We will have to put in a lot of work this week, no time for holi-days,
Top priority this morning was checking everything surrounding the master brake cylinder before fitting it. We inspected the brake pedal play and if the brake booster might potentially be faulty, preventing the cylinder pistons from returning fully. It all seemed fine, so we fitted the master cylinder and started bleeding the brake lines. We spent time, bleeding any remaining air out of the system from the bottom with dad doing a couple of “rounds” around the car, visiting each wheel. What a mission this was turning out to be, but we have to get it right.
There is nothing more we can do, apart from ordering new parts, and this comes with risks too. The new parts will cost a lot of money, they might not be the correct model and might not fit when they arrive and they also might arrive late, after the car has left South Africa. The brakes feel better and perhaps it is acceptable… We think we have done enough, so we took it out for a “test drive” with my dad behind the wheel. Driving around the neighbourhood, speeding up and braking hard to get a feel for the system while hearing the sound of the 8 horses “moaning”, not sure what to do. “Are we staying or going”, they asked, being eager on the latter? It felt great, sitting in the (co-pilot) seat with my dad behind the wheel of a great car with a rich history in his life. (me fighting back the emotions and tears)
Not much else happening today, we were super focused on getting the brakes ready and working. We think we are going to try and replace the front disk pads and then leave the system as is. We believe they will be good enough, and perhaps make a trip to the roadworthy testing station for a check on the rollers later in the week.
__________
43.5323 – 172.5567
2 September 2024
FP-235