Noted, in my weekly 'fluid level check' that my brake MC level was down. Hmmmm...been ok since last year when I bled out the system...so...checked the jumpers I made in the engine room. Dry and tight. Jack standed the front of the car, removed the front wheels...and noted a puddle under the center of cross box.
Stuck my finger in the puddle...hmmm...feels like brake fluid. Removed the close plate...MC and its unions are dry. No weeping from the coolant hoses. But, in the center, where the bundy pipe from the rear comes north to go thru the box to the 3-way for the calipers...it was right over where the puddle of fluid is.
Damn. Well...front is up on stands. Off to the box of brake parts...and shazam! I have both sizes of the male pipe nuts (the one closest to the frame is the front brakes per the diagram) for the 3/16" brake piping. Needed the females for the ends to mate with the flex hoses. And, probably a good idea to get a few (3?) for the three-way for the calipers. Ray to the rescue. On their way.
Figure I'll just remove the entire run of bundy from the MC to the rear and back to the front for the front caliper circuit, and plumb in new bundy, fresh nuts, new flex hoses...and, since I'm pulling apart the front brakes, rebuild the calipers, wheel bearings, new disks, install the Spax shocks and shorter springs.
But...investigating the condition of the ball joints and trunnions...well...they need attention, too. See photos. Guess I found ONE reason why the steering and directional stability was a bit wonky. Fresh stuff is always preferable. 2 big hammers to the rescue to pop them out (with a little blue wrench heating persuasion if need be...). Clean it all up, fresh coat of paint...it'll be good to go. Not the first time I've done a front end rebuild.
Got some work to do over the next month, I guess. Aim is to have it done so I can get to the Brits at Bristol show on 6/10.
Oh, btw, the grease cap for the front bearings should have a hole in the center of the cap. It's a 10-32 thread so you can screw in a machine screw against the head of the axle to pop the cap off without having to take a set of channel-locks and bend it up. Just FYI; most have them, some don't.
Isn't owning a Europa fun?
