20060827 - brake master removal

20060831 - more work on the master unit
20060902 - cleaning and painting
20060929 - fitting of overhauled pedalbox

After getting the car licensed, I started using it.
After a few weeks I became aware of some slippy moisture dripping onto the floor, under the pedals. When examined closely, it turned out that I've got a brake master cylinder leak.

So; I had to dive into the footwell and try to remove the pedals.
Surely this it not a job for big people. Had to remove the seat first, in order to have enough space to get under the steering wheel.
Loosened the 8 nuts holding the pedal assembly, and according to the workshop manual the pedal assembly could now be removed as one lot.

Well, no matter how I tried, there was not enough room to rotate the assembly far enough to get the pedals free. So I had to remove the airbox assembly as well, including the air inlet 'trumpets' to the carburator.

Now I finally managed to remove the pedal assembly.
Spend som time figuring how to dismantle the pedal assembly, but finally it came apart.

Now it is just to wait for new parts arriving from Paul Matty (or SJ Sportscars - haven't decided where to order yet). Meanwhile I will clean, russtprotect the assembly unit, and paint it.

Whilst the seat is out of the car, I will also insert the remaining new sill member at the drivers side of the car. More on this later on.

Here are some pictures from the removal process:

	How to make a grown up man fit upside down into an Elan; 1 - remove seat 2 - lay on the back, slide under the wheel 3 - let trained son sqeeze/bend legs and push dem into the car... Scream for help to get out....
	Some of the nuts were hard to get at, but all 8 came loose pretty easy - in spite of uncomfertable working position Remember to remove the throttle cable before removing the pedal assembly unit.
	Also remember to remove cables from brake light switch....
	...and unscrew the brake- and clutch-line screws. I had big problem loosening the brake line, but after one hour having a lot of CRC 5-56 working on the screw, it came loose
	And after removing the airbox assemby I finally managed to remove the pedal assembly. It is very rusty, so I have to have it sandblasted and repainted.
	But; how to remove the locking pin from the master's pushrod, in order to remove the pedals...? I made it after some strange work. But I know for sure I will never manage to get the locking pins back in, the way the assembly is today... Guess I'll have to cut out the 'top' of the pedal assembly unit and make a cover to get easier access, and fit the pedals to the pushrods afterwards. Then I'll have to think of a way to put back the cover to the pedal assembly...later. I have heard of people who did this job years ago, and still plan to fit the top/cover....
	This is the scapegoat... I'm not sure if I shall buy a new, or just overhaul it...
	The brake master pump was very dirty. I gave it a good cleaning, inside and out, using both white sprite and strong soap (!), and rinsed it well in very hot water afterwards.
	And this is how it looked after the cleaning. Much better. I have decided to overhaul the master for the time being, but will order a new to have in reserve when the old one fails again. I will also overhaul the clutch master pump before refitting the items.
	To get better acces, I cut a hole in the top of the pedal assembly. In this way I'm able to gain access to the pedal-to-master pump mounting without removing the whole pedal assembly unit. Now I just have to think out a way to make a cover unit to fit at the top of the padal assembly. Though I'm in no hurry; I've heard of people on the Yahoo Mailing List who has been driving with a pedal assembly unit with a hole like this for years...  ;-) As the unit was pretty dirty and corroded, I gave this one a good cleaning as well.
	After the item had dried, I painted it with Hammerite - a strong rustproofing material. I will spray it black in a day or two, just have to wait for the Hammerite to dry completely. Order for repair kit for brake and clutch master, new throttle cable and a new brake master as well, wil be sent during the weekend.
	New brake master and overhauled clutch master was then fitted, as well as a new throttle cable. Remaining work is to bleed the clutch and master lines, hopefully this can be done tomorrow. Note the removed cover, to make access to the top of the pedal and mounting for the pistons easier. Now I only need to make up a cover to screw on top of the pedal box.
	The pedalbox from another angel, to show the removed plate for better access. Belive me; mounting the pedalbox and its 'interior' were 10 times easier then removing it. The brakes and clutch lines was bled today, saturday. Brakes works OK, but clutch bleeding was no success. I later bought a new clutch slave cylinder, and then the clutch worked just fin.