid. Red text on a black background.

[dkknab]

I found a couple of caps on ebay both listed as C7AZ-2162-A which I'm guessing is a service replacement.  Would this work in my situation as a concours car?